Engage Survey Enhance Repeat Dr Simon Beer and
Engage. Survey. Enhance. Repeat. Dr. Simon Beer and Dr. Matt Fraser
Introduction and Overview • Case study of engagement activities for PGR students following a major institutional change in PGR enhancement and provision • A discussion of what we implemented and how well this worked to engage students • How engagement, feedback and enhancement are co-dependent
Enhancement Feedback Engagement
The University of Chester • In 2015 the Graduate School was disestablished and its responsibilities distributed to support departments and academic faculties • For postgraduate Students this was a major institutional change, particularly with regard to central enhancement and engagement activities • This was reflected both the institutional surveys but also in anecdotal feedback from students and staff • Demographics skew towards part time PGR students (80%), with the majority of these living at a distance from the main campus
Where to start? • Little central engagement or enhancement • Low student satisfaction in many areas, particularly where there had been little departmental PGR support or enhancement • Students reporting feeling left out and disengaged from the University • Confusion around who should be doing what – support departments, academic faculties, or students themselves?
Engagement • From 2017 a range of central enhancement activities were undertaken for PGR students • The key aims across these was to work towards creating a sense of a Postgraduate Research Community at the University, creating greater knowledge and awareness of what activities were available for PGR students, and increasing the range of development opportunities on offer • The broad areas of focus – Communication, Events, Opportunities
Engagement - Communication • Postgraduate Research Newsletter • Sent out in the first week of each month • Incudes information about departmental and faulty level events as well as centrally provided opportunities • Calls sent out to all faculties and departments welcoming them to send any information they may want circulating to PGR students • Distributed via email but archive copies kept online on moodle • Also sent out to PGR supervisors as an important means of keeping them abreast of developments in PGR enhancement and support • Dedicated email address • Improved contacts with members of staff across the University
Engagement - Events • Postgraduate Research Symposium • A two day event running in February • Brings together PGR students from across different Faculties and Departments in mixed paper sessions • Writing Retreat • A chance for students to focus on their writing • One to one support as well as workshops • Research Frontiers Lecture Series • Enables students to get experience presenting their research in a lecture format
Engagement – Expanding Opportunities • Liaising with other support departments to expand PGR workshops • E. g. On general academic skills such as referencing or more specific research focussed sessions such as managing a research presence online • Expansion of online materials on a PGR specific moodle page • Working with other institutions in the NW and Yorkshire to share access to PGR workshops and sessions
Feedback - Survey • The PRES is our key tool for collating both quantitative and qualitative data on: • PGR student satisfaction • PGR community outlook • Acts as a barometer for successful engagement & enhancement • Allows an insight into what needs: • Improving • Maintaining
Survey – PRES 2018 response rates • PRES 2018 finished with a response rate of 48. 36% • This was an increase of 8. 53% on the response rate from the 2017 survey (39. 83%) • The total number of respondents was 236 (of 488 potential respondents) • This was also an increase of 46 respondents from the 2017 survey (total 190)
Survey – PRES 2018 response rates
Survey – PRES 2018 results • 82% Aggregate score compared to 78% for the Sector • 86% Overall satisfaction score compared to 80% for the Sector • Exceeded the Sector and improved on last year’s results across all subsections of the survey • Exceeded the Sector in ‘Research Culture’ by a statistically significant margin (71% to 63%)
Enhance • Incorporated throughout the process • Refining and improving our enhancement and development resources and even discontinuing things that weren’t working • Improvements to events such as the Symposium – refining format and structure • Looking to incorporate new additions such as a Three Minute Thesis competition
Thank you! – Any questions or discussion? Enhancement • Refining and improving • Adding new opportunities Feedback • Raised response rates • Improved outcomes Engagement • Communication • Events • Expanding opportunities
- Slides: 15