Understanding the postgraduate experience

1. Understanding the postgraduate experience Chris Park Director, Lancaster University Graduate School Senior Associate, The Higher Education Academy Gosia Kulej Project Co-ordinator (Surveys), The Higher Education Academy

2. Outline • Context • Overall satisfaction • Dimensions of the student experience • Summary & implications

3. 1. Context Changing nature of HE Key themes Evidence Survey coverage

4. Changes in management of HEIs How Performance management Accountability League tables What Quality and standards The student experience Brand, reputation New focus Listening to the student voice Student experience Enhancement Evidence-based decision-making Changing nature of HE

5. Key themes • Postgraduate • Transition from UG to PG • Difference between PGT [taught] and PGR [research] • Definitions • Student [learning] experience • Opportunities for successful learning • The broader experience [weakest link] • Enhancement • QAA – “the process of taking systematic and deliberate steps at institutional level to improve the quality of learning opportunities”

6. Evidence • Undergraduates • National Student Survey [NSS] • Taught postgraduates [PGT] • HEA PGT Survey • Research postgraduates [PGR] • HEA Postgraduate Research Experience Survey [PRES]

7. Survey coverage

8. 2. Overall satisfaction Satisfaction Factors that affect satisfaction

9. Satisfaction • Very high (4/5), remarkably stable • NSS [UG] – 81% • “Overall, I am satisfied with the quality of the course” • PGT Survey – 81% • “The course met or exceeded my expectations” • PRES [PGR] – 81% • “The programme as a whole met or exceeded my expectations”

10. Factors that affect satisfaction

11. 3. Dimensions of the student experience Teaching & learning Assessment & feedback Academic support PGR supervision Organisation & management PGR research environment Access to learning resources Personal development Skills development

12. Teaching & learning • Overall: generally very positive for PGT • Need for improvement • PGT contact time • PGT consistency of T&L

13. Assessment & feedback • Overall: positive on assessment, sound on feedback • Need for improvement • Timing of feedback for PGT

14. Overall: generally very positive

15. Academic support • Overall: generally very positive • Need for improvement • PGT academic advice about careers • PGT study choice advice • PGT effective induction

16. PGR supervision • Overall: generally very positive • Highest scale score in PRES

17. Organisation & management • Overall: generally positive • Need for improvement • PGT flexibility of module choice

18. PGR research environment • Overall: must do better! • Lowest scale score in PRES • Need for improvement • All areas • Department – culture, recognition, engagement

19. Access to learning resources • Overall: generally very positive for PGT & PGR • Need for improvement • PGT Access to specialist resources

20. Personal development • Overall: generally very positive • Need for improvement • University careers support for PGT

21. Overall: must do better! • Need for improvement • Serious need for improvement in all 3 areas • Student engagement vs services on offer

22. Skills development • Overall: generally sound/positive • Need for improvement • PGR generic skills development

23. 4. Summary and implications Priority areas – PGT Priority areas – PGR Implications Virtuous circle of enhancement Sources

24. Priority areas - PGT • Teaching and learning • PGT contact time [58%] • PGT consistency of quality of T&L [58%] • Advice and guidance • academic advice about study choices [53%] • effective induction [52%] • academic advice about careers [33%] • good financial advice [30%] 

25. Feedback • prompt feedback [46%] • Organisation and management • flexibility of module choice [52%] • Learning resources • access to specialist resources [51%] • Support • university careers support [31%] • effective student support services [36%] 

26. Priority areas - PGR • Research environment • Good seminar programme [57%] • Opportunities for social contact [53%] • Opportunities to become involved in research culture [52%] • Stimulating research ambience [49%] • Feel integrated into department community [49%] • Financial support • appropriate financial support for research activities [45%] 

27. Personal development: encouragement to - • reflect on professional development needs [47%] • think about range of career opportunities [38%] • reflect on career development needs [38%] • Skills development • generic skills development [58%] • adequate support and guidance for teaching [40%]  • Feedback from students • institution responds to feedback [48%] 

28. Implications • HEI strategic planning • Expectation management • Raising awareness of what already exists • Better induction, briefing, communication • Enhancement • Student satisfaction, progression, completion • Brand, reputation, league tables • Competitive advantage • UK HE sector • Sharing effective practice • HE Academy, QAA • Recruitment, retention, satisfaction • International competitiveness

29. Virtuous circle of enhancement Survey compare monitor Student experience Benchmark Longitudinal change enhance respond Change policy, practice, infrastructure

30. Sources Paula Surridge (2006) The National Student Survey 2005: Findings. Report to HEFCE • http://www.hefce.ac.uk/pubs/rdreports/2006/rd22_06/ Chris Park (2008) The taught postgraduate student experience: overview of a Higher Education Academy survey. HEA report. • http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/assets/York/documents/ourwork/research/surveys/PGTSurvey.pdf Chris Park, Andria Hanbury, Malgorzata Kulej & Lee Harvey (2007) Postgraduate Research Experience Survey 2007: Final report. HEA report. • http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/ourwork/research/surveys/pres