Honest answers to key questions
When thinking about why we use surveys, perhaps the most obvious reason that comes to mind is to get answers to important questions we have!
While there are many means of collecting feedback from students, each with their own benefits, one of the key benefits of surveying students is that we can be reassured that the answers students give are unbiased and honest. The privacy and anonymity surveys offer – particularly online and paper-based surveys - and their unintimidating nature enable students to tell us how they truly feel. Whereas, when asked a question in person, a student might give an overly positive response because they are worried about offending the person asking them or because they are worried about potential negative repercussions from being identified as voicing a negative view.
Conducting a survey also enables us to reach a large number of students in a cost and resource-effective way. Collecting the views of sufficient numbers of students (a robust sample size) via a survey means that we can be confident that the answers gathered reflect the views of the majority of students. We can therefore be confident that decisions we make using survey data are based on robust, impartial and objective information.
Journey into the unknown
As well as helping to answer specific questions we may have, including open text questions in surveys give students the opportunity to tell us about topics we haven’t already asked them about. When analysing the survey data, coding – or even just reading through - the comments left in response to open text question enables us to uncover themes or issues (good and bad!) which we might not otherwise have considered.
Evoke discussion and inform actions
The insights gathered from Advance HE’s surveys portfolio are used to inform discussion with senior stakeholders and decision makers in institutions, as well as student-facing members of staff, to drive enhancement of the student experience in multiple ways. Many institutions use the findings to develop action plans with changes to be made and communicated over the coming year.
At last year’s Advance HE Surveys Conference, we also heard some specific examples of how insights gained from survey-based feedback measures have informed changes. For example, we heard from Bethan Foweraker and David Jones from Cardiff Metropolitan University, who presented on their survey of students with specific learning difficulties, the results of which highlighted specific barriers faced by these students and how to address them. We also heard from Caroline Heaton at Sheffield Hallam University, whose Postgraduate Research Experience Survey (PRES) results prompted an investigation of some specific elements of postgraduate research student wellbeing and the development of a strategy for enhancement.
Feedback opportunities are part of the student experience
Not only can surveys evoke discussion among an organisation’s staff members, but they are themselves an opportunity for the students invited to take part to converse with the institution. We know that opportunities to give feedback are in themselves a key part of the student experience – as well as being an opportunity to reflect on their feelings and experiences, they help students to feel heard and that their opinions are valued.
In 2019, the results from the Postgraduate Research Survey (PRES) showed that 59% of postgraduate research students agreed that institutions value and respond to feedback and a relatively high proportion 14% disagreed, indicating that more can be done to give students a voice via surveys as well as other means, and to close the feedback loop by demonstrating how feedback has been acted upon.
Are our changes working?
Tracking (or longitudinal) surveys, in which the same questions are asked regularly, for example every year, can be used to gauge how successful the actions taken to drive enhancement have been. As well as comparing how overall satisfaction and satisfaction with specific areas change, specific extra questions about the actions can be used to test their impact. Hopefully the results will be positive, but they might also show us where changes need to be made or further improvements are needed.
Compare results
As well as comparing current data with past results, sector wide surveys also enable institutions to compare their results with those of other institutions. While an institution may appear to be receiving positive results in a certain area, comparing against the sector might show that they are actually performing relatively poorly, thus identifying areas in which improvements can be made which might otherwise have been missed. Recently, we have been made aware of Survey Officers from different institutions liaising with each other on approaches to drive student enhancement, prompted by survey data.
What we can be sure of, is that in these unprecedented times of change and uncertainty, it is especially important to give students a voice and I look forward to the 2021 Surveys Conference to experience how the sector is doing so.
Find out more about the upcoming Surveys and Insights Conference 2021: Adapting to challenging times on 28 April where we will explore the key role surveys, measurement tools and qualitative research techniques have a to play in capturing and understanding feedback from students and staff.
For more information on Advance HE's student surveys, UKES, SAES, PRES and PTES, click here.
Maddie is Research and Insights Executive at Advance HE, working across PRES, PTES and UKES.