Author: ben.moreland@thestudentexperiencegroup.com

Student Experience Success: Staffordshire University, School of Engineering

This is the third Student Experience Success article; this time looking at Staffordshire University’s, School of Engineering NSS results and the four key aspects that have resulted in the BEng (Hons) Mechanical students rating the award so highly for student experience in 2013.

Student Experience TableThe table to the right compares the School of Engineering’s 2012 and 2013 NSS scores and indicates that every score has increased, with 16 scores increasing by more than 10%.

The table below compares Staffordshire University’s, School of Engineering NSS results with the sector average for Engineering and Technology. For almost every NSS question in 2013, Staffordshire University’s School of Engineering scored above the sector average, in many cases scoring 5-10% higher. The only question that scores below the sector average is Q6 and this is only by 1%.

Student Experience Graph

Although the data helps to indicate success, it does not tell us why the students Continue reading Student Experience Success: Staffordshire University, School of Engineering

How Departments Are Successfully Communicating Changes to Their Students

This article specifically looks at how departments have been able to ensure their students feel that “any changes in the course or teaching have been communicated effectively” (NSS Question 14).

The communication of course and teaching changes is often a critical aspect of a student’s experience whilst at university. Sudden and unexplained changes to either, will more than likely cause frustration, confusion and stress, all of which will almost certainly result in a negative feedback through NSS in general as well as specifically for NSS Q14.

As part of this article, departments that have successfully scored some of the highest NSS scores for Q14 have provided information on the different communication initiatives they have put in place.  This article is made up of   three common themes that were evident in most or all of the feedback received. These are therefore likely to be strong indicators of why the students for these departments rate their communication of changes so highly.

Student involvement in the course and timetable change process

The Student Experieince Group - Student Experience Forum

Throughout the feedback, the majority of the departments ensure their students are engaged in the decision making process for timetable and course changes. Continue reading How Departments Are Successfully Communicating Changes to Their Students

How mobile apps are helping to improve the student experience

With many universities such as Queens University, Manchester MET University and Oxford University (plus many more) having developed their own mobile apps for their students, this article looks at why a university would want a mobile app and what the benefits can be to the student experience.

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How can a mobile app help to improve student experience?

There is an expectation amongst students that their university will provide them with information using technology they are comfortable with. Combine this with estimates of 62 million smartphones in the UK by 2015, it is clear that the mobile app is a technology most students will be comfortable with and have access to. Importantly, a mobile app is typically an additional service rather than a replacement, as the information available via the mobile app can also be accessed via different methods if needed i.e. via the web or on campus.

Continue reading How mobile apps are helping to improve the student experience

Student Experience Success – Edinburgh Napier University, Centre for Law

This is the second article focussing on Student Experience Success within the education sector, this time focussing on Edinburgh Napier University, Centre for Law’s 2013 NSS results. A quick look at the NSS data, shows that not only have nineteen of the Centre for Law’s NSS 2013 question results increased, but four have increased by over 15% with Q02: staff have made the subject interesting now boasting a 100% student satisfaction. This article will look at the the philosophy and initiatives that have helped to improve the Centre for Law’s student satisfaction

The Student Experience Group - Centre for Law NSS Results

Coursework preparation

One of the Centre for Law’s recent initiatives has been to show the students examples of good, middle and poor coursework taken from the previous year’s submissions (with student permission and anonymised). The students are then asked to mark the submissions, identify the actual marks that had been Continue reading Student Experience Success – Edinburgh Napier University, Centre for Law

Student Experience Success – Bangor University, School of Law

I am very happy to share with you all, the Student Experience Group’s first article: Student Experience Success – Bangor University, School of Law. This article will be the first of many looking at Student Experience Success within the education sector and I hope you find these articles interesting and helpful. There is a comment box at the bottom of the article, therefore if you do have any thoughts or questions please feel free to share.

One of the key elements I look for when pinpointing a student experience success story, is a rapid increase in NSS scores from one year to the next. Bangor University’s, School of Law is a fantastic example of this, with 21 of their NSS question results increasing from 2012 to 2013 and 6 increasing by more than 15% as shown in the table below.

School of Law - Table1

Having been in contact with Yvonne McDermott – Bangor University’s, School of Law’s Director of Teaching and Learning and Deputy Director of the Bangor Continue reading Student Experience Success – Bangor University, School of Law

The Student Experience Group – what’s coming up!

Hello all and welcome to The Student Experience Group!

Over the coming weeks I will be adding articles and podcasts that are focussed on student experience success stories. I will be making these as informative as possible, so you will hopefully take something new, helpful and inspiring away with you. I want these articles and podcasts to be the platform that will help build a passionate group here at the student experience group, so we can share student experience ideas, thoughts and be inspired. Therefore if you have any thoughts or ideas you would like to share or any have any questions, please do so, there are comment fields at the bottom of every article and I will always respond.

I would love the student experience group to grow and grow, therefore if you have ideas, thoughts or questions to do with the group please feel free send me a message: ben.moreland@thestudentexperiencegroup.com I am always happy to talk.

If on the other hand you have a student experience success story and would like to share this with our community here at The Student Experience Group, please contact me on: ben.moreland@thestudentexperiencegroup.com and I will get back to as soon as I can to discuss further, so we can share your success with the group.

I hope over the coming weeks and months we can begin to build a group of people passionate about the student experience, here at The Student Experience Group. If you wish to be kept up to date with all the new topics, discussions and news stories at The Student Experience Group please add your email on the right toolbar and click subscribe. I will never share you details with anyone else, this is just so I can keep you up to date.

All the best

Ben Moreland

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