Educational Institutions Data Standard

Intended Audience and Contact Information

Contact Chief Data Officer, Office of the CIO
Intended audience: Internal UBC
UDM Domain Organization

Change Log

Standard Version Date Change Log
2021-10-14
  • 1.0 Revision of Educational Institution Attributes
  • 2.0 Addition of Institution Name (English) Naming Convention
  • 3.0 Addition of Institution Alternate Name Type
  • 4.0 Addition of Institution levels
  • 5.0 Addition of Institution Types and sub-types
  • 6.0 Addition of Curriculum types
2018-10-24 Data standard published

Purpose

This standard aims to achieve consistency around the data collected for Educational Institutions and the format in which it is collected and stored in across the University.

This standard applies to all UBC applications collecting Educational Institutions. Exceptions are listed in the Dispensation section.

Standard

Educational Institution Attributes

Following are the attributes attached to Educational Institutions.

Attribute Requirement Definition Format

Institution ID

(currently referred to as: Salesforce Institution ID)

 Required A unique identifier for an educational institution, assigned by the system of record. Alphanumeric
SIS Institution ID Required A unique identifier for an educational institution, assigned by Student Information System. Alphanumeric
EZR ID Required A unique identifier for an educational institution between Salesforce and Student Information System. Numeric
EPBC ID Optional A unique identifier for an educational institution, assigned by Education Planner BC (EPBC). Alphanumeric
External Institution ID Optional A unique identifier for an educational institution, assigned by the source Alphanumeric
Institution Name
(English)		 Required The official English name displayed to applicants when searching for institutions to include in their self-reported academic history. Text Refer to the Institution Name (English) Naming Convention for more information.
Local Institution Name Optional Name of institution in local language. Text
Institution Alternate Name Optional A name an institution might be formally referred by or in lieu of the official name. Text
Institution Alternate Name Type Required Former or unofficial name of the institution including common short names and commonly used acronyms. Reference List See Institution Alternate Name Type below for more information.
Institution Level Required Classification of the level of the programs and courses offered by an educational institution. Reference List See Educational Institution Level below for more information.
Institution Type Required Classification of the type of an education institution based on the credentials offered and their alignment with mandates as laid out by policies and laws such as British Columbia's University Act. This classification is also in-line with UBC's operational and reporting needs. Reference List See Educational Institution Types and Subtypes below for more information.
Institution Subtype Required Further classification of the type of an educational institution within a particular institution type based on the financial, research and teaching goals of the institution. Reference List See Educational Institution Types and Subtypes below for more information.
Curriculum Type Required (for Secondary Institutions) A classification of the course of study offered by a secondary or middle school. Reference List
Street Required The unit number and street name associated with an address. Text
City Required Municipality details attached to the address. Text
State/Province Optional The state or provincial territory that the address belongs to. Reference List
Region Required A classification of the geographic area an address belongs to. Reference List
Country Required A distinct national entity that the address belongs to. Reference List
Zip/Postal Code Optional A series of digits, letters or both, sometimes with spaces or punctuations, included in an address. Text
Phone Optional A series of digits used to contact a person or an entity. Numeric
Website Optional A collection of web pages typically grouped by a common name. URL
Institution End Date Optional Date when an institution ceases to exist. An institution ceases to exist when it shuts down or changes its institution type. YYYY-MM-DD
Is Active Required Indicates that the educational institution is operational. True/False
Institution Name (English) Naming Convention

These naming conventions are adopted from the EducationPlannerBC (EPBC) Data Governance Standards and Practices.

  1. Use title case.
  2. Full legal name of the institution should be used. When it makes sense to do so, verify from a reliable source such as the institution's web site, a directory of institutions, such as the PESC Geo Code list or a government list
    • If the institution publicly identifies itself with a name that is different than the legal name, that name should be used.
    • Attention should be paid to the full legal or published name of the institution.
      For example:
      • "The University of British Columbia" – starts with "The"
      • "University of Victoria" – starts with "University"
  3. Only English alphabet characters and numbers should be used for the institution name. Published names with accents, diacritical marks, or other character sets can be entered as the local language name.
  4. City, region or country names should not be included in the institution name unless the city is part of the published institution name e.g. "University of Victoria" contains the city name and is the correct published name.
  5. Abbreviated words should not be used in the institution name unless they are used in the official name. For example:
    Acceptable Not Acceptable
    University Univ, U
    College Coll
    Collegiate Coll
    High School High, HS
    Distance Learning Dist. Learning, DL
    School District SD, Dist
    Technology Tech, tec
    and & (unless it is part of the legal or published names)
  6. Words that are not part of a published name should not be added to institution names. For example:
    Acceptable Not Acceptable
    Consort School Consort High School
    (This is a single K-12 school known as "Consort School")
Institution Alternate Name Type

