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Student record 2015/16 - Mode of study

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Student record 2015/16

Fields required from institutions in Scotland

Mode of study


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valid entries
Typefield
Short nameMODE
Description

This field indicates the method by which a student is being taught their course.

Applicable toEngland Northern Ireland Scotland Wales
Coverage

All instances

Valid entries and labels
CodeLabel
01Full-time according to funding council definitions
02Other full-time
12FE students, full-time 30 weeks or more
13FE students, full-time 4-29 weeks
14FE students, full-time less than 4 weeks
23Sandwich (thick) according to funding council definitions
24Sandwich (thin) according to funding council definitions
25Other sandwich course/programme
31Part-time
33FE students, part-time, released from employment
34FE students, part-time, not released from employment
35FE students, evening only
36FE students - open or distance learning
38Structured part-time (providers in Scotland)
39Other part-time (providers in Scotland)
43Writing-up - previously full-time
44Writing-up - previously part-time
51Sabbatical
63Dormant - previously full-time
64Dormant - previously part-time
65FE students continuous delivery, day/daytime
73Change to dormant status - previously full-time
74Change to dormant status - previously part-time
99FE students in England
Notes

Where a student has changed their mode of study within the reporting period, the record should show the current or latest position.

Full-time

With reference to code 01, the funding councils have agreed that a common definition of full-time is that course years must involve a minimum of 24 weeks study (note that this definition does not apply to full-time final year students in providers in Wales). Each funding council may also have further additional conditions. HESA will apply the 24 week rule to its definition of full-time in publications i.e. full-time will be all those students coded 01 in this field, together with all those students coded 02 and whose expected length of study (fields Instance.SPLENGTH and Instance.UNITLGTH) is 24 weeks or more.

Sandwich

With reference to codes 23 and 24, these programmes are covered by the definition of sandwich under the award regulations as set out by the funding council (or in the Student Support Regulations for providers in England). Years of instance must involve a minimum of 24 weeks study/placement. HESA's definition of sandwich students will be all those students coded 23 or 24 in this field, together with all those students coded 25 and whose expected length of study (fields Instance.SPLENGTH and Instance.UNITLGTH) is 24 weeks or more.

Code 23, Thick sandwich students are those for which an industrial (or other) placement causes a continuous absence from full-time study of at least one academic year. A record must be returned for every student enrolled on a sandwich course irrespective of whether they are in attendance at the provider or engaged in industrial (or other) training. Students should be coded as sandwich for every year of the course and not just those in which industrial (or other) experience takes place. The students who are actually out on placement can be identified via Instance.LOCSDY.

Instance.LOCSDY valid entries (students in UK):

  • D On industrial (or other) placement for the year as a whole
  • E On industrial (or other) placement for a proportion of the year

Instance.LOCSDY valid entries (students abroad):

  • T Abroad for the whole year
  • U Abroad for a proportion of the year

Code 24, A thin sandwich must involve the student in an average of more than 21 hours study a week for a minimum of 24 weeks study/placement.

Students who meet the definition of sandwich should be coded as either 23 or 24 irrespective of whether the year is spent abroad or whether it is optional/compulsory. Students who undertake an ERASMUS+ placement as part of their sandwich course, should remain coded as either code 23, 24 or 25 during that placement.

Writing-up

Students who are actively writing-up are not considered to be dormant by HESA. A record is required for such students, with this field coded as 43 or 44 'Writing-up'. 'Writing-up' is generally associated with research students. Students on taught masters courses should not typically have their mode of study changed to 'writing-up', at least within the registration period, for example students on a one year taught masters course should be shown as full-time mode for both the taught and the dissertation phases of the course. Any change to show mode as writing-up would be expected only after the completion of the 12 month registration period.

Part-time

Code 31 Part-time, can only be used by providers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Codes 38 and 39 can only be used by providers in Scotland.

Sabbaticals

Code 51 should be used for students on sabbatical years e.g. holding Student Union office.

Dormant

Codes 52 'Optional year out - study related' and 53 'Compulsory year out - study related' have been removed for 2013/14. Students who would previously have been coded as 52 or 53 will repeat the previous year's Instance.MODE if they take a study year out (i.e. remain as full-time or part-time etc.)

Years out for any other reason should be coded 63 or 64, Dormant.

Dormant codes 63 and 64 can be used only if the student was not actively studying at any time during the reporting period.

Any students with a mode of study 63 or 64 will be excluded from the HESA standard registration population used for analysis purposes. A record is not required for such students other than:

  • In the first year of dormancy when a record must be returned in order to maintain the UHN link
  • Where awards have been made to students from a dormant status

Dormant instances may either be returned via a full record of through a reduced record for students - see dormant students reduced record.

Codes 73 and 74 are available to postgraduate students (i.e. Course.COURSEAIM begins D, E, L or M (excluding M22)) at providers in England only. Postgraduate students who become dormant part way through the reporting year will need a full HESA record reflecting their current status as code 73 or 74. Instance.MCDATE will record the date when the postgraduate student formally moves from an active study mode to 'dormant'. Instance.STULOAD should be reduced to reflect the fact that the student was not active for a proportion of the reporting period.

Where a postgraduate student moves from a 'writing-up' or 'sabbatical' mode (codes 43, 44 or 51) to dormant, within the reporting period, Instance.MODE should not be updated, nor should Instance.MCDATE be completed. For the purpose of Instance.MCDATE the modes 'writing-up' and 'sabbatical' are classed as non-active.

All other students who become dormant part way through the reporting year (that is, all students at providers in Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland and Undergraduate and FE students at providers in England) will need a full HESA record in the data collection reflecting their status whilst active (i.e. the position that applied just before they became dormant). This field should record their mode of study whilst active (and not code 63 or 64 'Dormant' which should only be used for students who are dormant for the whole reporting period). Instance.STULOAD should be reduced to reflect the fact that the student was not active for the whole reporting period. A student who was actively studying at some time during the reporting period but who has now suspended studies will have an active mode of study and will be identified through Instance.NOTACT.

However students involved in re-sits after the completion of the taught or structured part of their course should not have their mode of study up-dated. For example a full-time student who finishes the courses in June but has to take resits in September should not be re-coded.

Further Education

FE students at providers in England must use code 99 'FE students in England'.

Codes 12-14, 33-36 and 65 are for use by providers in Wales only.

The use of the specific FE full-time codes 12 to 14 is compulsory for all students at providers in Wales who are following programmes of study at FE level or funded by WG-DfES.

The use of the specific FE part-time codes 33 to 36 is for students who are following programmes of study at FE level or funded by WG-DfES. Other part-time FE instances can use either the generic part-time code 31 or one of the specific part-time codes 33 to 36.

When using the specific FE part-time codes, if there is uncertainty about whether a student is released from employment, code 34, 'Part-time, not-released from employment' should be used.

Code 36 is only applicable for open or distance learning FE students at providers in Wales. All other distance learning students should be coded according to their individual mode/pattern of study, e.g. full-time or part-time.

Part-time FE courses/programmes of study which involve a mixture of day and evening attendance should be recorded under whichever code is most appropriate, e.g. a day release course which also involves evening attendance should be coded 33. 'Twilight only' courses should be counted as 'evening only'.

Further guidance is available on the completion of this field.

Quality rules
Quality rules relating to this field are displayed here.
Reason required

To allow standard populations to be defined and financial calculations to be made

Part of
Field length2
Minimum occurrences1
Maximum occurrences1
Schema components
Element: MODE
Related fields
OwnerHESA
Version1.0

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