KIS Timetable

1. KIS Timetable Sept/Oct part of timetable is busy. Website requirements: must be added to course pages between Sept and Oct 2012.HEIs had to let HEFCE know a KIS contact is by 10 March.

2. KEY INFORMATION SETS: a fling or the real thing? Professor John Last, Principal, NUCA & Chair GLAD

3. What is the KIS? • Deadlines & date • Implications • A fling or the real thing?

4. The White Paper - ‘HE: Students at the Heart of the System’ • ‘Improve quality of information available’ • Subsequently QAA Institution Review • ‘Judgement based on reliability & quality of HEIs information for students’

5. From the HE Public Info Steering Group – “KIS to be set of standardised comparable, course led data for prospective students, a website complimented by a WIS” (depth and context)

6. In place for September 2012, data to HEFCE from end March: deadline 22 August • Sign off by Head of Institution after dates preview • September: Website live. Unistats site closes • KIS widgets embedded and visible on all institutions websites • October: KIS reopens to update (eg fees)

7. Technical stuff! • Mandatory • FT/& pt undergraduate if for Home/EU students • All courses in UCAS • If franchised course KIS provided by validating HEI (one that registers students and returns to HESA on ILR)

8. But places student applies displays the widget! • New courses – estimated data for Year One and real thereafter

9. No need for PT KIS if FT exists even if fees differ • No KIS if 120 credits and less and only 1 year FT (top ups) • Overseas courses out of UK

10. The Widget • Rolling through KIS data and embedded in institutions web-page for the course

11. INSERT EXAMPLE HERE

12. What data in widget? Rolling over 6 areas • Student satisfaction (NSS data) • Course information on teaching, learning & assessment • Employment & salary data • Accommodation costs • Financial information including fees • SU information

13. Challenges/Issues How data will be understood/interpreted – needs contextualising. Implications of accreditation data for example. Aggregation of data & thresholds for publication & missing data (new course) HESA data links & accuracy (FECs) Contractual status of KIS – legally binding?

14. Interpretation by students/parents etc “Accreditation” eg RIBA/Skillset/ British Association of Art Therapists Thresholds for data publication and aggregation of data or ‘missing’ data

15. What thresholds are there?

16. What is a professional or managerial job for KIS? • Professional/managerial jobs within KIS are defined through the DLHE record as: • An employed destination i.e. (full-time, part-time, self-employed/freelance)… • …where the activity has been coded within SOC major groups 1-3 • A preview of this data is available within DLHE check documentation

17. Thresholds for DLHE/NSS • NSS publication thresholds are that 50% of the eligible students must have responded and that these must represent at least 23 students • DLHE publication thresholds differ in that the number of students covered by the indicator must be at least 23 (a 50% threshold is not applied) • But, For salary information, at least 50% of the students who are employed full-time. Thus, for salary data to be published at least 23 students who are employed full-time must have given a salary and these must represent at least 50% of the students employed full-time

18. Aggregating DLHE/NSS data • Where NSS and DLHE data for a particular course fail to meet the publication thresholds then data will be aggregated until data that meet the thresholds are achieved: • Course level most recent two years • JACS subject level 3 most recent year • JACS subject level 3 most recent two years • JACS subject level 2 most recent year • JACS subject level 2 most recent two years • JACS subject level 1 most recent year • JACS subject level 1 most recent two years

19. Implications? • Small courses disadvantaged? (or aggregated) • Not evidently distinct. Is small no longer beneficial? Whitler diversity? • DLHE data more significant issue, as salaries in art & design may be compared unfavourably to other subjects • Pressure on Registry for data will increase

20. Learning & teaching methods • Specify proportion of time in scheduled learning, teaching, placements and independent study • URL link with further info on learning and teaching

23. Challenges in learning & teaching • Time consuming of academic time • Lose the individual differences of courses • Tendency for courses to actully all look the same • Modular courses/choices complex to express

24. How to record ‘drop-in’ within a 7 hour workshop session? • Should not include Summative Assessment – fine for written exams but more complex in arts & design?

25. Assessment methods • Specify % of assessed by written exam • Course work • Practical exam • All for Summative Recorded Assessment only formative activity • May be referenced elsewhere

26. Activities & KIS categories

27. Challenges of assessment • Peer assessment excludeds – but can be categorised by type, eg oral presentation • Tendency to stress coursework as ‘Portfolio’ defined as this not ‘practical’ • Can link to URL for explanation but ‘bland’ not vibrant!

28. NSS data – which questions? • Staff are good at explaining things • Staff have made the subject interesting • Overall, I am satisfied with the quality of my course • I have received sufficient advice and support with my studies • Feedback on my work has been prompt • Feedback on my work has helped me clarify things I did not understand • The library resources are good enough for my needs • I have been able to access general IT resources when I needed to

29. NSS Challenges • Missing data • FdA – BA changes ‘lost data’ • No data for new courses

30. Employment & Salary Data • Graduate destinations after 6 months (ie working/ studying/unemployed/not available for work • Whether in managerial or professional post • Different threshold to publish than NSS

31. Challenges re: Employment & Salary Data • No data for small courses – or aggregated data of limited value • Only f/t data – unless course only p/t. Not ideal if mainly p/t mode • Not helpful to portfolio/careers or areas with longer careers gestation • Is this really a key Quality or data index in ADM?

32. Fees & Financial Support • Most specify annual fee (average maximum pa) • Most identify fee waivers and means-tested benefits such as bursaries

33. Challenges re Fees • No issue if recruit through UCAS as data pulled through • Partnership & franchise arrangements may need separate KIS entries • P/t courses the fee for 120 credits (ie 1 year f/t) will be quoted

34. Accommodation Costs • Give costs for institution owned/managed rooms & private sector • Base data a lower/upper quartile in 2012/13 • Reported to the nearest £100 • Also gives total beds-spaces at the institution

35. Challenges re: accommodation costs • Very broad brush – need to link to website for specifics • Private costs inexact • Unclear what messages students take from those with high/ medium/low/no accommodation

36. Review/Validation • HEFCE will operate validation checks on KIS but not yet credibility checks • Much depends on links to UCAS/HESA data returns • QAA review will consider the KIS data and judge it