Learning and Teaching Committee

 

Subject:  NSS 2008 briefing

 

Origin:  Marie Kennedy, Learning Policy Support Office

 

  • Monday 4 February: 

Launch at Loughborough of the 4th NSS (the same week as previous years).

  • HE in FE

For the first time, directly funded, prescribed HE courses at FE Colleges will take part – including Loughborough College;  results will be shown as the institution at which the student is studying.

  • Optional additional questions

After completing the survey, students can opt to answer an additional six questions regarding their placement experience.  Results of these additional questions will not be published but HEIs can compare their results with sector averages.

  • Weeks 1-3:

-              On or soon after 4 February, finalists should receive an email from Ipsos MORI, asking them to use the link provided to go online and complete the Survey;

-              A reminder email will be sent a week later;

-              One week after that, students will receive a text message, with the web address;

  • Week 4:

Postal questionnaires with prepaid envelope sent to students who have not responded (they can still do so online).

  • Week 6 onwards:

-              Ipsos will try to telephone hose who have not yet responded.

-              Extra attempts will be made to contact students where data remain below publication threshold.

  • Promotional activities at Loughborough

HEFCE requires all HEIs to undertake a certain minimum of promotion.  At Loughborough this will most probably include:

-              A4 posters sent to LSU, halls and departments for display on noticeboards;

-              Flyers, post-it notes and pens sent to venues such as LSU, Library, imago retail outlets and departments for distribution;

-              A4 posters displayed on other noticeboards including Union building;

-              Notices from PVC(T) on electronic noticeboards for both staff and students;

-              Mini-banner on homepage with link to Survey;

-              LU webpage with link to Survey, details about earlier results, and actions taken http://www.lboro.ac.uk/admin/ar/general/nss/ ;

-              a set of PowerPoint slides for staff to use in teaching sessions and for use on any plasma screens in buildings;

-              Articles in LSU Label magazine, announcements on campus radio, and a link on LSU homepage;

-              LSU Vice President (Education) will email finalists;

-              LSU VP (Education) will ask Department Committee chairs, and/or SSC reps, to encourage finalists to take part;

-              LSU Executive will organise lecture shouts (with the agreement of lecturers).

  • Additional questions regarding work placement:  students who have completed the Survey will have the option of answering a further five questions concerning work placement experiences;  their responses to the main NSS will not be affected if they choose not to take this opportunity.  Results will not be published but will be provided to the University.
  • Response rates will be circulated weekly to departments.
  • Results will be published in summer on the Unistats site;  this site also provides information such as entry tariffs and actual entry profiles, achievement data, and DLHE data.
  • The publication threshold is currently 50% of respondents (in a given subject area) and a minimum of 23 respondents, but may be lowered prior to the publication date.  Where possible, results will be published at the level of 107 subject areas, which would differentiate (eg) Chemistry from Physics, Civil from Chemical Engineering.
  • Further results including qualitative comments will be provided to HEIs during September (for internal use only).
  • Participation:  Loughborough should benefit from having a high response rate because most students are happy with their experience here. 
  • HoDs have been asked to email all their finalists a few days after the launch (perhaps Monday 11 February), encouraging them to complete the Survey.  HoDs will be asked to do so again at certain points during the 8-week Survey, especially if response rates in particular departments are low.  They have been encouraged to tell finalists of any actions their department has taken in response to this and other feedback to improve the students’ experience.
  • League tables:  NSS is likely to play a key part in these in future, and therefore in recruitment.  
  • Scottish HEIs:  increase from 3 in 2006 to 10 in 2008 (demonstrates importance in league tables and general visibility)
  • HEA research:  further analysis of results from 2005 - 07 continues, focussing mainly on issues of Assessment and Feedback, and why ethnic minority students less satisfied than white students.

Author – Marie Kennedy

Date – February 2008

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