Please read this information carefully before applying to join the Jisc Student/Learner Digital Experience Tracker phase 2 (September 2016-July 2017)
The deadline for applications has been **extended to Friday 7 October 2016**
Please inform yourself in general terms about the Tracker before applying. You can now test out the new, revised question set and see what your learners will be asked.
About phase 2
Phase 2 of the Tracker project is being conducted by Jisc as an ‘open pilot’ to gauge interest in a possible ongoing service, and to develop a second cohort of institutions with experience of implementing the Tracker successfully (see our Case Studies for examples from the first cohort). In this phase (September 2016 to July 2017) the Tracker:
- is open to all
- has been piloted and proven in practice
- has been enhanced and extended
- can be customised to your needs
- can be implemented across the whole organisation or at a smaller scale e.g. by campus, faculty, yeargroup
- is simple to use, with a single URL for users and guidance at every step
- incorporates data benchmarking against your sector average
In return for free access to the Tracker service you will be asked for some evaluation feedback to help Jisc improve the Tracker for future developments.
Applying to join the pilot
The Tracker is designed to be implemented by a named person at your college or university who will be responsible for communications with Jisc throughout. However, the Tracker process itself is a team effort. You should consider how to engage stakeholders from different areas, including:
- IT systems and resources: IT managers, heads of library, learning resource managers…
- Learning and teaching: e-learning staff, curriculum leaders, quality staff, educational developers…
- Student experience: students themselves, student union/course reps, student experience staff, learner engagement staff, access and inclusion staff, careers staff…
- Senior managers and governors
If you are ready to begin, access the Tracker planning sheet and the Guide: Planning to use the Tracker to discuss with your stakeholders. Completing and submitting the planning sheet automatically enters you for consideration as a potential pilot site. The final decision will be based on the numbers applying and the need to achieve a broad representation of different institutional types, sizes and locations. Your planning sheet must be submitted before 7 October 2016 if you want to be included in phase 2.
If you have further questions not covered in the Guide or planning sheet, take a look at our Frequently Asked Questions page.
What happens after that?
The Tracker process is outlined below and is set out again on the Guidance for Institutions page with links to guidance materials for every step. Our Guides are in the process of being updated due to changes in the question set and customisation options. Until we have finalised the new Guides, you will be able to access the old versions from the Guidance page.
| What do we do? | What guidance is there? | |
decide |
Contact stakeholders at your institution. Decide: Do we want to use the Tracker? Why? What do we want to achieve? |
Frequently Asked Questions Question set (core) to review |
plan |
Plan when you will launch the tracker, how you will encourage learners to complete the Tracker, and what you will do with the findings. Submit your planning sheet to Jisc to apply for access to the pilot process |
Guide: Planning to use the Tracker Link to Tracker planning sheet |
customise |
Receive a personalised link to your own survey in Bristol Online Surveys (BOS). Customise the Tracker to meet the needs you identified at the planning stage. |
Guide: Customising your Tracker Guide: Using the Tracker in BOS |
launch |
Send out a single URL giving your learners access to your customised survey in BOS. Put in place your plans to encourage learners to participate. | Guide: Engaging learners Guide: Using the Tracker in BOS |
close |
During the live survey you can log in and view the data in real time. As soon as the survey has closed you can download the summative report, raw data, and benchmark data for your sector. |
Guide: Using the Tracker in BOS |
analyse |
Analyse your data in BOS or download and analyse in an external system. Compare your data with others in your sector. Work with other stakeholders including learners to understand what your findings mean. |
Guide: Using the Tracker in BOS Guide: Analysing and understanding your data Guide: Understanding and responding to your data |
respond |
Identify priority actions in response to the findings. Implement those actions. Communicate your responses to all stakeholders, especially to learners. |
Guide: Responding to your learners’ feedback Guide: Understanding and responding to your data Digital student exemplars and Tracker case studies Digital student benchmarking tool |
evaluate |
Complete Jisc evaluation survey in BOS, reflecting and reporting on your experience of using the Tracker. | Evaluation Survey |
The Pilot Process: detailed timescale
- 8 September 2016 Tracker planning sheet available for completion and submission to Jisc.
- Submissions close on Friday 7 October 2016.
- Institutions informed of successful application by Monday 17 October.
- Preparation and planning completed by mid November: unique URLs released to pilot sites.
- Surveys open to learners from mid November, to be completed by 28 February 2017. The actual timing of the survey within this window will be decided by each organisation depending on their own timetables and constraints.
- Pilot sites can analyse their data as soon as their own survey has closed. Benchmark data will become available once enough sites have completed the survey, with the final benchmarking data available on February 28. Summative analysis will be available to the sector by 30 April 2017.
- During March 2017 you will be asked to complete a short online form providing feedback on your process and on the outcomes.
For more information about joining the pilot please contact: Sarah Knight or Tabetha Newman