Cetis is delighted to announce today that it will be developing a replacement for the Joint Academic Coding System (JACS) on behalf of HEDIIP (Higher Education Data & Information Improvement Programme)

Subject coding is one of the key building blocks of student data that ought to have sector-wide and consistent applicability. The current method of classifying subjects is based on a scheme known as the Joint Academic Coding System (JACS). JACS has been in use for a number of years and requires a major review because:

  • the limit of the existing coding framework has been reached;
  • changes and growth in JACS’ range of functions mean it is no longer consistently applied;
  • it does not meet the needs of all of the key sector stakeholders.

Cetis is undertaking a project to develop a replacement for the JACS system which meets the needs of a broader group of stakeholders and reflects the diverse and dynamic nature of higher education in the twenty-first century. This builds on the JACS report published in 2013 which considered the varying requirements and uses of subject coding in HE and sets out options for the development of a replacement for JACS.

Further details about the project will be available on the HEDIIP site over the coming weeks.