1. Click to edit Master title style Key Information Sets Dr Jeremy Ovenden

2. Page 2 Contents Introduction Origins What is KIS? Coverage of KIS record Information Detail What will KIS look like Widget Sample Publishing KIS Timescales Verification/Audit Web links Discussion NSS 2011

3. KIS – origins (1) ‘I am committed to improving the information available to prospective students and their parents… it is in everyone's interest that students make well-informed decisions about what and where to study…we need to do better on careers advice and information’ David Willets, September 2010 ‘The relationship between the student and the institution will be at the heart of the system….There will be improvements in the information and guidance given to students when they are choosing courses’ Browne Review, October 2010

4. KIS – origins (2) We consider it essential that the KIS for all higher education courses should be available from a central point, in a form which allows direct comparisons to be made between courses and institutions. We are encouraged by references in Students at the heart of the system to interest from organisations such as OpinionPanel, Push, the Student Room and Which? in providing such a comparison service. The private sector may be in a good position to deliver this service quickly and efficiently. We recommend that, as a priority, Government engages with these companies to develop an effective and impartial comparison site as soon as possible. Government reform of Higher Education - Business, Innovation and Skills Committee

5. What is KIS? (1) Key Information Sets are comparable sets of standardised information about undergraduate courses They are designed to meet the information needs of prospective students and will be published 'in context' on the web-sites of universities and colleges They allow HEI’s to show the quality of the experience offered Data collected from HEIs to supplement data from HEFCE/HESA – HEFCE responsible for the first year, HESA thereafter Overseen by HE Public Information Steering Committee (HEPISG)

6. Coverage of the KIS Mandatory for institutions in England, Northern Ireland Scotland, and Wales KIS 2012/3 data collection covers FT & PT undergraduate courses - incl. integrated Masters - starting 1 August 2013 to 31 July 2014 Includes new programmes coming on stream in 2013/4 Required for all courses of more than 1 year FT (120 credits) KIS records for franchised courses must be provided by the franchising institution that is responsible for registering students and returning them to HESA

7. Coverage of the KIS ? – Course Definition A programme of study that a student can apply to either through UCAS or directly to the institution. If students can apply separately to courses in Physics, Chemistry and Biology each would require a separate KIS, whereas if students could only apply to a course in Science and later choose to specialise, then only a single KIS needs to be produced. If a student can apply for either MEng and BEng then two separate KIS are needed. If all apply for MEng with a possibility of leaving with a BEng then only one KIS is needed A separate KIS must be produced for two presentations of a course if the fees differ

8. Coverage of the KIS A KIS is not required for Courses where the total FTE of the course is one year or less when studied full-time (i.e.120 credits or less for its entirety) Closed courses - courses that are not open to any suitably qualified candidate Courses offered mainly overseas (over 50%of their study is overseas). Part-time courses that are also offered on a full-time basis and a KIS is produced for the full-time course Courses run in the UK but for international students only Postgraduate Courses

9. Coverage of the KIS The KIS will contain areas of information that students have identified as useful; Institution Level -accommodation costs & units available -satisfaction with students' union Course Level -student satisfaction -Programme information (L&T activity/assessment/accreditation) -financial information (fees/financial support) -employment and salary data

10. KIS – Information Detail (1) - HEIs provide Institution Institution owned/sponsored accommodation: average annual costs - upper and lower quartiles, and number of units (to which UG students can reasonably expect to have access) Private rental accommodation: average annual costs - upper and lower quartiles Course Financial support available from the institution: whether it offers a fee waiver; means-tested support; non means- tested support; National Scholarship Programme; and a link to more detailed information Fees per year for England domiciled applicants

11. KIS – Information Detail NSS (2) - HEFCE Results from the following NSS questions (course level): Staff are good at explaining things Staff have made the subject interesting Overall, I am satisfied with the quality of my course I have received sufficient advice and support with my studies Feedback on my work has been prompt Feedback on my work has helped me clarify things I did not understand The library resources are good enough for my needs I have been able to access general IT resources when I needed to Satisfaction with SU – new question for 2012 (institution level)

12. KIS – Information Detail (3) - HEIs provide By Course Proportion of time spent in various learning and teaching activities – by year/stage of study, with a link to further detail (2011/12 AY) Mix of summative assessment methods – by year/stage of study (2011/12 AY) Professional bodies that recognise this course, with a link to further detail

13. KIS – Information Detail (4) – Categorising T&L methods Activity typeKIS category LectureScheduled SeminarScheduled TutorialScheduled Project supervisionScheduled DemonstrationScheduled Practical classes and workshopsScheduled Supervised time in studio/workshopScheduled FieldworkScheduled External visitsScheduled Work based learningScheduled Guided independent studyIndependent Placement Year abroadPlacement

14. KIS – Information Detail (5) – T&L Method 1.Determine the modules that are available to a KISCourse 2.Rank modules in the order of the number of students taking each in the relevant year 3.Determine the most popular modules that contribute to 1 FTE/120 credits 4.Calculate an average value from these modules… 5.If the process above leads to the inclusion of modules on which less than 10% of students are registered, institutions should make a reasonable judgement as to whether the selection of modules is representative

