UCC Voices Student Survey 2024

Decision of StudentSurvey.ie Steering Group regarding 2024 fieldwork

The Student Survey National Steering Group initiated a period of strategic reflection in 2022 and commissioned exercises by two external consultancies to engage with stakeholders. The most recent report, in 2023, states that StudentSurvey.ie is a well-established vehicle for capturing the student experience of teaching and learning in the Irish higher education sector. However, the report also acknowledges challenges in relation to the governance, strategic objectives, and the impact of the outcomes of the survey. Informed by these reports, more recent feedback from students’ representatives and from key networks of institutional leaders, the Steering Group decided that fieldwork for StudentSurvey.ie will not proceed in 2024. This decision meant a “fallow” year for the survey. As a result, the National working groups now have a 12-month period to redevelop the survey instrument so that it meets its constituent stakeholders’ needs for the coming years.

Alternative arrangements post Irish Student Survey in 2024

Following the decision of the Student Survey National Steering Group, a working group was established with members drawn from Quality Enhancement, UCC Student’s Union, Systems Administration, and those engaged in teaching and learning activities across the University.  The purpose of this group was to devise a placeholder survey using those questions from the Irish Survey of Student Engagement that relate to UCC’s performance objectives. 

The placeholder UCC Voices Student Survey was significantly shorter than the National Student Survey with a balance between qualitative and quantitative survey questions.  The Student Survey working group took the decision to replicate the format of the existing StudentSurvey.ie, surveying First Year and Final Year undergraduate students and Taught Postgraduate students.  The revised survey utilized questions related to our performance objectives under Pillar 1 Teaching and Learning [1](1) Student Survey Effective Teaching Practices Score, (2) Student Survey Quality of Interactions Score, and (3) Student Survey Supportive Environment Score.  In addition, UCC included survey questions related to the Student Survey Student Faculty Interaction Score as this indicator continues to emerge as an area for development.  The University Leadership Team Strategic Planning Implementation Group took the decision that the Student Faculty Interaction Score would form part of the University Key Performance Indicators [2]for the next five years.

2,094 UCC students responded to UCC Voices Student Survey in 2024, representing a response rate of 14%.  Working in partnership with our Students’ Union, 15,322 eligible students were invited to participate across a two-week fieldwork period in April 2024.  Emerging areas for development include interactive work placement and digital badges for career progression. Due to the satisfactory number of respondents, the survey provided a reliable source of information and highlight the experiences of current UCC students.  Consulting widely across all levels of the organisation, communicating the benefits of continued participation in our Student Surveys and maximising the outcomes on foot of the survey results, is a key focus of our institutional strategy.  Our continued progress ensures strategies for (1) closing the feedback loop through visible reporting on findings across popular social media platforms and (2) optimising use of the data is included on agendas of appropriate meetings (Academic Council, Student Experience Committees and by Learning and Teaching colleagues). Continuing the wide dissemination of results:

• Aggregated feedback is shared with colleagues across all support areas i.e., IT Services, UCC’s Societies, UCC Library, UCC EDI Unit etc. so that the data can be used to improve and enhance facilities, supports, and the learning environment for all students.
• A database design project is currently in development, with tables being built out with necessary views and indexes to support analysis.
• Continued promotion of the In-Touch dashboard following a complete redesign of the visualization dashboard in 2023.
• Working collaboratively with our Students’ Union to identify areas for further exploration and/or improvement

[1] https://hea.ie/statistics/data-for-download-and-visualisations/institutes-performance/system-performance-framework-dashboard-23-28/

[2] https://www.ucc.ie/en/president/strategy2028/