Resources
Learning & Teaching Podcast Now Available - Episode 031: Learning & Teaching Conference
Looking for tips to raise awareness and boost response rates?
In the resource sections below, you will find a few ideas on how to promote both internal and national surveys in your School. Each of the surveys has a toolkit, with tools you can use in your communication with students:
Email headers and signatures – for you to raise awareness when emailing students.
Powerpoint slides – for you to use in class or in dedicated sessions to encourage students to complete surveys on their own devices. Actively encourage completion using a mobile device. When using a mobile phone students just need to follow the link in their email which will automatically take them to the mobile version of the survey.
(Editable) posters – for you to showcase what was changed in response to previous feedback. This resource pages also highlights the Student Voice Forums, where colleagues come together and discuss good practices. For more ideas on what you can do to boost response rates, this blog post holds additional tips.
Postcards – for you to print and use as you see fit (these will also be printed at central level and disseminated across campus.
Plasma screen content – for you to display in your School.
Banner stands – these will be put across campus.
NCL Voice: Let's Talk!
We have launched 'NCL Voice: Let's Talk!' this is the overarching campaign for all of our student voice activity. This includes: internal and external surveys, mid-module check-ins and student representation.
Alongside the promotion of all student voice activity that we will be doing, your help in sharing this with students is really important and we encourage all schools to help promote student voice activity.
That's why we have created some promotional assets which all staff are welcome to use to help encourage students to take part and learn more about the opportunities they have to share their voice. You can find an email header and logo below.
The resources below can be used by all staff to promote Stage Evaluations within their academic unit.
If you have any queries about the survey please contact us at studentsurveys@ncl.ac.uk
Toolkit for Schools
The resources below can be used by any staff promoting the NSS within their academic unit.
However, please be reminded that there are strict guidelines around the sharing of response rates and these must be adhered to when promoting the survey. You are strongly advised to read this guidance carefully before promoting the survey.
If you have any queries about the survey or wish to check whether something you are planning to do will be considered appropriate, please contact us at studentsurveys@newcastle.ac.uk.
Resources for Staff
NSS 2023 Help card - Inappropriate Influence
NSS 2023 Help card - Sharing of response rates
NSS 2023 Help card - Producing marketing materials
Toolkit for Schools
Posters
Banners
PPT
Plasma screens
Twitter asset
These promotional materials are for 2022. 2023 promotional assets will be arriving shortly. Thank you for your patience.
Toolkit for Schools
PRES Toolkit for Schools
Posters
Banners
PPT
Plasma Screens
Twitter asset
At Programme Level
Setting up a Canvas Community or Teams to communicate with an entire student cohort can help you to build a learning community. This virtual space can be used during the academic year to regularly check in with a student cohort and get feedback on how students are getting on.
At Module Level
The following suggestions include virtual as well as present-in-person approaches to check in with students and get a view of how they are doing.
In-class questionnaire
- This is delivered using Ombea in lectures/seminars/tutorials (Download Resource)
- The most straightforward way of conducting this is to include questions in lecture slides and collect responses using Ombea. A set of Ombea slides containing basic mid-module evaluation questions has been created for convenience (Download Resource, User Guide)
- Alternative methods of delivery may also include using Facebook polling capability or comments section, other online survey tools such as Surveymonkey or paper handouts.
Suggested Questions:
- What is your overall rating of this module? (5 point multiple choice – Very Good to Very Poor)
- What are the best features of this module? (free text answer)
- How could this module be improved? (free text answer)
- What could be done to enhance student engagement? (free text answer)
| Ombea can also be used within online synchronous sessions. Attendees might just need a bit longer to respond to take into account any time delay due to internet connections. |
| In a virtual setting, it is suggested to use MS Forms. Links to additional information is available on the NUIS website. |
Start, Stop, Continue feedback
This is delivered in similar style to mid-semester questionnaires (Download Resource)
The purpose of this is to get a snap shot from students to attempt to determine what things students would like to see brought into the module, what things should be removed or changed and what things are being well received. This can be done virtually via a form or Zoom poll, or in a present-in-person classroom setting.
Canvas discussion boards and quizzes
These can be used within the module to get a sense of how your students are doing.
Zoom
The Zoom chat allows students to ask questions (privately to the tutor, or viewed by the group), and Zoom polls can be introduced (these can be anonymous or not).
Student focus groups
Using similar style questions, a small focus group of students can be selected from the cohort and given the opportunity to feedback. Selection of students should be conducted on a voluntary basis. These students should be encouraged to seek out the thoughts and experiences from other members of the cohort prior to attending the focus group. Students should be asked to sign-up to avoid having an over-subscription of volunteers. It is suggested that a focus group of this style should comprise between 6-10 students. Additionally, it is suggested that Module Leaders ‘pair up’ with other leaders to deliver cross-module evaluation to allow for emphasised impartiality and anonymity for students. Staff are encouraged to seek informed consent from students participating in focus groups using a consent form.
- Statements may be used to focus students feedback in areas of concern:
- What are the best features of this module?
- How could this module be improved?
(Download Resource, Example Consent Form)
| Focus groups can be organised virtually via Zoom or Teams (both with option for breakout rooms). |
Tutorial/seminar group session feedback.
Similar in style to focus groups, tutorials and seminars (either present-in-person, or online) can be used as an opportunity to engage students in providing their opinion. This can be administered by student demonstrators within sessions and fed back to module leaders. This allows for a degree on anonymity in student feedback. Small group discussions can be used to allow effective feedback and control more vocal students. Here, too, this can be organised via Zoom or Teams.
At the first Directors of Education Forum in academic year 22/23, practices of three Schools were shared and discussed.
Closing the Feedback Loop Slides - Template
Closing the Feedback Loop Slides - Example
"Talking Heads"
Colleagues are also encouraged to consider using 'talking head' video clips as a means of sharing feedback outcomes with students. This can be a more engaging way of closing the feedback loop with students as a video may be more appealing than a text-heavy email or document.
Combined Honours are currently trialling 'talking head' videos as an alternative way of sharing the work of their Student-Staff Committee. This was a recommendation from their inclusive working group on last years' SSC, who felt it offered a more accessible way of engaging the wider cohort with the work of the SSC.
After each SSC meeting, one of the reps volunteers to appear in the video and provides a round-up of some of the main topics covered. All student reps then embed this video into emails to their constituent groups, as well as adding them to the blackboard community alongside the formal minutes.
Student Voice Forums are organised twice a year and are run by EPGS and NUSU.