Data supply and publication

These are our responses and clarifications to issues raised in our consultation around data supply and publications.

When will the first #NewDLHE data be published?

The first full NewDLHE publication will be in early 2020, followed up by a publication in late spring which includes the earnings data from the Longitudinal Education Outcomes (LEO) dataset.

Early 2020 seems a long wait for preliminary 2017/18 data, so once up and running, consideration could be given on how to deliver the analysed data quicker - for example, could there be publication of in-year results after each of the 4 census weeks?

We are considering options for publishing experimental statistics in the interim before the full publications in 2020.

How detailed will the data that will be available to HE providers be? Will it allow HEPs to provide the same level of advice and guidance to students as the present data does?

The survey data provided will be as detailed as the data that is available now.

Which questions from the survey data will be available in Heidi Plus?

Our aim will be to include as much data as possible in Heidi Plus. However exact detail of what will be published cannot be decided until the survey has been finalised.

As part of outputs, how do we ensure that with the use of linked data, graduates won’t just be judged by their financial worth?

We have developed graduate voice measures which we'll be putting through rigorous cognitive testing to ensure they stand up to other data sources. We will be providing a diversity of measures of graduate success, which we will be publishing alongside linked data.

How will the alternative measures of graduate outcomes be published?

We anticipate using the three new measures of graduate success in experimental statistical releases once the first round of NewDLHE surveying has been completed. These releases will be subject to careful review over a couple of years to ensure the data is valid.

Responses to these questions will ask graduates to measure these issues on a scale from ‘strongly agree’ to ‘strongly oppose’. This scale would form the basis of these experimental releases.

There is still additional work to do on these questions. We will be subjecting these – and the entire NewDLHE survey – to cognitive testing to ensure we are gathering robust and revealing information.

There is a concern that too much data for too many purposes is proposed to be collected –special interests, for example to capture information on subjective well-being – what is the intended use of this data?

Feedback on subjective well-being measures was mixed, with some being strongly in favour, and some against. Therefore, these measures are only included as optional question banks, allowing those providers who are interested in these measures to make use of them.

Institutions are offered almost real time access to the data being gathered for their institution. What level of access to this same information will be afforded to other partners such as HMRC and DWP? This may also have a bearing on the response rate.

Dashboards will be available to HE providers to access the raw survey data. Some data may also be made available to HESA’s statutory customers (such as the funding councils) prior to the full release of processed data.

Could HESA provide a clearer understanding of what data will be provided through the dashboard?

Our intention is to provide all the survey data through the dashboard back to providers. The format of how this is presented will be set out through the implementation phase.

Will the data supply and provision portal being used by the supplier and HEIs be entirely under the control of HESA? If not, then we would need further assurances around data security and details around data ownership, handling and control?

The dashboards which provide data back to providers will be created and managed by HESA. The data supply process will continue to be overseen by HESA. HESA will continue to adhere to high levels of data protection and data security measures.

Will institutions have the right to access and import employment information and other details gathered from the survey into our internal database? Is there any guidance on how we should ensure GDPR compliance if institutions wanted to do this?

HESA will be publishing full details of how the survey will operate within the restrictions of GDPR in due course, however we envisage that providers will be able to include this data within their systems.

What will happen to career history data that is collected but not relevant to the census period? Will it feature in league tables or other external reports?

HESA will consider how to publish this data. We are not responsible for the use by other organisations such as league tables, but will make them aware of what data is available.

Is it the case that HESA plan to use any data in aggregate forms if not reaching 70% response rates, or not use any data at all? And are HESA considering this 70% response rate to include partial responses or only full responses?

The exact details are yet to be specified but the likelihood is we would use aggregations where there were low response rates. We will be specifying what level of partial response is acceptable.

The change in census point will have an impact on the publication of data for the Teaching Excellence Framework, potentially meaning assessors are using data up to five years old as part of the process. What mitigation will be put in place for this?

HESA are not responsible for the Teaching Excellence Framework, therefore this is for OfS to consider.

Are we going to have comparable time series information in the statistical first release and UK Performance Indicators?

No. The HE sector and graduate labour market have changed substantially since we began collecting destinations data and we feel that to try to preserve a time series will impede our ability to collect the robust and meaningful data that is required.

We would also require clarification as to whether you will continue to calculate the Employment Performance Indicators and the Graduate Destination metric, in the same or at least similar way to currently. If not what will they be replaced by?

As part of the implementation, we will be reviewing our UK Performance Indicators. We may add to these, however they are likely to retain some of the same measures.

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Data supply and publication