Service

Analytics labs

Staff analysing data
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Staff analysing data
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A unique continuing professional development (CPD) experience available to data-savvy staff in education.

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Please note: we are re-designing our offer and the text below describes analytics labs from 2016-2020.

About analytics labs

Analytics labs runs several times a year, bringing together teams of data analysts to work on key topics and challenges in the HE sector to provide data-driven solutions.

This is CPD in context. It’s uniquely geared around the most timely and pressing issues facing UK higher education. You’ll leave with new skills, new contacts and new knowledge that will be directly applicable to your day job.

Participants are supported to develop their competencies in data manipulation and visualisation, knowledge of the national data landscape and use of data for enhanced strategic decision-making, all in an educational setting. We provide the organisational, technical and legal framework for participants to process data.

Who we're looking for

We are looking for strong data analysts to join our agile analysis teams as we explore timely and widely felt challenges while developing new and existing skills.

You will develop experience and skills in:

  • Tableau – leading-edge data visualisation software
  • Alteryx – an advanced data manipulation tool
  • Big data
  • Data science techniques and software
  • The national data landscape – what, where and how national data can apply to enhancing education
  • Agile development methods

All while expanding your professional and personal network of peers.

Benefits to your university

Skills you develop could help to:

  • Improve staff skills in the area of data and analytics
  • Access a wide range of quality controlled national data
  • Gain experience in using relevant cutting-edge software tools and techniques
  • Meet current and future challenges using data to aid scenario planning and risk analysis
  • Influence future developments such as data science opportunities
  • Access, analyse and review comparative data collated from over 60 sources

About the programme

The analytics labs experience typically involves up to 13 days of expert-led activity exploring and visualising data with peers from across the sector.

On completing the programme, you can take part in a showcase event demonstrating outputs to your peers and a panel of experts. You will be awarded with a digital credential and invited to join our analytics labs alumni forum. As a forum member you’ll receive unique offers, see early previews of new service content and have an opportunity to influence it.

Our previous participants have described the experience as "insightful", "innovative" and "fun".

Previous themes

The varied topics explored by analytics labs so far include:

  • Alternative providers
  • Apprenticeships
  • Athena Swan and race equality
  • Business and community interaction
  • Destinations of leavers
  • Diversity
  • Estates sector benchmarking
  • Financial sustainability
  • Finding comparable providers
  • Grade improvement
  • Higher education league tables
  • Impact of Brexit
  • International competitiveness
  • Learning analytics
  • Libraries
  • Postgraduate admissions
  • Postgraduate research
  • Quality assurance
  • REF2021 planning
  • School competitor modelling tools

How we use the outputs

The individual dashboards produced by analytics labs are rapid prototypes and are not intended to be service ready. Jisc looks to these for inspiration when developing new production standard products.

Typically, we combine a number of prototypes with our own original ideas generating suites of dashboards to address broad themes. Our product development process is labour intensive and thorough spanning all aspects from data acquisition, reliability user testing, user experience, ongoing support and maintenance.

We aim to regularly release new suites throughout the year of benefit to a wide range of staff roles and university business areas.

Access to these high quality suites are offered as an additional subscription service to the sector through the Heidi Plus service.

How to take part

Sign up to our mailing list to hear about new opportunities and developments, including future running dates and recruitment details.

For other information, check out our business intelligence blog or email help@jisc.ac.uk.