We're developing new services: a data science research environment and a resulting suite of highly valued interactive dashboards and data visualisations.
What we're working on
Our analytics labs service is a research environment within which we co-design new data derived products and services with our members and other customers. It is offered free to Jisc and HESA members (contact us for a price if you're not a member) and provides a unique continuing professional development (CPD) opportunity for higher education.
Participants are supported in the further development of 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.
Participation culminates in a showcase event with participants demonstrating their outputs to peers and a panel of experts. Participants are also invited onto our analytics labs alumni forum gaining early previews of product release.
Accreditation via a digital credential is awarded to participants on successful completion.
How it works
Once our established stakeholder group (made up of leaders and practitioners from the higher education sector) have identified themes to explore, we acquire relevant data and support our teams in agile rapid proof of concept product development.
Tableau: a leading edge data visualisation software
Alteryx: an advanced data manipulation tool
Big data and live data
Data science techniques and software
National data landscape: the what, where and how national data can apply to enhancing education
Agile development methods
All of the above skills and experience are transferable back into the workplace.
On successful completion, participants will also receive accreditation via a digital credential badge, which clearly evidences learned competencies.
So far, our analytics labs teams have explored and recorded over 60 different data sources. They can be explored using filters such as course, institution, gender, year, geographical area, feeder schools, age.
Our dashboards are of benefit to a wide range of departments in HE, including planners, finance, human resources, estates, libraries and enhance student recruitment, retention, league table standing and the research agenda.
Analytics labs outputs
We are currently redeveloping a number of analytics labs outputs into suites of dashboards for release via HESA's Heidi Plus service on:
Staff metrics (including workforce planning, the ageing workforce, staff demographics, sickness and absence, productivity and performance, recruitment and retention)
Course marketing (including KS5 analysis, applications and acceptances, current courses provision, student destinations, employment and industry)
Previously released outputs
Previously redeveloped and released analytics labs dashboards (known as community dashboards and available via Heidi Plus) include:
Higher education league tables - time series exploration of Guardian and Times league tables
School finder - find the right areas and schools to target in order to increase recruitment onto your courses, tailored to your entry tariffs
Destinations of leavers - where are your students going after graduation including areas of further study, institutions of further study, industries and employment status
Finding comparable providers - see how your institution compares against your competitors, and find your closest comparator according to 13 common measures
Business and community interaction – compare the amount of income you generate with other institutions in areas including collaborative research, commercialisation of intellectual property (IP) and community and cultural engagement
Postgraduate research analysis by FTE – find out how many postgraduate researchers you have and how they are funded, comparing against other institutions and showing growth and decline over time
Athena Swan and race equality dashboard - how do you stand up against compliance with race equality charter across your workforce compared to other institutions?
Creative Commons attribution information
Business intelligence project diagramAll rights reserved 
