The National Student Survey 2020 launches at Imperial College

Final year undergraduates are asked to rate their experience at Imperial as the 2020 National Student Survey launches.

The survey, which is open until 30 April 2019, invites students to assess the College on areas such as academic support, learning resources and assessment and feedback.

Professor Buitendijk

Professor Simone Buitendijk, Vice-Provost (Education) said: “You have a unique perspective of your time at the College. We need you to have your say so we can work even harder to deliver the world-class experience all our students deserve.

“You might never have met them, but final year students before you have shaped your own experience at the College in the here and now. This is why filling in the survey matters.”

In recent years the College has taken a range of actions to improve the student experience, with some highlights including:

• In 2018 and 2019 over 100 teaching spaces have been refurbished, in addition to a number of sports, catering and studying spaces.
• In 2018 all undergraduate programmes were reviewed, meaning better classroom exercises, more digital technologies, and greater opportunities to collaborate across Departments. We have begun to make changes to your exams and assessments and aim to give you better feedback.

Abhijay Sood

Abhijay Sood, Imperial College Union’s President, said: “Last year 74% of eligible students completed the NSS, a figure the College hopes to beat this year. The more students that take part, the more representative the outcome.”

Each year the Union also publishes its own response to the NSS. In recent years we have given many recommendations based on hundreds of students’ comments:

• In 2018, the Union made 19 recommendations, some specifically focussed on wellbeing, an issue that increasingly needs tackling. As a result, there is now much better engagement between Departments and the (Union’s) Wellbeing Rep Network.
• In 2019, the Union made 16 recommendations (based on over 800 comments) that were endorsed by the most senior College committees, including Provosts Board. Assessment and feedback was a particularly weak area for which a dedicated working group has been set up. The Union and College are also working together to improve how we communicate the way we use your feedback, and what impact it has.

Eligible students can complete the survey on the NSS website.