New National Student Survey to strengthen student engagement and increase student voice

28 Sep 2016 04:25 PM

The UK higher education funding bodies have launched a new National Student Survey (NSS) for 2017.

Details of the new questionnaire have been published in a circular letter to higher education providers released yesterday.

The new NSS has been developed through a three-year research programme and extensive user testing within the Review of Information about learning and teaching and the student experience. This work was undertaken by HEFCE on behalf of the UK higher education funding bodies with oversight from the Higher Education Public Information Steering Group.

This is the first time that the funding bodies have made substantial changes to the NSS since its launch in 2005. There are two new sections on learning community and student voice, and nine new questions on student engagement, as well as updated questions on assessment and feedback and learning resources.

These changes are intended to ensure that the survey remains fit for purpose and to provide a rich source of evidence on student engagement that will support improvements to learning and teaching and student choice.

The final interface for the 2017 NSS (the layout and format on different platforms, such as mobile and tablet) will also be changed for 2017, based on evidence from user testing and questionnaire design experts.

The NSS will continue to be administered in 2017 across England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland, and will have a similar timetable to the 2016 survey.

View the circular letter