The National Student Survey is open now for eligible final-year undergraduate students to complete – and the majority of encouragement for students to participate will be during campaign fortnight, which runs from Thursday 8 February to Thursday 22 February. We all have our part to play in creating a good student experience, regardless of job role – as a community we can join together and ensure our students’ time at Southampton is truly memorable for all the right reasons.
Online drop-in session
Four in ten students have said they heard about the NSS from a member of staff, so it is particularly important for us to continue to encourage final year students to complete the survey in order to get high engagement and feedback we can act on.
If you would like to find out more about the NSS and what you can do to help share it with students, please join the NSS Network for an online drop-in session on Friday 2 February at 10:00 via Microsoft Teams. Whether you join for five minutes or the full hour, this session aims to provide you with all the information and resources to support your survey promotion to students. Click here to join the meeting.
Why survey students?
Providing the very best student experience is one of our top priorities and reflecting our students’ voices is integral in ensuring we are living up to this promise. Student surveys are an important tool in capturing student feedback and help us shape our planning and implementation processes to directly enhance the experience of our students.
What do we do with the survey results?
Our Strategy sets out the direction and goals for our University’s future, and the underpinning strategic plans help to drive the work needed for successful delivery. Strategy happens and is implemented on a day-to-day basis across our organisation.
The Education & Student Experience Strategic Plans aim to ensure our students feel supported to thrive, and enjoy a sense of pride and belonging as engaged members of our community. The plans have been developed as a direct result of what we have heard in previous NSS results, enabling us to make the changes students really want to see.
Whether the changes requested are big or small, our students have a voice in our community – feedback is listened to, and meaningful action is taken whenever possible. This year’s responses will feed into both ongoing Strategic Major Projects and business as usual activity to ensure we at Southampton are delivering a world-class experience in all areas of student life.
I’m not involved in teaching – what can I do?
Remember the student experience is more than just what happens in lecture theatres – if you work in Sports, Catering, Residences, the Library, or The Student Hub, amongst many other areas, you’ll have daily face to face contact with students which has the potential to make a real impact on their day to day experience. Even if you don’t speak regularly to students, you can still be a welcoming face around campus, offering assistance to anyone who may need help or support.
I am involved in teaching – what can I do?
You can find easy to use digital resources on SharePoint, which you are encouraged to use when preparing lecture slides and other materials for your teaching activities. We would like to encourage all staff to amplify the value of taking part locally – this is generally most effective at raising awareness of the survey.
Consider joining the drop-in session on Friday 2 February – details above.
You may see Student Ambassadors outside teaching locations during the campaign window – they are there to encourage students to complete the survey.
The surveys will be promoted centrally through a range of channels, including digital screens and display materials around our Southampton and Winchester campuses, to encourage participation across the University.
Please encourage students in your faculty to take part in the survey.
To find out more about getting involved, please get in touch with the Student Communications Team at [email protected]