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Student Survey Working Group

The annual Common Awards Student Survey allows students to provide feedback on their academic experience (on areas including learning and teaching, study support, learning communities and student voice). The Common Awards Student Survey was launched in 2017 and has been running on an annual basis ever since. The survey is designed to provide TEIs and the University with useful comparative data (over 3-year cycles) to make and monitor enhancements to provision.  

The next 3-year cycle will commence in 2024. The Common Awards Survey Working Group (which was established to help support the creation of the original survey) has been reconstituted to review the questions, and the administrative processes supporting the survey, in consultation with TEIs and students over the coming weeks and months.   

The first meeting of the Working Group took place on 21st April 2023, and in this initial stage members agreed to invite feedback from TEIs and students on the topics included in the survey in advance of the next meeting.

Common Awards Student Survey background

 In response to a request from the Church of England’s Ministry Council, the Common Awards team, in partnership with TEIs, developed the Common Awards Student Survey. The Common Awards Student Survey Working Group was established to undertake the detailed work of developing the survey on behalf of the Management Board. The first survey ran in 2017, with identical questions used in 2018 and 2019. TEIs could choose whether or not to participate in the survey. At the end of the first 3-year cycle, feedback on the existing survey questions was sought via the TEI Forum and Common Awards Management Board before a revised version of the survey was adopted in 2020. Recognising the impact of the Covid-19 global pandemic, it was agreed the 2020 version of the survey would continue to be optional for TEIs and used as an opportunity for the new survey questions to be piloted. From 2021, the survey was compulsory for all TEIs and included additional questions to facilitate the collection of equality, diversity, and inclusion data. Once the data from the 2023 Common Awards Student Survey has been collected and analysed, this will conclude another 3 years feedback using the current set of questions. There is therefore an opportunity to review the survey again and to make any changes to the process and the survey questions in preparation for the 2024 survey. 

TEI Consultation

At this early stage of the review process, the Working Group hopes to gather initial thoughts from TEI staff members. We would therefore be grateful if you could provide any feedback you have using the consultation form by 2nd June 2023.

Student Consultation

Common Awards students are invited to express their interest in taking part in a focus group to provide their initial feedback on their experience of completing surveys in general, followed by discussion of the Common Awards Student Survey in particular. The focus group will be arranged for late June; further information will follow once expressions of interest have been received through the online form.  Please read our Privacy Notice - Student Focus