ICU produced their first National Student Survey (NSS) Response document in 2011, and it was designed to help the Union and College decide how they should respond to issues raised in the NSS. 

Last year the main focus of the response was an update of how ICU and the College had got on with addressing the 2011 recommendations, awarding Gold, Silver, Bronze, and Wood medals to each recommendation depending on this progress. This year, we decided to create a completely new set of recommendations and have only included recommendations in areas where they are needed. In some areas the College performs well, and where Imperial features in the top quartile of the sector the message from us is to keep going with what is currently happening.

There are some great results to be celebrated: ESE scoring 100% satisfaction in numerous categories, Chemical Engineering being the top Chem Eng department in the UK, and our Learning Resources gaining the 2nd highest satisfaction rate in the UK- beaten only by Oxford. However, there are still plenty of areas where improvement is necessary, namely Assessment and Feedback where we trail behind the sector average by 5%. 

Whether we like it or not, the National Student Survey (NSS) has become embedded into higher education in the UK. The NSS results have a strong impact on league tables and potential students are looking at these more and more when deciding which university they will choose. The results are however a useful indicator of student opinions, and a reminder that students do matter. Our recommendations reflect this fact that students do matter, and their experience should be our top priority. 

The 2013 NSS Response can be viewed or downloaded here: https://www.imperialcollegeunion.org/news/nss-response-2013 

Have a read if you're interested!

DPE love,

Nat