National Student Survey

The National Student Survey (NSS) is an annual survey of undergraduates across the UK. It is commissioned by the Higher Education Funding Council for England and is conducted by an independent body, Ipsos-Mori. The Survey consists of 22 questions grouped into a number of categories with space at the end for free text comments. All responses are anonymised.
 
The College and the KCLSU fully support the NSS, and we strongly encourage students to complete it. This is an important opportunity for you to reflect on your time at King’s and to let the College, and the academic staff who have taught you, know what your experience throughout your years at King’s has been like.

The National Student Survey will open for final year undergraduate students on degree and DipHe programmes at King’s on 18 January 2010. Eligible students will receive an email from Ipsos Mori inviting them to complete the Survey on-line.
 
To complete the Survey please go to www.thestudentsurvey.com (this link will be open on 18 January).

The key messages from the 2009 NSS for the School of Social Science & Public Policy were:
 
Department of Management

• In 2009, students rated the quality of teaching on the BSc Business Management highly.
• 84% said that staff are good at explaining their subject.
• 82% thought staff are enthusiastic about what they teach.
• In the comments sections students noted the value of smaller class sizes, especially in the 3rd Year, and highlighted the benefits of a wide range of optional modules

 
Some areas for improvement were suggested:

• More advice on course choices would be helpful
• Having all the exams in May is very pressurised
• Essay feedback could be faster.

 
Department of War Studies

• In 2009, students rated the quality of teaching very highly, with the department tied for first place at 94%
• Overall students are quite satisfied with the department
• 97% of respondents stated that staff were very good at explaining the subject and that the course was intellectually stimulating
• 87% thought that assessment arrangements and marking have been fair

Some areas for improvement were suggested:

• Management and organisation
• Assessment and feedback. Students rated this at 74%. Comparatively this is quite strong, but there is still room for improvement
• More academic support was desired

 

 
Department of Geography

• Essay feedback sheets now include lecturer office hours. This is so students can easily arrange to discuss work in greater detail.
• A log of student queries and departmental responses will be made available to encourage student engagement.
• All staff have been trained and required to use the e-learning system.
• An essay turnaround time of four weeks has been agreed across the department. This is limited to two weeks for the critical readings tutorial coursework in the first year.

 
Department of Management

As a result of the NSS, the Department of Management has:

• Initiated a series of ‘taster’ sessions so that students can make more informed module decision. The convenors of optional modules give a brief outline of their module at these events.
• The assessment profile for each module has been streamlined.
• A number of coursework options have been introduced to give students more control over how many exams they take in the May period.
• The department is investigating ways of ensuring coursework feedback is prompt in all cases.

 
Department of War Studies
As a result of student feedback, the Department of War Studies is:

• Improving assessment and feedback by:
  • Encouraging staff to give general feedback on assignments in class.
  • Encouraging staff to set dates so that feedback on one assignment can be given before the next is due.
  • Continuing to diversify the types of assessment used.
• Ensuring the smooth running of the department. Students have made a particular request that the Department office be open during the lunch hour, and we are looking into this.
• Next year every module will have a presence on the e-learning platform.

 
The department is actively engaging with students about how to improve the department. These ideas are then explored in forums such as the Staff-Student Consultative Committee and the Teaching Committee.

In November 2009 the School of Social Science & Public Policy invited student representatives to attend a new NSS Strategy Group to discuss the results of the 2009 survey. Students and staff from across the School shared ideas about how improvements can be made on key areas such as feedback, assessment and e-learning. The Strategy Group is due to meet again in February 2010.

Visit the College National Student Survey web page