Using data and evidence to understand, evaluate and improve student outcomes
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Colleges and universities gather vast amounts of data related to the student experience. Developments in data analytics offer powerful tools to improve student outcomes, but institutions can be unsure how to incorporate these effectively into their quality assurance and enhancement arrangements.
This workstream aimed to get educators, planners, quality professionals and students to work together with SFC to ensure that this rich resource would be more effectively used to evaluate and improve student outcomes.
Key questions
- What data and evidence do we need (quantitative and qualitative) to assess effectiveness in the learning experience, academic standards and student outcomes?
- What data will be most effective in driving change and improvement?
Lead agency
The lead agency for this workstream is the Scottish Funding Council.
Progress update
SFC’s Guidance on Quality for Colleges and Universities AY 2024–25 to AY 2031-32 includes expectations around how data and evidence will be used in the TQEF to support assurance and enhancement, and how that will articulate with the Outcomes Framework and Assurance Model (OF and AM) SFC’s developing assurance approach. This will re-iterate that while Data and Evidence has been identified as one of the key principles within the TQEF, it is also a theme that is expected to run through all aspects of quality assurance and enhancement as identified within the framework.
Next steps
SFC will continue engaging with institutions to discuss data and evidence as part of the OF and AM implementation.
SFC Strategic Plan 2022-27
Building a connected, agile, sustainable tertiary education and research system for Scotland.