Learning and Teaching Committee

Subject: National Student Survey 2006

Origin: Marie Kennedy, Academic Registry

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1. Launch

The second NSS was formally launched at Loughborough on 30 January 2006.

The website is at:  http://www.thestudentsurvey.com/

Some universities that did not take part last year will participate this year.

2. Preparation and promotion

(a) University actions

HEIs were required to publicise the Survey by various means including a banner on the webpage, informing staff, displaying posters and distributing leaflets. It was expected that they do so in liaison with their Students’ Union. In the weeks prior to the launch, the PVC(T) had meetings with the LSU Executive, and separately with the VP(E&W) and a member of Registry, to agree promotion. Actions taken were:

• Directorates were briefed at the early January meetings.
• Departments were emailed in early January concerning the start date, and actions to be taken.
• Posters were sent to departments in mid-January for displaying on finalists' noticeboards or other suitable locations. Other posters were be displayed in halls, teaching blocks, and social spaces. 
• A banner provided by Ipsos MORI was adapted and mounted on the homepage prior to the launch, linked to a specially-created NSS webpage (see http://www.lboro.ac.uk/admin/ar/general/nss/). The banner and webpage will remain for the duration of the campaign.
• PVC(T) emailed HoDs just prior to the launch, asking them to email all their finalists and encourage them to complete the Survey. A separate email was sent to HoDs where small finalist numbers on a few programmes means they may not meet the required publication threshold of 30 respondents and 50% of registrations.
• PVC(T) published a notice to staff on Lboro Noticeboard on Monday 30 January (http://www.lboro.ac.uk/news/lboronotices/notice4730.html), informing them of the launch.

(b) Students’ Union actions

• LSU distributed the leaflets by two means:

- before 30 January, Department committee chairs placed leaflets in finalists' pigeonholes in departments,

- during the campaign, students wearing NSS t-shirts will hand them to finalists in venues including the Union building and popular lunch areas such as EHB.

• The VP(E&W) wrote a letter to ‘Label’ magazine, published on Friday 27 January; this will be followed by an article to be published in ‘Label’ during February;
• Campus radio will promote the NSS during the campaign;
• During the campaign, the NSS banner will appear as a ‘news item’ on LSU homepage, linked to the online questionnaire and to the University’s own NSS webpage;
• Members of the Executive or other student reps will conduct ‘lecture shouts’ at finalists’ lectures in Weeks 1 and 2 of Semester 2, in co-operation with departments.

LSU has expressed its willingness to help in other ways, and during the eight-week campaign will, in liaison with the University, target departments or subject areas where the response rate is not as high as it might be.

3. Email to students

Ipsos MORI was due to email all finalists w/c 30 January, providing a link to the online questionnaire, and encouraging students to complete it.

Students who do not respond to the email should receive a second email about a week later. Students who do not respond to either email will receive a postal questionnaire the following week, and if they do not return the questionnaire Ipsos will telephone them. Ipsos will continue telephoning throughout the 8-week campaign, especially in subject areas or HEIs where the response rate is low.  It aims for a 50% response rate (Loughborough’s response last year was 75%).

4. Response rate data

The University should receive a weekly update throughout February, March, and early April, in two formats:

- by the 41 'level one' subject area (as last year)

- by department (this was not available last year).

The data will be forwarded to departments as soon as they arrive.  If certain departments or subject areas have a relatively low response rate, HoDs will be asked to contact their finalists again, and encourage participation.

It is generally acknowledged that:

- a high response rate is desirable in itself,

- is likely to have a positive effect on the University’s results,

- HoDs’ actions last year significantly improved the response rates.

5. Results

Initial results of the 2006 Survey should be available to the University in August; further data will become available in September when results are formally published on the TQI website. The University is free to use these for publicity purposes. A more detailed breakdown, together with qualitative comments, should be available to the University later in the autumn, but we will only be allowed to use this information internally, to enhance learning quality.

mk

31 January 2006