HESA release heidi 2.0
The Higher Education Statistics Agency today announced the release of a major update to its web-based information system heidi 2.0. heidi (the higher education database for institutions) makes a wealth of management information available to managers, planners, administrators and academics at HE institutions in the UK.
HESA, the not-for-profit sector-owned agency with responsibility for collecting and disseminating HE statistics, developed heidi in collaboration with the University of Leeds and the British Universities Finance Directors Group (BUFDG). The initial project received financial backing from HEFCE's Leadership, Governance and Management fund to the tune of £322k, the largest grant ever made from the fund. heidi now contains data from sources including HESA, UCAS, the Training and Development Agency for Schools, the National Student Survey and Estates Management Statistics.
HESA Chief Executive Professor Robin Sibson said, "HESA is the primary source of information on the HE sector in the UK and has developed heidi to provide an easily accessible source of data for institutional planners and researchers. The latest update expands the range of data available through heidi, and refines the way the system creates charts and reports. The aim of heidi is to reduce the time and effort spent on essential planning and reporting, potentially saving institutions thousands of pounds each year."
The first version of heidi was released in April 2007. Over 80% of UK Higher Education Institutions subscribed to heidi in its first year. New additions to heidi 2.0 include student-staff ratios by cost centre, improved tables and graphs and the incorporation of new statistical analysis techniques to facilitate competitor analysis. Suggestions for additions and improvements to heidi come directly from the HE sector through representatives who make up the heidi User Group.
Stephen Chadwick, Chair of the User Group and Director of Strategic Planning at Durham University said, "heidi has fundamentally changed the way in which users access data on the HE sector and comparator institutions. What was previously only available via CDs or printed volumes is now accessible via the web. The willingness of HESA to establish a User Group which can directly influence the future developments of the system is testimony to HESA's commitment to providing a responsive service. This latest update to heidi has additional data and enhanced functionality as a direct result of user feedback so colleagues in institutions can devote their time to analysing what the data tells them rather than simply gathering it in the first place."
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Notes for Editors
- Press enquiries should be directed to:
- Simon Kemp
- HESA Press Officer
- 01242 211120
- [email protected]
- 95 Promenade, Cheltenham, GL50 1HZ.
