Student Barometer survey: Encourage your students to have their say
14 Nov 2013
The Student Barometer Survey is now open to non-finalist undergraduates and postgraduate researchers.
The first of the University-wide student experience surveys, the Student Barometer is open to selected students between 8 November and 6 December 2013 and has got off to a great start with an 8% response rate to date.
In conjunction with the National Student Survey, Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey, and Unit Surveys, the Barometer is used to build a detailed and accurate picture of what students think of their whole experience of studying at The University of Manchester.
Unlike other surveys, the Barometer includes a large proportion of questions about the non-academic experience of students, giving them a chance to feedback on a wider range of topics, such as their arrival and support services, as well as their reasons for choosing Manchester in the first place.
How can you help?
The aim is to achieve at least a 35% response rate overall, and staff who have regular contact with students will be vital in achieving this aim.
Students are more likely to respond to requests to complete surveys if those requests come from a member of staff who they know (e.g. programme directors or programme administrators). One major way in which you can help is by directing your students to:
If they have been selected to take part in the survey, they will see a Student Barometer log-in box on the right-hand side of the webpage.
Other ways in which you can help include:
- Discussing the survey with students you are tutoring, supervising or advising
- Displaying appropriate promotional materials in your office or on email signatures
- Allowing student reps to do 'shout outs' in lectures or seminars - or announcing it yourself
- Giving students time in classes (if the facilities are there) to take the survey
We have produced a guidance note for academic and student support staff regarding the promotion of student surveys and there are also lots of useful tips in the Student Barometer Information Sheet.
Note that since i-Grad will be e-mailing non-respondents on a weekly basis during the survey period, schools are advised to limit the number of e-mails they send while the survey is live, in order to avoid bombarding students.
Further information
For more information about the Barometer survey, its contents, and to download promotional materials, visit: