The Student Data Dashboards project has started
The scope of this project is to develop student dashboards to assist schools to enhance Learning and Teaching. It is articulated around six keys areas:
Understand applications & admissions over a period of time and in-year to help plan for following year | Understand my student cohort(s), their characteristics, trends, progression and outcomes. | Learning & teaching Survey data, linked to student record and other sources, some local level internal and external benchmarking. Analytics/Predictive |
Standard reports for annual course and programme reviews and TPRs (Taught Programme Review) to have one consistent set of data, spend less time looking for it, and more time using it. | Understand my student on an individual level and what is happening in-year. Analytics/Predictive | Effective/Efficient Assessment volumes, class sizes, feedback and assessment turnaround times, contact hours, internal and external comparison. Analytics/Predictive |
For the dashboards element, key areas of focus are identified as:
Value | Are we reporting on data which will enable schools to enhance learning & teaching and student experience: clear link to strategy and key indicators |
Use | Reporting and dashboard yes, but also greater analytics, insights and potentially predictive qualities; accessibility, visualisation and simplicity |
Resources | Capacity as well as capabilities; systems as well as people |
Alignment | Plan, scope, clarity on roles and responsibilities; aligning central team(s), colleges and schools – one point of distribution |
Agreement | Data definitions, consistency in use, one source |
Ethics and security | Clarity on use of data, access and security, avoid unintended consequences |
Operation | Fitting in with operation rather than organisational structure; focussed at the level of need |
Culture | Moving to active engagement and use, greater access, visibility and transparency |
The keys benefits are:
Enhancing MI/BI and strategic planning
- Better, more consistent data definitions across different areas of reporting
- New MI available on surveys, admissions targets, external benchmarks
- Key MI available together in one place
- Easily accessible data, no BIS log-in
- Better, quicker insights through improved visualisation and analysis
- Internal benchmarking between/across schools, subject areas and courses/programmes
Enhancing Learning and Teaching
- Cross-referencing student survey results with course results and programme outcomes
- Analysis at subject level as well as individual courses/programmes
- Identifying high and low performance, best practice and areas meriting attention
- Tracking cohort progression, attrition and completion
- Demographic analyses (gender, ethnicity, fee status, WP)
- Identifying trends over time
- External benchmarking via KIS/NSS
Improving data architecture and data quality
- Initiating a new Student Data Hub consistent with the emerging framework for BI Architecture
- Improving consistency and compatibility of datasets: ability to report on student, programme and course across different Universes.
- Better understood data definitions
- Developing a sustainable, scalable data architecture for future growth and development.
- Reducing overhead to develop and maintain new reports in Student Systems, Colleges and Schools.
More information about the project are available on https://www.projects.ed.ac.uk/project/sac044
Jamie Morton (Student Systems), Franck Bergeret (IS Applications)