Pilot process

The 2017/18 tracker project launched in September 2017 with the Tracker surveys going live to students continuously from October 2017 to April 2018, to suit the needs of institutional users. We are delighted to have over 150 institutions confirmed, with more joining us from outside the UK. (Please note that the sign-up process closed on 30 November 2017 for UK institutions. If you are still interested to join the project from outside the UK, please visit our landing page for universities based overseas.)

This yes, for the first time, we are collecting information from institutional leads to triangulate with the data collected from students. At a select number of pilot institutions we will also be trialing a staff tracker, which collects information from teaching staff (initially) about their experiences with the digital environment, the support they have to develop their digital practice, and their attitudes to digital teaching, learning and assessment.

The 2017-18 tracker is supported with a full range of updated guidance. You can also find a walk-through of the pilot process and a quick start guide on this page. Further details of the pilot will appear on our blog pages as we progress from the planning and start-up phase, through implementation in universities and colleges, and into analysis. Reports on the findings will be available in early July 2018 after we have finalised all the data returns and consulted with expert panels on the findings.

BOS has now been transferred to a full Jisc service (October 2017), so there will be an excellent technical infrastructure and the reassurance of data security throughout the process.

Participants in the pilot will also be added to the tracker pilots Jiscmail list that allows you to share ideas and experiences with other participating institution, and gives you first access to new resources, tips and FAQs.

More about the tracker

The Student/Learner digital experience Tracker enables colleges, skills providers and universities to:

  • gather evidence from learners about their digital experience, and track changes over time
  • make better informed decisions about the digital environment
  • target resources for improving digital provision
  • plan other research, data gathering and student engagement around digital issues
  • demonstrate quality enhancement and student engagement to external bodies and to students themselves

The tracker is based on a concise set of questions which have been tested with HE and FE students for readability and ease of response. It builds on resources such as the Jisc/NUS Digital Student Experience benchmarking tool, and the Jisc Guide to Enhancing the Digital Student Experience. The questions cover issues that are important to learners and/or to staff with a focus on the learning experience. You can read the results of the 2016-17 open pilot in a report: The Voice of 22,000 UK Learners.