Message from Katie Jackson, Students’ Union Faculty of Humanities Officer
24 Jan 2025
Ahead of the launch of the National Student Survey next week, Katie emphasises its importance in receiving and acting on feedback from our final-year undergraduates, and the role we can play in encouraging them to take part.
NSS: More than just a checkbox
The National Student Survey (NSS) lands on Monday, 27 January for our final-year undergraduates. It’s our chance to peek behind the curtain and see the student experience from our students’ perspectives. It tells us what we're doing well (hopefully a lot!), and where we can up our game, and it helps us make sure that students’ time at Manchester is as incredible (and educational!) as possible.
Tag-teaming for improvements
The University is collaborating closely with the Students' Union in implementing an NSS Action Plan. This plan prioritises key themes identified in the student feedback, particularly assessment and feedback, and student voice.
For example, students deserve feedback that's timely, useful, and actually helps them improve, and that is what we are going to give them. To make this happen, we're rolling out clear guidelines for staff on how to give feedback, along with training and support to make sure everyone's on the same page. Plus, we're exploring different ways for students to get feedback.
Where student voice is concerned, we're all about empowerment. When it comes to elected academic reps and those student-staff committees, we're super-sizing their power. We believe that students should be the architects of their own experience, and we're committed to creating the space for their voices to be heard.
You got the power
The NSS is going to be promoted from next week to final year students. They will be receiving a message from Ipsos, who run the NSS, with a link to the survey page, and the University and Faculty will be rolling out a major comms and engagement campaign until the survey closes in April.
There will be a £2 donation split between four local good causes (University of Manchester Cost of Living Support Fund, Manchester Central Foodbank, Barnabus and Ladybarn Community Hub) which the University is making for every completed survey. Students will also be entered into a prize draw as an added incentive.
However, we really want to emphasise the power of student voice and making change at the University, as the number one incentive for completing the survey.
We're calling on all academics and professional services staff to be NSS champions. A friendly nudge from a familiar face can make all the difference in getting students to share their experience.
Students should be in the driving seat of their own education and it’s important that we communicate that with them.
The NSS is students’ chance to tell us what they really think. By working together, we can take the student experience at Manchester to sector-leading heights.
Key dates
- NSS launch: Monday, 27 January
- NSS closes: Wednesday, 30 April
For more info and resources, head over to this webpage and if you are ready to get promoting, then here is a useful toolkit.