The EduData Summit series explores how higher education can meaningfully use data to drive innovation for global benefit. Looking at student and institution needs, the 2020 online series will bring together policy experts, data scientists, CIOs and other dataheads to showcase best practice in the field and help steer strategies in higher education on sustainability.
As environmental imperatives become central to operations in many sectors, universities, as institutions engaged with the leaders of tomorrow, are well placed to lead the way for an environmentally sustainable future. Over four weeks, the 2020 EDS Series will look at how institutions can achieve those goals through data, as well as preview the results of the 2021 QS World University Rankings, provide performance insight sessions and host the inaugural QS Hackathon, Higher Ed Analytics: Using R to explore global trends.
3rd June 2020
Introduction
EduData Summit (EDS) is the world’s premium forum for data-driven educators – a platform for strategists, data scientists, CIOs and other dataheads to discuss and share best practices at the intersection of big data, predictive analytics, learning analytics, and education.
Time: 10am California/ 6pm London/ 1am Singapore
Duration: 90 minutes
Agenda
Moderator:
Anton John Crace, Editor and Program Designer, QS Quacquarelli Symonds
Welcome remarks (10 minutes)
Jason Newman, Vice President QS Intelligence Unit, EduData Director, QS Quacquarelli Symonds
Keynote (10 minutes)
Panel discussion (45 minutes)
Moderator:
Paul Thurman, Professor of Management and Analytics, Columbia University
Panelists:
Robert Kirkpatrick, Director, United Nations Global Pulse, Executive Office of the Secretary-General
Márcia Balisciano, Global Head of Corporate Responsibility, RELX
Jonathan Grant, Vice President & Vice Principal (Service), King’s College London
Sarah E. Toms, Executive Director and Cofounder, Wharton Interactive
Keynote (10 minutes)
Closing Keynote (15 minutes)
QS
Our Speakers

Vice President QS Intelligence Unit, EduData Director,
QS Quacquarelli Symonds View Bio

Global Head of Corporate Responsibility,
RELX View Bio

Vice President & Vice Principal (Service)
King’s College London View Bio

Executive Director and Cofounder
Wharton Interactive View Bio

Director, United Nations Global Pulse,
Executive Office of the Secretary-General View Bio

Professor of Management and Analytics,
Columbia University View Bio
9th June 2020
Introduction
Find out the latest QS World University Rankings and get insights into how higher education has changed at the start of the decade. The session will preview the 2021 QS World University Rankings a day before their official release.
Time: 7am California / 3pm London / 10pm Singapore
Duration: 70-90 minutes
Agenda
Moderator:
Anton John Crace, Editor and Program Designer, QS Quacquarelli Symonds
Welcome remarks (10 minutes)
Ben Sowter, Senior Vice President (QS) and Management Director (QSIU), QS Quacquarelli Symonds
QS Ranking Introduced (25 minutes)
Leigh Kamolins, Head of Evaluation, QS Quacquarelli Symonds
This session will explore the philosophy behind the QS Rankings and the methodological approaches taken by QS to produce its ranking. It will detail the data sources that we draw on, give insight in to the depth of the underlying datasets and explain how this all came together to form this year’s QS World University Rankings.
World University Rankings Preview (35 minutes)
Leigh Kamolins, Head of Evaluation, QS Quacquarelli Symonds
Andrew MacFarlane, Rankings Manager, QS Quacquarelli Symonds
This session will provide unique insights in this year’s edition of the QS World University Rankings. Ahead of the official launch of the rankings the following day, it will examine trends that became evident in the data during this year’s analysis. The session will highlight key trends globally and within different geographies. It will put a spotlight on areas where there have been strong growth in performance and provide insight in to how this may or may not be challenging historical trends.
Our Speakers

Senior Vice President (QS) and Management Director (QSIU)
QS Quacquarelli Symonds View Bio

