TRAC Conference 2019

  9.30

Coffee and registration

10.00

Welcome by Conference Chair

Neville Ford, TDG Chair

10.10

Finance Director perspective on TRAC

Andrew Connolly, CFO, the University of Exeter

10.50

Update on TRAC Development Group work plan and activities

Support Unit

11.20

Break

11.45

Breakout sessions

1)      TRAC for Beginners

Introduction to TRAC. A practical introduction to TRAC for those new to TRAC reporting. Catherine jones, University of York, TRAC Support Unit

2)      TRAC Assurance & MSI.

This session will provide an opportunity to gain an understanding on the latest TRAC assurance and to discuss issues and variations in implementation of MSI and obtain feedback for the review of MSI.

Facilitators TRAC Support Unit / Gareth McDonald, Head of Funding Assurance UKRI

3)      Understanding the cost of Teaching from TRAC

A briefing and discussion on the DfE study on costing undergraduate teaching together with exploring the findings from the TRAC(T) feasibility work.

TRAC Champion, Facilitators, Support Unit

4)      Communicating information with impact

You know you have done great work on your TRAC analysis; its technical, it’s tricky there are a lot of numbers. But will ‘they’ read it? will ‘they’ understand what it means?  If you want to improve your chances of writing a great report (ie telling a great story about your work), you need to understand who will read it, and therefore how you write it for them. Phil has been through a few TRAC reports in his day as FD at University of Edinburgh and will share some practical tips on how to transform your thinking and writing.

Phil McNaull (Invisible Grail)

13.00

Lunch

13.45

Breakout sessions

1)      TRAC Essentials

This is a session for more experienced TRAC practitioners, providing reminders of key TRAC requirements and sharing examples of how more subjective or difficult aspects of TRAC are addressed, as well as providing good practice from practitioners

Facilitators, TRAC Support Unit

2)      TRAC Assurance & MSI

This session will provide an opportunity to gain an understanding on the latest TRAC assurance and to discuss issues and variations in implementation of MSI and obtain feedback for the review of MSI.

Facilitators TRAC Support Unit / Gareth McDonald, Head of Funding Assurance UKRI

3)      Understanding the cost of Teaching from TRAC

A briefing and discussion on the DfE study on costing undergraduate teaching together with exploring the findings from the TRAC(T) feasibility work

TRAC Champion, Facilitators, Support Unit

4)      Communicating information with impact

You know you have done great work on your TRAC analysis; its technical, it’s tricky there are a lot of numbers. But will ‘they’ read it? will ‘they’ understand what it means?  If you want to improve your chances of writing a great report (ie telling a great story about your work), you need to understand who will read it, and therefore how you write it for them. Phil has been through a few TRAC reports in his day as FD at University of Edinburgh and will share some practical tips on how to transform your thinking and writing.

Phil McNaull (Invisible Grail

15.00

Break

15.20

Feedback from Breakout sessions

Neville Ford and break out group reps

15.50

Question Time

Other issues and questions for TDG to consider - invited from the floor

Chair with the panel comprising of speakers / TDG members

16.20

Closing remarks

Neville Ford