2013 Press Releases
HE sector listening closely
That’s the message students have received today (Friday 13 December 2013) as a new national survey of third level students launched, exploring in detail their experiences of higher education.
“We welcome the results of the Irish Survey of Student Engagement as it will add to the range of tools we use in assessing student experience, engagement and learning accordingly,” said Dr Michael Murphy, President of UCC.
“Measuring student engagement and learning is complex, requiring multiple approaches and this national student survey is another important step forward. At UCC we undertake student surveys at the module, school and university level and these results help us to deliver improvements for students through research-led teaching and learning. UCC welcomes the opportunity that this annual survey presents to target the key issues and trends effecting student engagement within the Higher Education sector over a longer time frame”, Dr Murphy continued.
The survey will help Irish higher education institutions to enhance the quality of education they provide, according to Dr Ian Pickup, Head of the Student Experience at UCC.
“It provides an important opportunity for the sector to listen closely to the student voice. Facilitating a world-class student experience is a strategic priority at UCC and we cannot continue to achieve this without developing a robust and effective partnership with our students. The UCC student experience survey has provided us with a strong focus on areas for development since its inception in 2009, and the national survey now provides an additional opportunity for us to reflect on the progress being made,” Dr Pickup said.
“We are committed to ensuring that our graduates emerge from the learning environment both work ready and world ready and the engagement of our students in academic and personal development opportunities is central to this outcome. The national survey is a further springboard for continuing to improve the quality of the student experience and all Irish third level students should be encouraged that the sector is listening intently to their views”, Dr Pickup continued.
This fully national survey is the first system-wide survey of its kind in Europe and will be rolled out by participating institutions in February – March 2014.
The survey is designed to reach out to students and to hear about their full experience of higher education. Student feedback will provide institutions with valuable information that they can use to identify effective practice and provision and to prompt awareness of, and action on, any particular issues or challenges that affect students.
Student engagement with institutional life is a vital ingredient to ensure that students develop key skill-sets such as critical thinking, problem-solving,writing skills, team work and communication skills.
A pilot survey was offered in 2013 to all first year undergraduate, final year undergraduate and taught postgraduate students. Over 12,700 students across 26 higher education institutions participated, helping to make the survey representative of the overall student voice. In 2014, 30 institutions will participate in the survey including all Universities, all Institutes of Technology and all Colleges of Education.
Speaking from the launch, Dr Bettie Higgs, interim Vice-president for Teaching and Learning said, "Full implementation will require feedback to the students. UCC is committed to this, as it has been with the institutional surveys that have been in place now for several years. It is important that we recognise that this is all about the students."
Speaking at the launch, Tom Boland (CEO of the HEA) said, “Today marks another milestone in the implementation of the National Strategy for Higher Education with the publication of the outcomes of the national pilot study for the Irish Survey of Student Engagement. This is the first system-wide survey of student engagement in Europe and it will establish the student voice at the heart of higher education policy and practice.”
Joe O’Connor, President of USI commented that “…in order to enhance quality and standards in Higher Education, it is vitally important that the voice of the student is listened to and harnessed effectively. This survey, through this national partnership, allows us to gauge student feedback in a way we had previouslybeen unable to. I would call on all students to ensure they have their say, and for Higher Education Institutions to take this input seriously in implementing initiatives following on from analysis of the data produced."
Some results from the pilot survey:
- 72% of all participating students reported positive relationships with teaching staff, finding them to be available, helpful and sympathetic
- 62% of all participating students selected often or very often, when asked if they were improving knowledge and skillsthat will contribute to their employability
- 50% of all participating students selected / reported quite a bit, or very much when asked if they were solving complex real world problems
- 60% of all participating students selected often or very often, when asked if they used an online learning system to complete an assignment
- 58% of all participating students selected often or very often, when asked if they had conversations with students of a different ethnicity/nationality
- 25% of all participating students selected plan to or done, when asked if they were considering study abroad/student exchange
- 79% of all participating students selected good or excellent, when asked how they would evaluate their entire educational experience at their institutional
- 76% of all participating students selected quite a bit or very much, when asked if they spend a significant amount of time studying and on academic work.
Mark Rogers, Deputy President and Registrar of UCD representing the Irish Universities Association said, “this engagement survey will provide the universities with a very rich set of data about the whole student experience of higher education. Results from the ISSE along with other institutional and national datasets will inform ongoing discussions within each HEI on the student experience and how it may be further enhanced.”
ISSE is funded centrally by the Higher Education Authority and is a national collaborative partnership between HEA, IOTI, IUA and USI. The survey was developed in response to a key recommendation of the National Strategy for Higher Education to 2030 that every higher education institution should put in place a comprehensive anonymous student feedback system to inform institutional and programme/course development, as well as national policy.