1. KIS Lunchtime Briefing
Professor Jeff Bale
Chris Matterface and Rachel Shapton
15 March 2012

2. Aims for 2012/13 Consistent application of principles
Allocation of appropriate number of hours to different types of teaching, including those with ‘independent’ student effort
Intro from Jeff Bale:
Overall – content with position
Main issues arising from last year are to ensure consistency
Most obvious one is around projects

3. Key Information Set (KIS)
Comparable sets of information about full or part time undergraduate courses and are designed to meet the information needs of prospective students
Contain information which prospective students have identified as useful, such as student satisfaction, graduate outcomes, learning and teaching activities, assessment methods, tuition fees and student finance, accommodation and professional accreditation.
RAS
Reminder of scope of KIS

4. KIS content – for entry in 2014/15
Student satisfaction – 2013 HEFCE NSS
Destinations data – 2013 HESA DLHE data
Finance – fees and support (UoB)
Accommodation – availability and cost (UoB)
Course (Programme) structure by year – contact hours and assessment methods (UoB)
Overview of where information comes from – highlighting what is in scope for UoB and what external

5. Usage of KIS – research findings
Around 40% of enquirers/applicants use KIS
Its importance in decision-making process of our acceptors is similar to that of other official and quasi-official data such as league tables
Those who use it are slightly more likely to use it to help short list universities than to make a final decision
Reminder of scope of KIS

6. Timescale for 2013 collection
29 May – submission system opens
June/July (tbc) – NSS/DLHE data added
August (tbc) – final submission deadline (last year it was 22nd)
September (tbc) – KIS system re-opens for updates (last year it was 27th)
National data collection timescales

7. HEFCE changes since last year
Enhancements to location data
Changes to way accreditation is handled
Changes to way course titles are reported
Other minor changes
Changes in data specification – none of great significance for UoB, other than accreditation should be reflected more consistently.
Full detail will be published by HESA on accreditation after 21 March (after confirmation with HEBRG) and we can then assess impact at UoB. Hopefully, most mappings from current text to this new format will be self-evident

8. Contact hours Contact hours data is collected for active modules
Collected via spreadsheets and stored in an Access database last year
Contact hours for modules with most students for each programme year used to generate Typical Student Pathway
Rehearse TSP

9. Typical Student Pathway (TSP)
List compiled of all modules taken by students on a given programme year
Modules are ranked in descending order of enrolments
Work down the list until appropriate total credits reached, count all modules to that point and none below
Rehearse TSP

10. Example TSP
BA Latin literature, year 2 – students do three compulsory modules then choose a further three from five
Module
Credits
Students
Use in KIS?
Cicero 20 Y
Catullus
Virgil
Plautus 15
Horace 14
Juvenal 12
Livy 11 N
Seneca 8
Rehearse TSP

11. Contact hours 120 credits = 1200 total hours
Therefore to achieve a 1% increase in contact hours within a given year requires an additional 12 contact hours
The headline figure shown is the average across all years therefore an extra 12 hours in one year = an extra 0.33% on the headline figure

12. Data collection 2013
Proposed to collect contact hours data during April
Opportunity to check data during June/July

13. Data collection 2013 Immediate focus on modules with no data
Existing data from last year will be rolled forward
Opportunity to amend modules with revised data
Workload for academic and administrative staff in Colleges, Schools and Departments should be substantially reduced
Reassure that this year is much more straightforward

14. Updating data Modules with missing data will be circulated next week
Contact hours – spreadsheet
Assessment – via BIRMS
Programmes with missing data – as last year, estimates will be provided base on other programmes within departments
Updates possible throughout summer
Single source is TBC

15. Data collection 2013
Proposed to collect missing contact hours data during April
Opportunity to check all data during June/July
Timescales at UOB. Note that scale is much smaller – approx 100 modules with missing data this year, and not several thousand as last year

16. Project Work Laboratory based projects
Computer/literature based projects
Laboratory projects – looking at typical times and timetabled times (recognising that individual projects may very, intending to get a realistic view for applicants of commitment needed
The detail of how modules are constructed, and typical patterns of takeup within modules, can be significant

17. Workshop/studio work Other forms of independent study:
“Examples might include time spent in an art or design studio, or in a rehearsal space such as a workshop theatre. It could be timetabled or take place on an ad hoc basis. Peers as well as staff or affiliates may be involved. Due to the nature of the activity, it is unlikely to take place virtually. Supervised time in a studio/workshop might involve a group or individual.”
Note that peer group work will occur in many programmes across Colleges
Note from HESA guidance – workshops are broad in definition, and can include peer learning

18. Field Work and Seminars
Number of days, number of hours
Seminars
Honours programme symposia
Office hours and tutorials
Including all fieldwork
Seminars – may be an option
Tutorials can be included, but ‘drop in’ sessions cannot