Skip to main content

HE-BCI record 2019/20 - General guidance on Table 5: Social, community and cultural engagement: designated public events

Back to C19032

Version 1.1 Produced 2020-10-30

  1. Table 5 should include analysis of social, community and cultural events intended for the external community. It is designed to measure the impact of activities where financial income is an inappropriate proxy for impact.
  2. Online Delivery of Events

    The delivery of online social, community and cultural events that are intended for the external community should be recorded in this table. If the event replicates/recreates the same format of a live event it can be returned in the most appropriate sub-heading. For example, a public lecture delivered online should be returned in Sub-head 2a – Public lectures.

    However, if the event online results in a significant change of format it should be returned in Sub-head 2e – Other. An explanation on how attendees have been calculated and the methodology used should also be provided in the Notes section. For example, a museum exhibition online is likely to be a far different experience for the user when compared to a live event so it may not be appropriate to return it in Sub-head 2c: Exhibitions (galleries, museums, etc.).

    A provider should use their best judgement on which heading is appropriate to use for an online event.

  3. Impact should be returned in terms of attendees and academic staff time. We realise that it is not generally practical to gauge the ultimate impact of public events, although it seems reasonable to assume that events would be attended only if they were of some value to the attendee. 
  4. There is a need to have regard to an exchange of knowledge i.e. The following types of events should be excluded from this Table: open days, Student Union activity, simple trading activity and commercially operated conferences, where University rooms have been rented by an external organisation for the purpose of holding a conference or event, as there is no exchange of university generated knowledge. If the provider is involved in the content of the conference so there is an exchange of university generated knowledge and it is open to the public to attend then it would be treated in the same way as public lectures and can be returned irrelevant of who is the organising body or if it is charged or not. Further activities where the primary purpose is widening participation or student recruitment should not be returned either.
  5. Staff time should be calculated using the assumption that one day is equal to eight hours.
  6. Activities included in this Table do not have to have been funded by the higher education provider (HEP). Events held in both the UK and overseas should be included. Where it is not possible or appropriate to report the total number of actual attendees at an event, for example a festival or exhibition presented by a collaboration of different HEPs, the number of attendees should be prorated in a sensible and transparent way to estimate proportions of large audiences.
  7. Sub-head 2a: Public lectures

  8. This Sub-head should include public lectures and talks, the content of which involves intellectual input from the HEP. Academic staff time should only be included for the event itself. Time committed to the preparation of the event should not be included.
  9. Sub-head 2b: Performance arts (music, dance, drama, etc.)

  10. This Sub-head should include performances of music, dance, and the dramatic arts. Academic staff time should only be included for the event itself. Time committed to the preparation of the event through formal teaching and supervision of students during core studies should not be included.
  11. Sub-head 2c: Exhibitions (galleries, museums, etc.)

  12. This Sub-head should include permanent and temporary exhibitions held at museums and galleries owned by the reporting HEP. Academic staff time should only be included for the event itself or the development of exhibition materials. Time committed to the preparation of the event or the materials through formal teaching and supervision of students during core studies should not be included.
  13. Sub-head 2d: Museum education

  14. This Sub-head should include all forms of museum education held at museums and galleries owned by the reporting HEP, including lectures, workshops and children's clubs. Academic staff time should only be included for the event itself. Time committed to the preparation of the event through formal teaching and supervision of students during core studies should not be included.
  15. Sub-head 2e: Other

  16. Where the HEP holds alternative public events which cannot be categorised under Sub-heads a - d, it is requested that these events are returned under ‘Other’ and that details of the nature of these events are listed in the free text cell located beneath Table 5 on the Excel spreadsheet. For example festival events, guided tours, fashion week, non-provider owned museum and gallery exhibitions. In case of a query whether an event should be included please contact the Liaison team at HESA with details (https://www.hesa.ac.uk/liaison).
  17. Staff time when presenting at conferences should be rounded to the nearest day, rather than returning a certain number of hours. If there are multiple attendees presenting at a conference, the hours of each member of staff may be counted. If a staff member attends a whole day of a conference but their keynote speech is only a couple of hours, they may count the entire day.
  18. Example 1:
    Event: Public academic lecture
    HEP contribution: Staff time
    Impact: Attendees
    Return: A simple count of attendees should be returned.

    Example 2:
    Event: Performance and exhibitions
    HEP contribution: Venue, resources and academic staff time
    Impact: Attendees (although students will also benefit from many of these interactions)
    Return: Academic staff time should only be included for the event itself, not the time committed to the preparation of the event through supervising students during core studies.


Need help?

Contact Liaison by email or on +44 (0)1242 388 531.