05/03 - July

Dear Colleagues

2004/05 HESA STUDENT RECORD COLLECTION (REF: C04011)

This Circular contains links to documents and further guidance that are required for the C04011 data collection.

Documents

Institutions should review the information contained in the following documents:

• Timescales for the Collection
• Validation Kit
• COMMIT Stage Validation Rules
• Check Documentation Template
• HESA Data Collection System Help

Further Guidance

The following further guidance is offered in connection with completion of the C04011 data collection.

1. Field 3 Campus identifier (CAMPID)

Some institutions use facilities at other institutions for delivery of all or part of some programmes; where this is the case students may be distinguished via use of the CAMPID field. These students differ from those taught under a franchise or consortia arrangement in that the registering HEI provides the teaching and assessment with the other institution only providing facilities e.g. lecture theatres.

2. Module Record Field 10 Level of credit points (LEVLPTS)

For institutions in Wales, please note that Codes 1, 2, 3, 6 and 7 in this field correspond to the Credit and Qualifications Framework for Wales (CQFW) Higher Education Qualifications Framework (HEQF) qualification levels C, I, H, M, D, and that Codes A, B and C correspond to the CQFW National Qualifications Framework (NQF) qualification levels Foundation, Intermediate and Advanced.

3. Field 21 Highest qualification on entry (QUALENT2)

HEFCE use qualification on entry data to inform funding. For 2006/07 funding we expect that students with unknown entry qualifications will receive zero weighting. In particular, where students have entered via UCAS with qualifications that should have a Tariff score but the Tariff score is not recorded on the HESA record HEFCE expect them to receive a zero weight.

4. Field 28 Special students (SPCSTU)

A reminder that where applicable all institutions should be using Code '1' Entered HE via the SWAP or Code '2' Entered HE via other access programme excluding SWAP - this is the basis of a check documentation check. It is particularly important that institutions in Scotland use Code '1' appropriately, in order that SHEFC can reconcile the HESA data with figures provided by the Wider Access forums.

5. Field 35 Date left institution or completed the programme of study (DATELEFT) and Fields 37/38 Qualification obtained 1 and 2 (QUAL1/QUAL2)

For the purpose of HESA returns, completing a programme of study is defined as being the point at which the taught or structured part of the programme of study, including any formal writing-up period, is completed, i.e. once the student is no longer actively following the programme of study, and not any later stage such as, for example, final confirmation of award.

The date returned in DATELEFT should therefore be the date of completing the programme and not the date of final confirmation of award.

PhD students

For research students the award should be recorded when the institution's senate, or other body or person empowered to approve the award, formally approves the award. For such students the DATELEFT field should be completed with the same date.

Dormant students

The DATELEFT field should reflect the date the student completed their programme of study and should not be updated.

6. Field 49 Expected length of study programme (SPLENGTH) and Field 50 Units of length (UNITLGTH)

Foundation years

It is not expected that the course length (SPLENGTH & UNITLGTH) be adjusted for individual students. However, where there are different course options that students can take, for example, foundation years and sandwich placements, it is expected that the course length reflects the options taken. For example, where a student undertakes an integrated foundation year it is normally expected that the course length be recorded as one year longer than if the student had just taken a standalone degree.

7. Field 43 - 45 Subject of qualification aim 1 - 3 (SBJQA1 - 3)

Both the Teaching Quality Information (TQI) website and National Student Survey (NSS) reporting use the three fields SBJQA1-3 together with SBJBID and TTCID to apportion students to subjects. Incorrect coding of these fields can lead to students being wrongly shown on the TQI site.

ITT programmes

Portuguese R500 has been included in the valid entry list for Secondary ITT Programmes and ITT Programmes covering the 7-14 Age Range (i.e. Code 24, 25, 26, 54, 55, 56 or 57 in Field 54).

8. Field 68 Major source of tuition fees (MSTUFEE)

SLC awards

Comparison of the MSTUFEE field with other data sources has highlighted poor data quality relating to the return of full and partial SLC awards. Institutions are reminded that this field should be completed based on the individual circumstances of each student. HEFCE and others use this data as an indicator of the student's background and for monitoring SLC awards.

Research Council students

The Research Councils have contracted with HESA to collect all Research Council data for their students, within the DHLE survey, which is linked to the student record. From the first sets of data available it is clear that the unique identification of Research Council students within the HESA student record is not complete. Therefore Research Councils would ask that all institutions complete the MSTUFEE field to ensure that for every Research Council student the sponsoring Council is recorded.

9. Students on joint programmes

A number of HEIs offer joint programmes. Analysis of the 2003/04 record has shown that a significant number of students are recorded by two HEIs for the same programme of study. Institutions are reminded that where students undertake joint programmes they should only be recorded on one institution's HESA record, even where they receive tuition from both HEIs and are given a joint award.

10. Students taught under HEFCE recognised funding consortia

Where students are taught at an FEC under HEFCE recognised funding consortia, these students are normally registered at the FEC, and should therefore not be included on the HESA student return of the lead institution.

11. National Student Survey (NSS)

The National Student Survey (NSS) will run for the second time for institutions in England, Wales and Northern Ireland in early 2006. It has been decided that the population for this survey will be derived directly from institutions' 2004/05 HESA student record submissions. Thus for the first time, and in order to facilitate checking, during the 2004/05 data collection NSS population target lists will be generated by the HESA data collection system when data are committed. Institutions cannot expect to make changes to their target lists following data collection; therefore institutions will need to ensure that these lists are checked during data collection. Institutions are reminded that the population is defined by an algorithm and will contain some students that are not in their final year, for example, students who repeat the penultimate year of a course.

12. Guidance on Teacher Training students

Institutions are not expected to return data for trainees on employment-based routes (GTP, OTT and RTP). The Teacher Training Agency (TTA) collects this data via the Employment Based Routes Data Management System (EBRDMS). Please contact the TTA if you require further information.

13. JACS codes for Welsh language and literature

If appropriate, institutions in Wales should return JACS codes 'Q560' Welsh or 'Q561' Welsh Literature for Welsh language and literature courses or modules, rather than 'Q500' Celtic studies.

Post-collection amendments to HESA returns

HEFCE and HESA have recently signed a new formal agreement covering the collection of data from English HEIs by HESA on behalf of HEFCE. The new agreement alters the process for making post-collection amendments to HESA returns.

Previously such exceptional amendments were handled by HEFCE and only passed to HESA after they were agreed. From this collection (2004/05) onwards such exceptional amendments will be collected via HESA. However this process is separate from the main data collection and will only be available to an institution on the explicit instruction of HEFCE. Institutions should also be aware that onward use of information, for example in HESA publications, or for TQI, will be based on the original data collected and not on any amended data.

The agreement with HEFCE provides for the costs of processing such exceptional amendments to be recovered from institutions by HESA, with assistance from HEFCE. HEFCE and HESA have agreed that for the student record this charge should be set at 20% of the institution's annual subscription. It is the case, as this is the first year of operation of this process, and institutions have had little notice of the change, that the HESA Board has agreed to waive these charges for the 2004/05 collection, but institutions are forewarned that charging will be introduced for 2005/06.

Who to Contact During Data Collection

Institutions should consider Institutional Liaison as a general first point of contact and in addition the team also cover specific areas as indicated below:

If you have any queries on the issues raised in this Circular please contact the Agency's Institutional Liaison team (Alison Berry, Marietta Nkweta, Janet Earl or Clara Elcocks) at HESA or email (liaison@hesa.ac.uk).

Yours sincerely

C. Jane Wild
Director of Operations