About HESA Present, Past and Future

About HESA

The Data Futures project provides a significant focus point for further enhancing the quality and capability of the higher education data landscape

1961: The first steps towards collecting some data about what was going on in the nations Universities were taken with the founding of the Universities Central Council on Admissions (UCCA)

1967: Whilst the Students of the western world turn on, tune in and drop out... UCCA turns on it's very own Universal Automatic Computer (UNIVAC) which was not exactly a laptop! The following year the Universities Statistical Record (USR) is launched

Unviac

1970s In the decade that went from long hair and flared trousers to green hair and safety pins nothing seems to have changed for University Statistics...but a new institution gets created - The Luton College of Higher Education

1980s The IT revolution is at full speed, computers start to replace type-writers in offices, the first video games consoles appear under TV's, and a generation grow up learning the basic programming language of the ZX Spectrum and Commodore 64.

1990s The Home Computer arrives as the desirable consumer item for every home. The Possibilities for data collection and analysis in the world explode, this is the dawn of the data age

1993: HESA arrive on the scene - Jan 1st 1993, and Luton College of Higher Education becomes the University of Luton.

1994: The first return is believed to have been made by the West London Institute of Higher Education (now assimilated by Brunel University) at a minute past midnight on December 1st 1994. The Pattern of one big chunk of data to be returned annually continues to this day.

But...In 2017: We are now just two short years away from the biggest change in University Statistics since the UCCA bought that UNIVAC machine, the 2019/20 academic year will be the biggest change since 1994, and we must be ready.

DATA FUTURE!

Data Futures is HESA’s transformation programme that will deliver the vision for a modernised and more efficient approach to collecting data, to deliver better output for a wider range of data users.

They are working with stakeholders across the sector, to further define these specifications before building, piloting and finally implementing a new live system for the 2019/20 academic year.

Benefits

Enable timely data collection and reporting. This means data will be collected in-year and can be released to users more quickly following collection.
Reduce the burden on data providers. Collection processes will be streamlined, and duplicate collections reduced. We will develop and maintain common data standards.
Drive improved value for money. We will ensure the maximum value is generated from the data collected through greater core data sharing. Improved information and analytical services will be provided.
Deliver data that is fit for purpose. Data requirements will be assessed and the value they provide communicated to data providers. Data will be quality assured as it is collected.
Support changes to data governance across the sector. We will collect data on behalf of other data collectors. This will be facilitated by our work to improve data capabilities across the sector.

What does it mean for the University of Bedfordshire?

Jo Glass (Our Senior Student Records Data Officer) Explains.......TO BE CONTINUED