Finance Division 23-38 Hythe Bridge Street Oxford OX1 2EP

University of Oxford Academic Activity

Survey(AAS)

University of Oxford Academic Activity Survey

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

University of Oxford Academic Activity Survey

Use of Public Resources

Total expenditure 2007/8 £796m

Other activities £69m9%

Research £530m66%

Teaching £197m25%

University of Oxford Academic Activity Survey

Research Expenditure £530m

Industrial Sponsors

£71m13%

Charities £148m

28%

Other Govt. depts £35m

7%

European Commission

£26m5%

Research Councils £127m

24%

HEFCE £122m23%

Publicly funded£313m59%

University of Oxford Academic Activity Survey

Teaching Expenditure £197m

Publicly funded £156m79%

Other sources £41m21%

University of Oxford Academic Activity Survey

University Surplus and Deficits

Annual TRAC reporting Surplus/2007/8 (Deficit)

£000Publicly funded Teaching (53,763)Non-Publicly funded Teaching 27,410 Publicly Funded Research (34,035)Non-Publicly Funded Research (50,473)Other 70,074

(40,787)

University of Oxford Academic Activity Survey

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).

University of Oxford Academic Activity Survey

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

University of Oxford Academic Activity Survey

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

University of Oxford Academic Activity Survey

Analysis of Termly Response Rates

MSD MPLS SSD HUMAll Uni

Michaelmas 87% 86% 79% 81% 82%Xmas Vac 85% 83% 79% 81% 83%Hilary 80% 86% 80% 79% 81%Easter Vac 89% 85% 67% 80% 80%Trinity 80% 82% 73% 72% 76%Summer Vac 81% 86% 80% 80% 82%

University of Oxford Academic Activity Survey

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.

University of Oxford Academic Activity Survey

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

University of Oxford Academic Activity Survey

Reminder Responses

Division

Total Returns

submittedImmediate

Submission

After 1st reminder (+2 wks)

After 2nd reminder (+3

wks)

After 3rd reminder (+6 wks)

After final reminder/

confirmation of entry (+8

wks)Medical Sciences Division 762 36% 17% 26% 10% 12%Social Sciences Division 1066 37% 20% 22% 12% 10%Mathematical, Physical and Life Sciences Division 1279 39% 22% 23% 10% 6%Humanities Division 1298 37% 19% 23% 12% 9%Continuing Education 90 30% 20% 30% 9% 11%Total website submissions 4495 38% 19% 23% 11% 9%

University of Oxford Academic Activity Survey

Why your co-operation is so important• Keeping the database up-to-date to reflect current

activities.

• Maintaining confidence and trust about Oxford’s approach.

• Recognising the growing importance of TRAC analysis in influencing Government policy.

University of Oxford Academic Activity Survey

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!

University of Oxford Academic Activity Survey

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…

University of Oxford Academic Activity Survey

Contact details

• The AAS email address is monitored daily:Email:AAS@admin.ox.ac.ukTeam members:• Alyson Bateman – Costing & Pricing Accountant/TRAC

ManagerEmail: alyson.bateman@admin.ox.ac.ukTelephone: (01865-6)16038• Sue Pedersen – AAS scheme administratorEmail: susan.pedersen@admin.ox.ac.ukTelephone: (01865–6)16008• James Boon – Financial ModellerEmail: james.boon@admin.ox.ac.ukTelephone: (01865-6)16044