Research to support the evaluation of the Diamond Reforms: Fieldwork with part-time and postgraduate students
The Welsh Government has commissioned OB3 Research (OB3) and Miller Research, to undertake research to support the evaluation of the Diamond Reforms to Higher Education in Wales. The aim of this research is to provide evidence to support an assessment of the first three objectives of the Diamond Reforms;
Widening access to Higher Education.
Strengthening part-time provision.
Strengthening postgraduate provision.
As part of this review OB3 and Miller Research will be gathering information through a survey and interviews or focus groups with part-time and postgraduate students studying in Higher Education who receive financial support from Student Finance Wales. Participants will be invited to take part in the survey via email and then asked to express interest in participating in a follow up interview or focus group.
The Welsh Government is the data controller for the research. However, OB3 and Miller Research will delete any personal data provided through the interviews, focus groups and workshops, and anonymise the raw data, before it is shared with the Welsh Government.
The information collected during the project will be included in a report published on the Welsh Government website and possibly in other publications by OB3, Miller Research and Welsh Government.
Your Participation in this research is completely voluntary. However your views and experiences are important in order to help inform Welsh Government policies.
The contact for this research at OB3 is Nia Bryer
E-mail address: Nia.Bryer@OB3research.co.uk
PRIVACY NOTICE
What personal data do we hold and where do we get this information?
Personal data is defined under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) as ‘any information relating to an identifiable person who can be directly or indirectly identified by reference to an identifier’.
Your name and email address were provided to OB3 Research (OB3) and Miller Research by the Welsh Government. The Welsh Government received your information from the Student Loans Company who are a non-profit making government-owned organisation that administers loans and grants to students in colleges and universities in the UK. OB3 and Miller Research will only use this information for the purpose of this review.
You will be invited to take part in the survey via email. Your responses to the survey will be anonymous. Your participation is voluntary and if you do not wish to take part or be sent reminders at any stage then please reply to the invitation email and your details will be removed.
At the end of the survey you will be given the opportunity to enter a prize draw to win a £50 shopping voucher and also you will be asked if you agree to take part in an interview or focus group discussion held online via MS Teams. You can decide to do both, either one or neither of these options. You will need to provide your name and email address in each case and there will be separate registration forms that are not linked to your survey results in any way.
If you enter the prize draw then OB3 and Miller Research will select a random email address to then send the Love2shop voucher.
We may collect anonymous information about you including your gender and whether you have additional learning needs via a separate form sent to you when you are invited to a focus group. The purpose of collecting this information is to report on the representativeness of the focus groups as a whole and it will not be possible to identify your individual responses.
Taking part in an interview or focus group does not require the collection of additional personal data from you except for your image if you agree to the interview or focus group being video recorded.
We may need to video or audio record focus groups and interviews for operational reasons. If this is this is the case, we will make this clear to you before the interview or focus group begins, and you will have the opportunity to tell us if you are not happy for the discussion to be recorded. A focus group will only be recorded if all members of the group are happy for this to happen. If focus groups or interviews are recorded, personal data will be removed during the process of transcribing. Recordings will be deleted as soon as this process is completed. If discussions are not recorded, personal data will not be included in written notes prepared during or following the focus group or interviews.
If you raise a query or complaint and provide personal data requesting a response, the researcher will forward the request only to the relevant official and subsequently delete it from the research data.
What is the lawful basis for using your data?
The lawful basis for processing information in this data collection exercise is our public task; that is, exercising our official authority to undertake the core role and functions of the Welsh Government.
Participation is completely voluntary. Research studies such as this are important for the Welsh Government to collect information and actionable evidence about its ability to deliver government priorities. The information collected in this research, for example, might be used to:
· understand learner’s experiences of part-time provision
· understand the barriers for learners who wish to study part-time
· explore the financial and operational impacts of part-time provision for Welsh HEPs
· understand learner’s experiences of postgraduate provision
· understand the barriers for postgraduate learners who wish to study part-time
· understand how well the Welsh Government financial support package meets the needs of all Welsh-domiciled HE learners.
How secure is your personal data?
Personal information provided to OB3 and Miller Research is always stored on a secure server. The data can only be accessed by a limited number of researchers working on this project. OB3 and Miller Research will only use this data for research purposes. OB3 and Miller Research has cyber essentials certification.
When conducting surveys, OB3 and Miller Research use a survey software programme called Snap Surveys. We have ensured that Snap Surveys is UK GDPR compliant and meets our expectations in terms of the security of any data stored or collected via the software.
OB3 and Miller Research has procedures to deal with any suspected data security breaches. If a suspected breach occurs, OB3 will report this to the Welsh Government who will notify you and any applicable regulator where we are legally required to do so.
OB3 and Miller Research will use the information gathered to produce a report that will be published on the Welsh Government website. This report will not include any information that could be used to identify individual participants.
How long do we keep your personal data?
OB3 and Miller Research will hold personal data during the contract period, and any personal data not already removed will be deleted by OB3 and Miller Research within three months of the end of the contract. This includes your contact details where you provided them.
OB3 will provide Welsh Government with an anonymised version of the survey data which will not include information that could identify you.
Individual rights
Under UK GDPR, you have the following rights in relation to the personal information you provide as part of this review, specifically you have the right:
· To access a copy of your own data;
· For us to rectify inaccuracies in that data;
· To object to or restrict processing (in certain circumstances);
· For your data to be ‘erased’ (in certain circumstances); and
· To lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) who is our independent regulator for data protection.
The contact details for the Information Commissioner’s Office are: Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF. Phone: 0303 123 1113. Website: www.ico.org.uk
Further Information
If you have any further questions about how the data provided as part of this study will be used by the Welsh Government or wish to exercise your rights using the UK General Data Protection Regulation, please contact:
Name: Emma Hall
E-mail address: emma.hall001@gov.wales
Telephone number: 03000258673
The Welsh Government’s Data Protection Officer can be contacted at:
Welsh Government, Cathays Park, Cardiff, CF10 3NQ, Email: DataProtectionOfficer@gov.wales.