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Getting ready for the National Student Survey 2012

Posted: Thursday, 15th December 2011

THE NATIONAL Student Survey (NSS) is one of the most significant surveys for the University, collating feedback from final year undergraduate students about their experience and satisfaction with MMU.

This year, the University, working with the Student Union, is aiming to maximise completion of the survey and to encourage a positive outcome by raising awareness of improvements made based on feedback from previous surveys.

Please follow this short guide to who is doing what – the University, Students' Union, IPSOS - – what you can do to help encourage positive participation, and other general advice, including use of our ‘You Said We Did’ data, additional survey questions, avoiding clashes with other surveys and avoiding ‘inappropriate influence’.

In the first instance, we are aiming for early completion of the survey and are organising incentives accordingly. The 2012 National Student Survey will start on Monday 16th January 2012 and is scheduled to finish on 30th April 2012.

Crucial six weeks

However, our aim is to maximise completions in the SIX weeks after the NSS ‘goes live’ with the overall target of 50% response by 29th February 2012 when our incentives programme will close.

A significant campaign of online, poster and personal communications is being developed to support a series of incentives and promotions for the NSS including:

  • Completion of survey by 29th February 2012 entitles entry into a prize draw for five main prizes of an iPad and 50 prizes of £50 shopping vouchers.
  • Eligible students will receive a 1 GB memory stick, for completing the survey by 29th February 2012, to be collected via voucher from the MMU Students’ Union (in Manchester and Cheshire).
  • Chocolates and other merchandise will be given out at NSS events.
  • The prize draw will take place after 29th February 2012, managed by Ipsos MORI - MC&D will notify prize winners by email by 14 March 2012 at the latest.

Students’ Union

  • The Students’ Union will be co-ordinating a series of five minute presentations through student reps – to be hosted at the beginning of final year lectures across departments where large numbers are present.
  • Central timetabling services are providing details of large lectures and in the coming weeks, MC&D will check and confirm with Deans the lectures where the SU presentations are proposed to be delivered.
  • We will have large IT suites to enable mass completion of the survey after lectures. Student reps will direct students to these IT suites.
  • All student reps will be wearing t-shirts with the 2012 communications campaign to support local engagement.

MMU / NSS Promotional Materials

  • We are producing a range of promotional materials which will be distributed via the Faculty Marketing Officers to support the NSS during w/c 9th January 2012. If you need more, then do ask your local marketing officer.
  • Announcements will be made on MyMMU portal and Final Year Student web channel with links to the online survey at http://www.thestudentsurvey.com/
  • We are encouraging competition between faculties for the greatest percentage completions through weekly updates on ManMetLife and Current Students portals.

Feeding back to students on actions taken

  • Please do report back to students on the many actions which have taken place across the University (visit here for details) in response to student views.
  • We do need to communicate that student feedback does lead to actions and that we are constantly working to improve the student experience and satisfaction.

Ipsos Mailing Schedule

During the week commencing as shown, Ipsos will contact MMU students directly as follows:

  • 16 Jan – email sent to students
  • 23 Jan – reminder email
  • 30 Jan – reminder SMS
  • 6 Feb – targeted postal mail-out
  • 20 Feb - 30 April – IPSOS telephone campaign, final email and postal reminders

N.B. once a student has either taken part in the survey or opted out by ticking the box on the survey website, no further contact will be made by Ipsos. Always let students know that, if they wish, they can opt out of the survey at any time by visiting the survey website at www.thestudentsurvey.com and indicating their wish to opt out and not be contacted.

NSS Additional questions

  • We can supply additional questions to the standard 23 questions on the questionnaire. Following consultation with the Student Evaluation Strategy Group, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Student Experience) Kevin Bonnett has added the following:
    • I would recommend MMU as a place of study to a friend or relative
    • The University has prepared me well for entering the job market and seeking employment

N.B. the standard questionnaire used by all HEIs includes an additional 23rd question this year relating to students’ satisfaction with the Students’ Union.

Avoiding ‘inappropriate influence’

  • HEFCE and Ipsos have issued guidelines to all universities on the importance of avoiding anything which may be construed as ‘inappropriate influence’ of students’ responses.
  • Students must feel free to give their honest feedback about their experiences without their responses being influenced by their institution.

Freeze on other surveys

  • It would be appreciated if departments, faculties and support services could please not carry out other surveys of final year undergraduates between the dates of 16th January to 29th February, whilst we are promoting our incentives and the NSS.
  • We want to encourage maximum participation of final year undergraduates in this year’s NSS.

If you have any queries about the promotion/communication of the survey and incentives, please contact Marion Burge x.2192, or Catherine Seddon x.3390 at Marketing, Communications & Development

Overall management of the survey remains the responsibility of CASQE. For queries relating to the survey contact Rob Baker, r.baker@mmu.ac.uk, x.3695 or Ron Hamilton at r.y.hamilton@mmu.ac.uk, x.1050, both in CASQE.

Contributed by
Gareth Hollyman · find this person in the Staff Directory

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