National Student Survey 2017
25 Jan 2017
Encourage students to feedback on their student experience
The University’s campaign to encourage students to complete the National Student Survey (NSS) 2017 launches next week (Monday, 30 January) so encourage students to complete the survey and have their voices heard.
The survey, which is open to the majority of final year undergraduates, is one of the most important ways we gather feedback from students about their experience of studying and living in Manchester.
The online survey asks about satisfaction with the teaching and learning experience. Students are also given the opportunity to give positive and/or negative comments on their student experience as a whole.
All students who are eligible to take part in the NSS have received an email from Ipsos MORI, who are running the survey on behalf of HEFCE.
It is important that as many students as possible provide their feedback to ensure that the survey generates reliable information, and we would really like to improve on last year’s response rate of 72%. Results are used to inform improvements to the student experience, compile University league tables and to inform future students' choice of university/course through:
Please encourage eligible students to complete the survey before Sunday, 30 April at:
How you can help to promote the NSS to students
As well as communication from Ipsos-Mori, there will be messages from Student Communications and Marketing to encourage students to complete the survey. However, students often respond better to messages from people they know and communicate with on a regular basis. So if you tutor, lecture or support students then your help really is important to increase response rates.
Information, advice and promotional materials for school use can be found on:
Key messages for this year include:
- Remind students that their responses are anonymous and they should feel free to express their honest opinions;
- If you use emails to promote to your students, please use targeted final year email lists if possible and do not bombard them;
- Direct endorsement by academic staff (e.g. in lectures/seminars) is one of most effective ways to engage students;
- Peer to peer communication and promotion (e.g. via student reps) can also be very effective;
- Examples of previous improvements following NSS feedback can help to demonstrate that NSS is worthwhile;
- As this is a key institutional survey – please try to avoid other surveying with final years during this period.
University Incentives
This year, to encourage students to complete the survey, the University is offering two incentives to students completing the NSS 2017:
- A prize draw for Amazon vouchers. There will be 10 prizes of £400 of Amazon vouchers. The winners will all be chosen at random at the end of the survey period by Ipsos-Mori.
- For each response submitted the University will also make a £1 donation to charity. This will be done automatically and the amount will be split between the following four charities:
The Big Change Manchester Homelessness Fund
Information about these can be used in all communications about the survey.
Other surveys
This semester will also see Postgraduate students surveyed about their experiences. The Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey (PTES) will launch on Monday, 6 March and the Postgraduate Research Survey (PRES) will launch on the Monday, 3 April. Further details about these and promotion materials will be available nearer the launch dates.
If you have any questions about surveys please contact: