Are you interested in International Competitiveness or Widening Participation? Would you like to get ‘hands-on’ with data and explore the possibilities within an experimental environment whilst widening your network of contacts within the sector?
If so, Analytics Labs may well provide the professional development opportunity you’re looking for.
What is Analytics Labs?
Analytics Labs is unique. It upskills participants as they create prototype data dashboard and visualisation products against timely educational themes. It brings together sector data scientists/analysts, professionals, policy experts and academics in short sprints, to investigate topics using a suite of tools in a secure data processing environment, with professional support from Jisc data scientists who are very familiar with the data landscape in the UK sector.
The outcomes from a Lab are numerous and include upskilled participants with a greater understanding of the national data landscape for business intelligence, new national contacts, remote and agile working methods, data manipulation and visualisation using cutting edge tools (including Alteryx and Tableau).
Analytics Labs has been developed over several years to be widely applicable with past participants from a wide variety of Universities and roles.
To find out more about what Analytics Labs can offer, check out our post on Analytics Labs, its benefits and how to get involved.
International Competitiveness Analytics Lab
We’re looking for colleagues, with relevant interest and experience, from across the UK Higher Education Sector, to join us in our International Competitiveness Analytics Lab team. The team will meet (remotely and face to face) up to once a week from w/c 27 January 2020 – w/c 18 May 2020.
Building on previous work by an Analytics Labs team in the Summer of 2018, the team will explore areas such as trans-national provision, aggregate offshore data and historical sources of students contributing to new insights to enhance this rewarding aspect of higher education provision.
This exciting Analytics Lab will develop proof of concept data visualisations with the potential to help contextualise and improve the international position and reputation of their institution in terms of research, student recruitment, league tables, course design and marketing catalysing the development of enhanced international policies for institutions.
Widening Participation Analytics Lab
We’re also looking for colleagues, with relevant interest and experience, from across the UK Higher Education Sector, to join us in a Widening Participation Analytics Lab team. The team will meet (remotely and face to face) up to once a week from w/c 27 January 2020 – w/c 18 May 2020.
Widening access and participation (WP) is a major policy area being pursued by Office for Students (OfS) and provides a stimulating theme for a data exploration. Jisc Analytics Labs has a good deal of prior art in the area from 2016 to present and we propose a new, timely exploration into the recent OfS WP initiatives of Access and Participation Plans and the addition of contextual data as part of the admissions process (contextual Admissions) both of which need to be addressed by higher education providers.
Are you Interested?
We’re looking for team analysts who have an interest and experience in the themes alongside experience in data visualisation tools including Tableau and Power BI and/or Alteryx (or related tools).
We’re also looking for Product Owners, this role uses policy and data knowledge to represent the end user and steers product development.
What’s the commitment?
The Labs team will meet for one day per week for up to 13 days in total. Much of the work is done remotely, however there is a requirement to meet face to face.
Participants will be required to be available for a one-day face to face meeting in each of the following weeks.
- w/c 27 January 2020
- w/c 3 February 2020
- w/c 9 March 2020
- w/c 20 April 2020
- w/c 18 May 2020
Regular team meetings will also be held remotely between these dates.
Related costs
There is no charge to take part, however participants are expected to cover their own travel and subsistence costs when attending face to face Lab team meetings.
How do I apply?
Applications are via a short application form – Analytics Labs Application form January 2020. You will be asked to share with us (in 500 words or less) the relevant skills and experience that you have.
Deadline for applications is 17.00 on Monday 2 December 2019. We will aim to respond to you as soon as possible with decisions after that date.