[Academic] FW: Time allocation survey

[Erling Riis]

Dear All,
You will have seen this email from the Dean and noted that we are required to undertake the next Time Allocation Survey (TAS) during 2016-17. While I recognise the workload involved in this I also have to emphasize that it is actually important. It is vital that we achieve both a high response rate and accurate results for the TAS to ensure that we receive appropriate funding in the future for our teaching, research and KE activities. This is particularly the case now that the SFC is using the TRAC (T) data which is based on TAS to inform the future funding of Teaching.
I therefore ask you to cooperate with this over the next year. I am sure we can all find ways of ensuring that as accurate data as possible gets fed back without it turning into an excessive administrative burden.
Best wishes
Erling


===============================================================
Professor Erling Riis
Head of Department
Department of Physics,               tel: 0141-5483490
Strathclyde University,
John Anderson Building,             e-mail: e.riis at strath.ac.uk<mailto:e.riis at strath.ac.uk>
Glasgow, G4 0NG
UK


The Department is a partner in SUPA, the Scottish Universities Physics Alliance
The University of Strathclyde is a charitable body, registered in Scotland, number SC015263

From: aca-res-staff-bounces at lists.strath.ac.uk [mailto:aca-res-staff-bounces at lists.strath.ac.uk] On Behalf Of Corporate Comms
Sent: 27 September 2016 15:05
To: 'aca-res-staff at lists.strath.ac.uk' <aca-res-staff at lists.strath.ac.uk>
Subject: [aca-res-staff] Time allocation survey

SENT ON BEHALF OF PROFESSOR DAVID LITTLEJOHN


Dear Colleague,

Time Allocation Survey (TAS)

What?
Time Allocation Survey (TAS) data is information collected from individual staff members on the proportions of their working time spent on different categories of work. The percentage of time recorded is used to allocate the staff costs to the different categories for the completion of the Transparent Approach to Costing (TRAC) Return to the Funding Council.

Why?

  *   Staff costs are the single largest element of a University's costs
  *   Information from TAS is used to allocate staff costs for TRAC to:

     *   Teaching (T), Research (R) and Other (O)
  *   TAS is also used as a driver to allocate other costs to these activities
  *   TRAC data is then used to calculate:
     *   Indirect rates for Research and KE projects
     *   The costs for funding per SFC Subject group in TRAC (T)

  *   SFC are using TRAC (T) data to inform Price Groups - i.e. the funding we receive for teaching students

Importance of Accuracy
Inaccurate data will potentially lead to erroneous costings for Research and Teaching and will therefore have an impact on future funding, for example:

  *   Understating Teaching time risks a reduction in funding from the Price Groups
  *   Understating the support element of Research & KE risks under recovering support costs which are met through the Indirect rate.
  *   Overstating these costs makes Strathclyde more expensive compared to other universities
Additional categories of activity have been added to the TAS to assist academics in allocating activities to the appropriate category (see http://www.strath.ac.uk/fec/timeallocationexercisetas/#d.en.31113)


The Overall Process

  *   The TAS will be released on the Qualtrics questionnaire system at the end of each collection period
  *   staff will be notified by email that the questionnaire is available for completion along with detailed instructions on how to complete the exercise.
  *   results for each department will be summarised and passed to the Head of Department for confirmation
  *   approved results will be built into TRAC model to provide annual TRAC results for T, R and O.
  *   TRAC model is used to complete TRAC (T) return and calculation of Estates and Indirect rates for Research / KE projects.

Data collection periods
The data collection periods will be -

  *   1 October 2016 - 31 January 2017
  *   1 February 2017 - 31 May 2017
  *   1 June 2017 - 30 Sep 2017

Further Information
Full details on the TAS including step by step guidance, frequently asked questions and who to contact with queries can be found at http://www.strath.ac.uk/fec/timeallocationexercisetas/
or contact tas-submissions at strath.ac.uk<mailto:tas-submissions at strath.ac.uk>




The University of Strathclyde is a charitable body, registered in Scotland, with registration number SC015263.

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