15. KIS – Information Detail (6) – Example ModuleCredit value Number of students Proportion in scheduled teaching and learning Proportion in independent study Placement Physics 13010060400 Maths 13010050 0 Computing 12010030700 Computing 2104030700 Maths 230 40600 Physics 220 Disregard Project10 Disregard For scheduled teaching and learning: ((30*60)+(30*50)+(20*30)+(10*30)+(30*40))/120 = 45

16. KIS – Information Detail (7) – Categorising Assessment Methods Activity typeKIS category Written examWritten Written assignment, including essayCoursework ReportCoursework DissertationCoursework PortfolioCoursework Project output (other than dissertation) Coursework Oral assessment and presentationPractical Practical skills assessmentPractical

17. KIS – Information Detail (8) - DLHE The destinations of graduates six months after completing their course – comprising working, studying, working and studying, unemployed, and not available for work Of those in employment, the proportion in managerial/professional jobs six months after graduation. Salary data: upper quartile, median and lower quartile six months after graduation from the course at the institution displaying the KIS upper quartile, median and lower quartile for the subject across all institutions six months after graduation upper quartile, median and lower quartile for the subject across all institutions at 40 months after graduation

18. Determining KIS Types There are three different types of KIS records that can be returned for any given course. A course can have only 1 KIS type The type used will depend on the nature of the course The three types are: - KISTYPE 1 - Full course level KIS - KISTYPE 2 - Multiple subject course placeholder KIS - KISTYPE 3 - Subject level KIS

19. KIS TYPE 1 (Full Course Level KIS) KISTYPE 1 records are full KIS records. Mandatory for: All single subject courses (only one JACS code) All multiple subject courses (more than one JACS code) where the intake size is greater than 20 students (Note - Institutions may choose to produce a KIS TYPE1 where the intake is fewer than 20 students if course is viewed, marketed and managed as a single indivisible entity) All teacher training courses and some medical programmes

20. KIS TYPE 2 (Multiple Subject Course - Placeholder KIS) KISTYPE 2 records are 'placeholders' for multiple subject courses for which a KISTYPE 1 record is not required. i.e. –intake size less than 20 students –Multi subject course not treated as one course KISTYPE 2 records include links to the relevant KIS Course ID and to related KISTYPE 1 or KISTYPE 3 KIS records Each KISTYPE 2 KIS record can be linked to up to three KISTYPE 1 or three KISTYPE 3 KIS records but not a mixture of both types

21. KIS TYPE 3 (Subject Level KIS) KISTYPE 3 records provide information about a subject that forms part of a multiple subject course for which no KISTYPE 1 has been produced Subject level KIS should be produced for every JACS level 2 subject that is included within a multiple subject course except where a KISTYPE1 exists for each of the subjects that make up the multiple subject course

22. KIS TYPE - FLOW CHART

23. KIS TYPE - Example (1) University X has a joint honours French and Music course with an intake of only 10 students and therefore completes a KISTYPE 2 KIS record. University X offers a single honours French course (KISTYPE 1 KIS record) but does not offer a single honours Music course. The institution will therefore have to link the KISTYPE 2 course to KISTYPE 3 records as there is not a complete set of KISTYPE 1 records

24. KIS TYPE - Example (2)

25. What will KIS look like? - KIS WIDGET

26. What will KIS look like? (2)

27. What will KIS look like? (3)

28. What will KIS look like? (4)

29. Publication of KIS KIS to be published: In context, on HEI’s websites via a KIS widget On a new web site allowing search and comparisons On a redeveloped UCAS site Through third party search and compare software KIS widget will be a compulsory element to unifying the KIS presentation Visually neutral but clearly identifiable Cause minimum disruption to web pages

30. JanFebMarchAprilMayJuneJulyAugSepOctNovDec Key dates for KIS 2012 Data should be uploaded to HEFCE extranet (29 Mar–22 Aug) Site preview for institutions (17 Sept) KIS widgets should be available on all HEIs’ web-sites (31 Oct) Technical guidance published (29 March) New website goes live (week commencing 24 Sept) including KIS widgets on course sites KIS and Unistats early evaluation (Sept 2012 – Jan 2013) NSS and DLHE data added to HEFCE extranet

31. Verification/Audit Heads of HEI’s sign off data in Autumn HESA will check HEI’s KIS returns against their list of ‘KISable’ programmes from HESA returns. Where no match, validation will fail QAA add KIS data to list of items in Institutional Review Early evaluation of 2012/3 – Is it working? Data Audits

32. Links HESA http://www.hesa.ac.uk/index.php?option=com_studrec&It emid=232&mnl=12061http://www.hesa.ac.uk/index.php?option=com_studrec&It emid=232&mnl=12061 HEFCE http://www.hefce.ac.uk/learning/infohe/kis.htm e-mail kis@hefce.ac.ukkis@hefce.ac.uk

33. Page 33NSS 2009 HUMSPage 33 Discussion