Head of Evaluation
QS Quacquarelli Symonds View Bio

Rankings Manager
QS Quacquarelli Symonds View Bio
16th June 2020
Introduction
Following the release of the QS World University Rankings 2021, QS’ Consulting team are hosting a Performance Insight Session to share their knowledge and expertise of the rankings. As part of the Performance Insight Session, University of Technology Sydney (UTS) Vice-Chancellor Atilla Brungs will share his university’s ranking journey The Performance Insight Session will begin with a keynote speech from. Insight sessions are aimed at institutions at different levels in the rankings.
Time: 1am California / 9am London / 4pm Singapore
Duration: 90 minutes
Our Speaker

Atilla Brungs
Vice-Chancellor
University of Technology Sydney (UTS) View Bio
Agenda
Moderator:
Anton John Crace, Editor and Program Designer, QS Quacquarelli Symonds
Opening remarks and welcome address (10 minutes)
David Reggio, Global Head of Consulting, QS Quacquarelli Symonds
Keynote Speech
Atilla Brungs, Vice-Chancellor at University of Technology Sydney (UTS)
Workshop 1:
Looking beyond data – what can institutions do next?
Workshop 2:
The importance of robust organizational systems and the impact it can have on your ranking
Workshop 3:
Understanding the data you need to plan for the future
WORKSHOP OVERVIEW
Workshop 1: Looking beyond data – what can institutions do next?
Overview: Institutions ranked in the Top 200, tend to have good internal processes and structures in place to support strategic planning, but we need to ask ourselves – what next? This masterclass will look beyond the data, into market leadership giving examples of how megatrends can serve your institutional brand.
Workshop 2: The importance of robust organisational systems and the impact it can have on your ranking
Overview: Designed for institutions within the 201-500 range of the rankings, this masterclass will delve deeper into the importance of your internal structure in strategic planning. We will explore how institutional practices can affect data and market perceptions/reputation and why robust organisational systems and process are crucial in strategic planning.
Workshop 3: Understanding the data you need to plan for the future
Overview: This masterclass is specifically designed for institutions ranked in the 501+ range of the rankings. In this session, we will look at the data you need to collect, how to collect it, the importance of assessing the data and how institutions can coordinate internal teams to plan for the future.
Workshop 4: Entering the World University Rankings – what you need to know and do
Overview: This masterclass has been designed specifically for institutions that are not ranked but are looking to be assessed to enter the World University Rankings. The session will include key information regarding methodology, data definitions, submission dates etc, that you will need to understand, ensuring your institution has the necessary information in order to prepare for the next rankings data submission.
25th June 2020
Introduction
The EduData Summit brings together educators from all over the world to discuss best practices in data-driven decision making for operational and strategic initiatives on campus. Conference attendees from years past have reporting varying levels of data analytic skillsets and many have expressed interesting in moving beyond spreadsheets and into data science software such as R and Python.
This June we will convene virtually on June 25 to run a workshop for those wanting to learn the basics of programming in R through the applied exploration of global higher education datasets. Attendees will be provided with a cloud-based learning environment where they will be able to access the required statistical packages along with relevant datasets and code examples.
We hope that you are able to join us to code, play with new datasets, and build analytical skills that are increasingly valuable for people and organizations today.
Time: 6am California / 2pm London / 9pm Singapore
Duration: 120 minutes
Our Speaker

Alex Chisholm
Head of Analytics
QS Quacquarelli Symonds View Bio
Agenda
Workshop introduction (10 minutes)
Alex Chisholm, Head of Analytics, QS Quacquarelli Symonds
Cover the benefits of moving from spreadsheets into R and provide examples of how universities are leveraging more advanced analytics.
The basics of programming in R (60 minutes)
Introduce R though a cloud version of RStudio in which we’ll define the core fundamentals of coding. Begin with simple exploratory data analysis with the help of packages from the tidyverse before turning to basic modeling.
Short break (5 minutes)
Higher education information sources (30 minutes)
Using the fundamentals from the previous section, we’ll identify and explore several robust data resources related to higher education.
Wrap up, next steps, and resources (15 minutes)
Recap what we have learned and point to further techniques to accelerate getting more done with available data.
Successful delegates in completing both of the above modules will receive a ‘QS Analytics Level 1 Data Certificate’