Improving our student experience

NSS Student Survey

Our students tell us that most of our teaching delivery is excellent through mechanisms like the UEQs, but the 2024 National Student Survey (NSS) results show no significant improvement in the students’ evaluation of their overall experience from the previous year. They continue to be particularly critical of Assessment & Feedback and the Student Voice. The NSS is important as it reflects our students’ view of their experience in Manchester and gives the external perception of that experience.

From analysis of NSS results in recent years, the University has identified 15 NSS actions that will provide a foundation to improving our NSS performance, and map well onto actions around student experience we have already been making in recent years. Colleagues in Departments, Schools, the Faculty, and the Students’ Union have been involved in defining the standardised implementation of these actions, and these actions will be progressed at Faculty, School, Discipline and unit level.

Clarity of Marking Criteria and Communication

Communicate Marking Criteria

Ensure marking criteria are well-defined, provided at the start of the unit, included in standardised assessment briefs, and accessible online.

Faculty Implementation

All units have an ‘Assessment and Feedback’ folder in their Blackboard space – the marking criteria are clearly signposted within this. This folder contains the assessment brief (standardised Blackboard/Canvas format across the school). Rubrics for all unit assessments presented in a standardised format. Data taken from Slate (course unit information repository) directly or PDFs generated from Slate.

Key Updates

Our implementation plan for the action has been agreed and communicated to all disciplines in each school. All Disciplines share this information already, but the presentation will be standardised across the Faculty.

Assessment Criteria Discussions

Offer opportunities for students to discuss and ask questions about marking criteria at the start of the unit, before assessments, and after the first assessment.

Faculty Implementation

All units have a Blackboard Discussion Board to support discussion of marking criteria before and after first assessment. Unit Coordinators (UCs) must respond to assessment queries in this channel. There can be a Discussion Board dedicated to assessment or an assessment topic area within a more general unit Discussion Board.

Key Updates

Our implementation plan for the action has been agreed and communicated to all disciplines in each school.

Most Disciplines do this already or have other methods for this, but we will be standardised across the Faculty.

Clarification Opportunities

Create a local system for students to seek clarification about marking criteria throughout the unit.

Faculty Implementation

Highlight the discussion board to students, before and after the first assessment, and throughout the semester (lectures, emails, newsletters).  Each unit allocates some question time in a teaching session for assessment queries.

Key Updates

Our implementation plan for the action has been agreed and communicated to all disciplines in each school.

Timely Feedback

Feedback Deadlines

Clearly communicate and publish feedback deadlines and timelines.

Faculty Implementation

The assessment map must include submission dates, and feedback publication dates.  The assessment map for each unit will be published at the start of each semester in a Blackboard community space, with clear signposting. Existing maps from last year’s NSS action plan are acceptable if all required information is present. The assessment map will include information on where / when the feedback can be used / actioned, e.g. “feedback from CW1 can be used for CW2”. The FSE Programmes / Options / Assessment (POA) Review will implement early unit formative/summative assessment.

Key Updates

Relevant information is being compiled for each Discipline and will be published to students.

Timely Feedback Standards

Discuss and agree with students what constitutes timely feedback, considering factors affecting deadlines or causing delays, and actions to address them.

Faculty Implementation

Feedback policy communication campaign to be repeated, for both staff and students. Details to be added to Blackboard community space. Discuss policy and feedback process (including any delays) at SSLCs. Track any feedback delays in disciplines (using existing Assessment & Progression processes where possible). Address any delays using the established escalation route.

Key Updates

Our implementation plan for the action has been agreed and communicated to all disciplines in each school.

Understanding and Use of Feedback

Feedback Purpose

Clearly explain the purpose of assessment and feedback, focusing on actionable guidance for improving future work and on general contribution to learning and understanding.Discuss and agree with students what constitutes timely feedback, considering factors affecting deadlines or causing delays, and actions to address them.

Faculty Implementation

Same as for Action 5. For each unit, a detailed document, or video or lecture podcast in the Blackboard space explaining assessment and feedback opportunities (summative and formative).

Key Updates

This is already implemented across quite a few Disciplines but will be implemented for all units delivered by the Faculty. 

Feedback Resources

With the exception of MCQ summative assessments, examination script viewing sessions will be offered for all units (including resits) and model answers will be provided for the AY2324 in the Assessment and Feedback Blackboard folder. Examination script viewing process and timetable will be reviewed by the schools. MCQ summative assessments must be supported with samples of questions (with solutions) assessing each of the Intended Learning Outcomes. 

