Which?

University: finding an answer via open data

Jenni Allen Which?

Who?

Warning

This is not a technical presentation

30,000+ undergrad courses 300+ providers 50,000 of debt

Factors researched by applicants

Over half of this years applicants had researched: course content academic reputation distance from home quality of academic facilities

Other than entry requirements, what factors did you research when you were making your choice of course/university Base: 1010 applicants to September 2012 courses

Data can empower choice by

Enabling comparison

Managing expecta3ons

Revealing powerful insights

But data has limitations

Data is o(en incomplete

Data can be misleading

Data doesnt give the full picture

Important data not collected academic experience http://university.which.co.uk/contact-hours-comparison-tool

Data doesnt give the full picture

Li8le insight into non-academic aspects of university

Data by itself is not enough

People need help interpreting data what does it mean?

Data needs to be contextualised - how can I use it?

Relativities are crucial - is that better than that?

Challenges of using higher education data

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Accessing data sets Student records Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) under licence National Surveys National Student Survey open KIS API Destination of Leavers of Higher Education open KIS API Labour Force Survey open - ONS Application statistics UCAS under licence Linking data sets Joint Academic Coding System (JACS) Standard Occupational Classifications (SOC2010) Non-disclosure rules

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Where next for higher education open data?

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Contact hours and type making KIS data more useful Long-term employment outcomes institution question on Labour Force Survey Student Loans Company and income tax data Educational outcomes linked National Student Database and HESA student record Cost of living data ONS and Valuation Office Agency data

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In conclusion
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Data can empower choice But it has its limitations By itself its not enough to truly empower consumers Theres still room for more and better data about higher education Any questions?

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