Universities and colleges are required to make data returns to regulatory bodies; they also need to manage systems and information across their organisation and beyond to support research management, course admissions, finance and much more. Data centric approaches can help to make these processes more efficient and reduce burdens on institutions. To achieve this, the use of standards is key. There are now initiatives that are helping, for example the Higher Education Data and Information Improvement Programme (HEDIIP) and the Consortia Advancing Standards in Research Administration Information (CASRAI). We explain these initiatives and their approaches and offer delegates the chance to learn about them. Jisc is working with HEDIIP and CASRAI to help to improve data and information interoperability – what does this mean to you? How can you get involved?

2. The HE information landscape made easy
Andy Youell – Director, HEDIIP
Jisc Digital Festival 2014-03-12

3. The HE information landscape made easier
Andy Youell – Director, HEDIIP
Jisc Digital Festival 2014-03-12

4.  1300 HE providers
 Govt, funders and regulators
 Professional Statutory & Regulatory Bodies
 HE professional groups and sector bodies
 Students – prospective, current and alumni
 Data users – policy, researchers, media etc..
The HE information landscape

5. Paragraph 6.22 of the 2011 HE White Paper
 Redesign the information landscape to create a new
system that:
 Meets the needs of a wider group of users
 Reduces duplication
 Results in timelier and more relevant data
 Also work with other government departments
 Secure buy-in to reducing the burden

7.  Very broad range of organisations, collecting for many
different purposes
 Low awareness of what each other has
 Inconsistent definitions and terminology
 Patchy approach to data standards adoption
 No holistic view of the system
 No mechanism or forum to bring these bodies together
Findings – data collectors/processors

8.  A diverse group of autonomous institutions
 Few HE providers have a complete picture of their data
reporting requirements
 Some weaknesses in data management and governance
 Uncoordinated responses to (uncoordinated) requests for
data
Findings – HE providers

9.  It is cheap and plentiful
 It works
 It is an enabler…
 ….if we could become more joined up in other ways
Findings - technology

10. HEDIIP
Higher Education Data & Information
Improvement Programme
www.hediip.ac.uk @HEDIIP

11.  HEDIIP is a programme of work hosted by HESA
 Each of the 4 UK funding bodies funds HEDIIP
 Programme Board
 Advisory Panel
 Programme Management Office
 Projects
About HEDIIP

12.  Inventory of HE data collections
 ULN – where are we now and next steps
 JACS – Problems with the JACS and next steps
 HE Data Language – lexicon and thesaurus
 Programme plan to July 2015
What have we done

13.  What does a re-designed landscape look like?
 What elements, functions, attributes?
 How is it planned/regulated/managed/controlled etc
 How will we get there?
 How will we know when we have got there?
Theme: Strategy and change

14.  Data standards and data language
 What standards currently exist? How do we know?
 What do we need to do to achieve standardisation?
 What should not be standardised? How do we know?
 Language and data language?
Theme: Standards and understanding

15.  How we work
 Why do so many data collections exist?
 How data collectors operate
 How HE institutions respond to requests for data and
information
 How do we manage (measure?) burden?
 How can we increase value?
 Data management and governance
Theme: Capability and excellence

16.  This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity
 Sector-wide change
 Profile
 Technology
 Political mandate and political buy-in
 This is about organisations and people
Call to action

17.  Different perspectives and requirements
 Different ideas about what is wrong…
 …and what should be done about it
 People are doing good things
 Jisc
 CASRAI
 …others
We need to listen carefully

18.  Promote data capability and understanding
 Good practice in management & governance
 Standardisation
 Sharing
 Maximising value
 Articulate the vision…
 …in a language that people can connect with
We need to speak clearly

19. The HE information landscape made easier
Andy Youell – Director, HEDIIP
Jisc Digital Festival 2014-03-12