Below are the accepted values for institution alternate name type:

Accepted Value Description
Former Indicates a previous name an educational institution went by.
Unofficial Indicates the informal name of an educational institution.
Educational Institution Level

Below are the accepted values for educational institution level:

Accepted Value Description
Secondary This level includes a secondary or high school diploma, high school equivalency certificate, or successful completion of a high school equivalency test such as the General Educational Development (GED) test, or obtaining an Adult Basic Education (ABE) certificate.
Postsecondary This level includes a certificate, diploma or degree beyond the secondary school level from a postsecondary institution, or a vocational certificate, diploma or degree awarded by provincial/territorial or federal authorities, such as the journeyperson designation or teaching and nursing certificates.
Educational Institution Type and Subtype

Below are the accepted values for educational Institution type and sub-type:

Accepted Value for Institution Type Accepted Value for Institution Subtype
Middle School Middle School
Secondary School Secondary School
Online/Distributed Distance Learning
Adult Education
University Teaching University
Research University
Institute Polytechnic
Institute of Technology
Academic College Academic College
CEGEP
Vocational Language School
Vocational College
Career College
Curriculum Type

An educational institution can have more than one curriculum type. Below are the accepted values for curriculum type:

Accepted Value for Curriculum Type Description
Country-specific National Curriculum Curriculum is based on the educational requirements of a specific country.
Region-specific Curriculum Curriculum is based on the educational requirements of a specific region e.g. BC, Alberta, etc.
French Baccalaureate A diploma that marks the completion of a French high school program and follows the curriculum guidelines established by the French Ministry of Education, a demanding pre-university program of study taught entirely in French. The diploma is obtained at the end of grade 12, after externally assessed examinations are taken, and is the essential credential for entry into any university worldwide.
Option Internationale du Baccalaureat (OIB) An international version of the French Baccalaureate, and is taken as a set of school-leaving exams in the academic year when most students have their eighteenth birthday. Students receive an overall mark out of 20 (20 is the highest), and marks for each subject out of 20.
International Baccalaureate Diploma Made up of six subject groups and the DP core, comprising theory of knowledge (TOK), creativity, activity, service (CAS) and the extended essay.
Through the Diploma Programme (DP) core, students reflect on the nature of knowledge, complete independent research and undertake a project that often involves community service.
International Baccalaureate Certificate An enriched secondary school program offered at various schools across the world. Students obtaining high enough grades can earn credit towards their undergraduate degrees.
Advanced Placement (AP) A program run by the College Board that makes college and university courses available for students to take while they're still in secondary school.
AP courses are granted credit through the External Credential program and may be used towards district and provincial scholarships.
Collège d'enseignement général et professionnel (CEGEP) The postsecondary system in Quebec that is a requirement for entry to university. Students who complete high school (normally after 11 years of schooling) must complete two years of the "general program" of the colleges and they then proceed to university for completion of their program.
International General Certificate of secondary Education (IGCSE) An English language-based examination similar to GCSE and is recognized in the United Kingdom as being equivalent to the General Certificate of secondary Education (GCSE) for the purposes of recognizing prior attainment and is offered worldwide.
General Certificate of secondary Education (GCSE) Academic qualification in a particular subject, taken in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Previously known as "O Level".
GCE AS/A Level A qualification in a specific subject typically taken in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland at a level above GCSE.
Cambridge Pre-University A qualification from Cambridge Assessment International Education that is an alternative to the current A Level qualification.

Compliance

This standard must be complied with every stage of the data lifecycle with the exception of any dispensations (see Dispensation section):

  • All applications must collect Educational Institutions data as recommended in this standard.
  • Enterprise Data Integration must adopt this standard.

Dispensation

Legacy systems are exempt from this data standard. As systems are replaced, adoption of this standard is required. Examples of legacy systems are:

  • Student Information System (SIS)
  • Attribute names in Workday may differ from attributes listed in this data standard.

As existing systems change to adopt this standard, the Enterprise Data Governance team needs to be informed.

References

Educational Institution Levels:

University:

French Baccalaureate:

International Baccalaureate Diploma:


Collège d'enseignement général et professionnel (CEGEP):

Advanced Placement:

International Baccalaureate and Adult Basic Education: