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Clare Saunders and Danielle Clare Saunders and Danielle LambLamb
Subject Centre for Philosophical Subject Centre for Philosophical and Religious Studiesand Religious Studies
IntroductionAim – to challenge assumptions about what
students make of National Student Survey (NSS) questions and the experiences they are asked to draw on.
Structure:1. Description of Subject Centre for Philosophical and
Religious Studies (PRS) student focus group 2009;2. Consideration of NSS questions from subject
perspectives;3. Presentation of data from PRS student focus group
2009;4. Discussion.
PRS student focus group 2009The purpose of the focus group session with
students was to:Share:
Their awareness of the NSS; What they took into account when looking at the
NSS questions; How they weighted their experiences in answering
the NSS questions;Uncover:
What they really thought about the NSS and its usefulness.
NSS “The teaching on my course”1. Staff are good at explaining things.2. Staff have made the subject interesting.3. Staff are enthusiastic about what they are
teaching.4. The course is intellectually stimulating.
NSS “Assessment and feedback”5. The criteria used in marking have been clear
in advance.6. Assessment arrangements and marking
have been fair.7. Feedback on my work has been prompt.8. I have received detailed comments on my
work.9. Feedback on my work has helped me clarify
things I did not understand.
NSS “Academic support”10. I have received sufficient advice and
support with my studies.11. I have been able to contact staff when I
needed to.12. Good advice was available when I needed to
make study choices.
NSS “Organisation and management”13.The timetable works efficiently as far as my
activities are concerned.14.Any changes in the course or the teaching
have been communicated effectively.15.The course is well organised and is running
smoothly.
NSS “Learning resources”16.The library resources and services are good
enough for my needs.17.I have been able to access general IT
resources when I needed to.18.I have been able to access specialised
equipment, facilities, or rooms when I needed to.
NSS “Personal development”19.The course has helped me to present myself
with confidence.20.My communication skills have improved.21.As a result of the course, I feel confident in
tackling unfamiliar problems.
NSS “Overall”Overall, I am satisfied with the quality of the
course.
Looking back at the experience, are there any particularly positive or negative aspects you would like to highlight? (boxes to complete)
Results from the PRS student focus group – general pointsQuestions are too ambiguous.Questions often poorly phrased.Perhaps unsurprisingly, often one student took a
question to be asking something very different to how another student took it.
Without the kind of in-depth probing we did about the questions, students would be unlikely to think critically about what they are being asked.
Students from different disciplines are likely to take questions in different ways.
Results from the PRS student focus group – specificsEdited highlights of the transcript of the
session are available.The transcript is an anonymised verbatim
report of what students said.Sometimes students answer the question
itself directly, rather than saying what they take the question to be asking, but this also gives us insight into what they take the question to mean.
ThanksThanks for taking part!
If you have any further questions please let us know:
Danielle Lamb: [email protected] Saunders: [email protected]
http://prs.heacademy.ac.uk
