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Efficiency Exchange

Efficiency Exchange

Timeline revealed for Heidi Plus data analytics service

Key dates have been revealed for the roll out of the Heidi Plus data analytics service, part of the HESA and Jisc business intelligence project. A series of screen shots have also been released for the service which will be phased in from November to replace the original Heidi system.

AUDE updates its toolkit for sustainable estates

An updated version of the Model of Estates Costs has been published by AUDE, which feeds into its toolkit providing guidance for a sustainable estate. The toolkit, which is backed by a number of higher education funders, was put together to improve the tools available to institutions for the management of space in the sector.

Data-driven approaches to teaching excellence

Jisc is developing a service allowing universities that don’t routinely collect and analyse learning data to begin to do so. Jisc's Phil Richards writes in Universities Business how learning analytics already offer a practical way to demonstrate student engagement and could bring more benefits in the future.
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Data capability toolkit

This toolkit outlines a process to guide higher education data collectors and providers through an assessment of data management maturity and the development of an improvement plan to achieve the benefits of operating at a higher maturity level and mitigate the risks of doing nothing.

A guide to evidencing the benefits of business process improvement – University of Strathclyde

This guide describes how higher education institutions can evidence benefits of business process improvement. It outlines how to quantify benefits throughout a typical project life-cycle for process redesign / process modelling activities and demonstrates how to gather, record and communicate the information to allow for more accurate reporting of a project's impact.

Survey shows facilities a key factor in students’ choice of university

Research released by AUDE shows that facilities are key for two thirds of UK students when choosing university, with the library being cited as the most used university facility. Some 85% of the 2,000 surveyed say they are learning, socialising and living in clean and well maintained university buildings.

Europe-wide MOOC on reducing data centres’ energy consumption

A consortium of institutions from around Europe including Leeds Beckett University and University College Dublin have launched an online course highlighting ways of reducing the costly levels of energy consumption by data centres.

15 October: Westminster Higher Education Forum, London

This event focuses on improving student experience and includes speakers from HEFCE and the Times Good University Guide. Students' rights at universities will be explored, following a shift to greater focus on 'value for money', as well as measures for dealing effectively with complaints.
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How universities save by making better use of IT equipment

Universities are saving money by extending the useful life of IT equipment and offsetting the costs of replacing them through recouping some of their residual value through recycling, this University Business article discovers.
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Building maintenance identified as candidate for HEFCE funding

There is a clear role for HEFCE capital funding in supporting building maintenance, a report by the funding body for England suggests. The report reviewing HEFCE capital expenditure identifies maintenance as a suitable candidate for funding with history showing substantial expenditure being required to redress historic underinvestment in Higher Education maintenance in the early 2000s.