Faculty Implementation

Examination script viewing sessions offered for all units. Model answers (including for MCQs) to be provided for AY2324 in the Assessment and Feedback Blackboard folder. Examination script viewing process and timetable will be reviewed by the schools.

Key Updates

This is already implemented across the majority of Disciplines but will be implemented for all units delivered by the Faculty. 

Feedback Usefulness

Engage with students to assess the usefulness of past feedback and collaboratively enhance it for future assignments.

Faculty Implementation

Standing item at all SSLC’s. Student reps. to collate feedback on feedback usefulness. Discuss best practice for feedback at Faculty Forum.

Key Updates

This is already discussed in many SSLC’s, but it will be added to SSLC agendas this year for all.
Feedback usefulness to be discussed as a topic for an upcoming Faculty Forum.

Student Representation and Engagement

UMSU Student Representatives

Ensure UMSU student representatives are known to the rest of the student cohort and staff. Students / student representatives are to be members of all Programme and School Boards.

Faculty Implementation

List names and contact details in Blackboard community spaces. Reinforce invitations to relevant boards, committees and forums at faculty, school and discipline levels.

Key Updates

Most Disciplines already host student rep. contact information. The location of this information will be standardised. Some Disciplines include “meet your rep” segments in newsletters, and this good practice will be shared.

Engage with Student Groups

Speak to student groups to improve visibility of feedback actions and demonstrate how their input is valued and acted upon.

Faculty Implementation

Covered in Welcome Week talks for new and returning students. Include “How do I provide feedback” guidance in Blackboard community spaces. Include link to Student Voice webpage from Blackboard community spaces.

Key Updates

Feedback routes and their importance are included in Welcome Week content. This content will be captured and made accessible in Blackboard community spaces. Student Voice webpage will host information on the various feedback routes and how to utilise them. 

Communication and Student Voice Feedback

Communicate Student Voice Feedback

Share the importance of regular student voice feedback and explain the faculty/school/department feedback loop at the start of the academic year, embedding this regularly in lecture/seminar material.

Faculty Implementation

Every SSLC will have a standing agenda item on feedback. SSLC’s will discuss how to improve visibility of feedback actions.

Key Updates

Each Discipline currently shares SSLC minutes with students, but the methods are not consistent. We will standardise the process, with all minutes being hosted on the Student Voice Webpage currently being developed. SSLC minutes will also be highlighted in student newsletters.

The Student Voice webpage is currently being developed by our eLearning team and should be ready to launch in October.

Regular Feedback Updates

Provide at least three updates per semester (at programme, School and / or Faculty level) through digital communications, newsletters, school semester reports, posters, or within lectures/seminars on changes implemented based on student feedback.

Faculty Implementation

Each Discipline will publish student newsletters three times each semester. This will be supported by the IAG teams. Each unit will report on changes made in response to student feedback.

Key Updates

We have newsletters that go out across both Schools, and this will be continued. The focus this year is to identify best practice within the Faculty and send out newsletters from a named contact recognised by the students. 

Maintain Student Voice Feedback Tracker

Keep a visible tracker, accessible to students and staff, on key student feedback and subsequent actions, monitoring progress.

Faculty Implementation

Implement SSLC action tracker for SSLC’s and host SSLC minutes on Student Voice webpage. We will monitor SSLC action trackers to ensure that feedback loops are being closed.

Key Updates

We will standardise the method of sharing the minutes from SSLC’s with students. School IAG teams have identified best practice and are ready to roll this out.

Student Voice Feedback Opportunities

Mid-course unit feedback opportunities

Implement mid-course unit feedback opportunities for all students alongside UEQS. Provide a clear chance for students to comment, showing their opinions are valued and changes will be made without requiring a full questionnaire.

Faculty Implementation

Continue practice of issuing mid-semester (Week 4) surveys. Ensure there is a communication plan to accompany the surveys and that there is a published (Week 6) response to feedback from these surveys.

Key Updates

The Faculty delivered mid-semester surveys last academic year and will continue to deliver them this year.

There will be a focus on closing the feedback loop and telling students what was done in response to their feedback.

Regular Student Voice Feedback Sessions

Establish regular feedback sessions at Faculty and ideally School levels (for instance, through the existing Faculty Forum model) to provide updates, actions, and outcomes of previous feedback.

Faculty Implementation

Student Experience and Graduate Outcomes (SEGO) team to deliver Faculty Forums once per semester, in partnership with the SU.

Key Updates

Meetings have been set up with SU to prepare for the Semester 1 Faculty Forum.