National Student Survey (NSS)

The NSS is conducted from January to April of each year and was commissioned to give students the chance to provide feedback on their academic experience and to help prospective students decide what and where to study.  265 institutions participated in the 2010 survey. Birkbeck has taken part in the NSS since it began in 2005.  The survey, carried out by Ipsos MORI, covers all full-time and part-time undergraduate students in publicly funded Higher Education (and some Further Education) institutions in England, Wales, Northern Ireland, and some institutions in Scotland, during their final year of study.

The survey is conducted using three methods:

• email to students with a link to an online survey – week 1 (with reminder emails and text messages);
• paper questionnaires posted to students who have not responded online;
• telephone calls to those who have not responded.

The Survey consists of a main questionnaire containing 22 questions, grouped into 6 sections: the teaching on my course; assessment and feedback; academic support; organisation and management; learning resources; personal development.

In addition, institutions may opt into using six optional banks of questions from a choice of 12 together with two institution-specific questions.  In 2011 Birkbeck has chosen to opt into the following six optional banks of questions and two institution-specific scale questions.

• 'Course Content and Structure'; 'Course Delivery'; 'Feedback from Students'; 'Workload'; 'Assessment'; 'Learning Community'
• “As a result of completing my degree, I believe that I have improved my career prospects”
• "The course has stimulated my interest in the field of study"

Results are published each year through two sources:

• Unistats website  - a minimum response rate of 50% and 23 respondents in every subject is required for the results to be published on this public website;
• NSS Results website  - a minimum of 10 respondents is required for data to be published on the NSS results site (for internal use by institutions and students’ unions only).

The following links provide details of the process for consideration of the NSS results at Birkbeck and promotion of the 2011 Survey.