The document provides guidance for completing the National Student Survey (NSS) for final year undergraduate students at the University of Gloucestershire. It explains that the NSS asks students to provide feedback on their course to help the university improve strengths and address issues. It breaks down the survey into sections on teaching quality, assessment and feedback, academic support, organization and management, and learning resources. It provides guidance on how to interpret and respond to questions within each section.

1. A Guide to
Completing
the National
Student Survey
2014
University of
Gloucestershire

2. What is the NSS?
 Launched in 2005 it asks all final year
undergraduate students in the UK to give
feedback on their course.
 The information allows us to respond to
issues you may have and it helps us build on
our strengths.
 Results are only published if enough students
take part, so every questionnaire counts.

3. Completing the survey
The survey breaks down into:

teaching quality

assessment and feedback
 academic support
 organisation and management of the course
 learning resources
 personal development

4. Make use of the full scale in your
responses
 Don’t be afraid of the ‘5’s and stick to ‘2’s,
‘3’s and 4’s. Using a ‘5’ (Definitely Agree)
need not mean100% perfect.
 Equally: if something is poor, use the ‘1’.
 If a question is not relevant mark it N/A
rather than giving it a ‘3’.

5. Questions on Teaching:
 Do not focus on specific lecturers or modules;
reflect on teaching on the course as a whole.
 Think about your overall experience in all
forms of class across your three years at the
University of Gloucestershire.

6. Questions on Assessment/Feedback:
Think about different forms of feedback:
 Written
 Verbal (crits, panels etc)
 Feedback tutorials, seminars, workshops
 Email feedback
 Informal chats with tutors

7. Questions on Academic Support:
This includes advice and support from staff in:

lectures, seminars, tutorials, informal
conversations, by email and any other
method as well as how easy it has been to
make contact with staff

8. Questions on Organisation and
Management:
 How well was the course structured and
managed. Was the structure of the course
and its timetabling clear and coherent?
 Did the course run smoothly?
 This question is not about the university as a
whole, but about your course

9. Questions on Learning Resources:

This relates not only to access to library
facilities: books, journals, web resources and
databases etc

But also: studio facilities, technical
equipment, software and computing facilities
in your specialist areas as well as the Library.

10. Questions on Personal Development:

How have you developed as an individual
during the course? How has your selfconfidence grown over the past three years?
How have your communication and
interpersonal skill developed and so on.

This might relate particularly to work
placement, and other external opportunities
and to activities promoting professional skills.

11. Open Comments/Students Union
There is an opportunity at the end of the
survey to comment on aspects of your course
and your time at the university and to give
feedback on the work of your Students
Union.
This is the place to comment on more general
aspects of your experience, outside your
course.