I completed my BA undergraduate English degree at Queen Mary University, and have returned for an MA in 18th Century literature.
For three of those years, I have been a Student Rep, having been elected by my peers. I realised, over those years, during my various meetings with department heads, the Dean, and even the Principal himself, that the student voice is one which is crucial, and one which is taken very seriously at the university.
Neglected
It is incredibly unfortunate that the National Student Survey (NSS) is hugely neglected by students, and I believe that it is mainly due to students not knowing just how seriously their responses are taken.
I remember when I filled in the NSS that it was the last thing I wanted to think about. When in those crucial months coming up to the end of the semester, the last things a student wishes to think about are things like ‘feedback’, ‘teaching quality’: all that’s on a student’s mind are essay deadlines.
It was during graduation that all those thoughts about how great the university was flooded back. I therefore wanted to remind final year students of this great day which lies ahead, in hope that they may spare some time for the Survey. I wished to stress that improvements needed to be suggested where it was felt they could be made, but also that the university needed to be told what it was doing well, so that it may also feel some sense of positive encouragement.
Your voice counts
The main message I want to convey to students is the fact that every student’s voice counts in the NSS, and they needed to air their views in order to see change occur. Thus far, there has not been a massive input with regard to the NSS, but I hope that this will change this year. Sometimes, in order to create a change, a different approach needs to be taken with regards to approach.