University of Oxford Academic Activity Survey

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University of Oxford Academic Activity Survey

• (AAS)

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Background to the TRAC

• TRansparent Approach to Costing began in 1998.
• A condition of release of 1.5bn additional
  funding, and of our ability to charge top-up
  fees.
• The first compulsory TRAC reporting was in
  January 2000.
• TRAC is the basis for Full Economic Costing of
  Research (FEC)
• TRAC is descriptive not prescriptive
• Required by HEFCE but also useful more generally

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Use of Public Resources
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Research Expenditure 530m
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Teaching Expenditure 197m
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University Surplus and Deficits
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What has AAS to do with all this?

• AAS covers Academic staff only
• Academic activity broadly represents University
  activity
• 97m of costs (Core staff salaries) are
  directly attributed to activity according to AAS.
• 244m of costs influenced by the AAS (e.g.
  Departmental support costs).

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The Process

• 140 academics are asked to complete a weekly
  timesheet per month
• Sampling based on PINs ensure there is no bias
• Oxford academics have largely self-determined
  working practices. So we collect data 52 weeks
  per year.
• Not because there is a requirement to work 52
  weeks!
• A rolling Database is maintained.
• No links to any other individual Records

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Facts and Stats

• Since July 2005
• 5,752 requests have been made resulting in 4,842
  responses..
• The overall response rate is 84.
• 3 of academics have explicitly refused
• Trinity Term produces the lowest response rate

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Analysis of Termly Response Rates
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Red Tape and Reminders

• Data Protection Act
• Letters sent 2 weeks prior to collection week.
• An email is sent just before the collection week
  to confirm start date.
• 2 weeks after the collection week, a reminder
  email is sent.
• 3 further reminders sent if no response is
  received.

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Anonymity

• The small Costing team never share AAS returns
  with anyone
• Feedback to departments or divisions show
  aggregated results only.
• Individual departmental data for small
  departments are not made available.
• Annual download provides analysis and informs
  cost driver creation.
• TRAC Families we compare cognate subjects to
  provide subject families and for internal
  validation

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Reminder Responses
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Why your co-operation is so important

• Keeping the database up-to-date to reflect
  current activities.
• Maintaining confidence and trust about Oxfords
  approach.
• Recognising the growing importance of TRAC
  analysis in influencing Government policy.

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Did you know?

• AAS submissions show that Oxford academics work,
  on average, a total of 54 hours per working week.
• Of these hours 27 is Teaching, 52 Research and
  8 Other activities. The remaining 13 is Support
  time.
• Each hour of lecture time requires 4.3 hours of
  support time.
• For every hour of externally sponsored research,
  academics undertake 1.3 hours of un-sponsored
  research and 45 minutes of research support.
• Oxford academics work very hard!

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How can we improve?

• How can we improve our response rate of 84 ?
• Fewer rounds of reminders reduced response
  rate?
• Help us to persuade the 3 who refuse to take
  part ?
• Could the form or the website be improved?
• (http//www.admin.ox.ac.uk/trac/aas.shtml)
• Please let us have your ideas

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Contact details

• The AAS email address is monitored daily
• EmailAAS_at_admin.ox.ac.uk
• Team members
• Alyson Bateman Costing Pricing
  Accountant/TRAC Manager
• Email alyson.bateman_at_admin.ox.ac.uk
• Telephone [phone]
• Sue Pedersen AAS scheme administrator
• Email susan.pedersen_at_admin.ox.ac.uk
• Telephone [phone]
• James Boon Financial Modeller
• Email james.boon_at_admin.ox.ac.uk
• Telephone [phone]