What’s the secret? How Manchester SU predicts NSS satisfaction scores and how you could too

At the start of the year, we wanted to predict the most significant things that shape the student experience at the University of Manchester.  

And we did it within 1% accuracy... 

What we did and what happened 

To do this, we created a 'student model' using data we already held to forecast the future - essentially, what we would score for different aspects of student life in the National Student Survey (NSS). 

This helped shape what the Student Exec and Education team, which support them, focused on for the year ahead. 

On the 10th July 2024, the NSS results were released, and told us that the three areas that require improvement are: 

• Student Voice 

• Learning Resources 

• Assessment & Feedback 

Based on our student model we predicted a score of 71.7% on the NSS question and we ended up with score of 72.4%.

This meant our predictive student model worked. 

Not only were we pretty happy with the results from the point of view of it actually working but it also means we're truly in the best position to make a real impact on the student experience at Manchester. 

Get everyone on board with your findings 

Our model recommended that improved students’ satisfaction with the SU, SU events, informing services like advice & comms, belonging to the SU and feedback effectiveness are predictors of higher scores on the SU representing students’ academic interests.  

Earlier in the year, we suggested teams working with students factor in these indicators in the work they carry out during the year, so that it would help enhance the final score. 

Use data to enhance student life 

To further understand students’ academic experience, this year we launched ‘EducateMCR’. This survey runs multiple times a year with the aim to better understand how students feel about their studies at various points in the year.   

From this, and previous research prior to 2024, Assessment and Feedback was identified as a key area of improvement. Our 2023/24 Faculty Officers, Katie, Raheel and Raluca collaborated on an overall vision for Assessment and Feedback which was presented to the University earlier this year.  

We’ve also been working to ensure that students face less barriers to getting involved with Student Voice work, removing elections for most Academic Representative roles and re-vitalising our training package. We also plan to start reviewing the effectiveness of student/staff spaces throughout the 2024/25 academic year. 

So why do over 20,000 students want to engage in our research? 

Our methods aren't just about collecting data, they're about creating a dialogue with our students. 

When designing any research work, whether that be quantitative surveys or qualitative focus groups, our question development is intrinsically student led. A key part of our processes is Questionnaire Testing where we share the proposed research questions with students from the group we are aiming to learn from and ascertain in-depth feedback on the work. 

This can be anything from removing abbreviations for clarity, to rewording questions or reordering a survey. This exercise is imperative when improving accessibility and inclusivity within our work, in addition to providing us with the best opportunity to collect reliable and insightful data.  

When it comes to collecting data, interactivity drives our incentive processes and we offer a range of prizes in order to attract students to the opportunity of providing feedback. This can be in the form of vouchers or specific prizes like an iPad or festival tickets. Interestingly, we find that making students aware that they can pick an alternative prize of the same value if they win and do not want theirs has been a successful talking point when reaching out to students through experientials. 

Applying gamification to research 

Our incentives programme this year has been further developed by the introduction of gamification into our processes. We found that, on our largest campaign, Build Your MCR, we needed a more dynamic approach in gathering student responses and decided to offer students vouchers for completing the survey within a limited timeframe. This increased chance of winning galvanised students to take part. Furthermore, we also offered students additional opportunity to win incentives if they complete multiple surveys during our busiest period. This was successful in combating potential ‘survey fatigue’.  

We have also sought to involve students in both focus groups and interactive experientials, getting anecdotal evidence of the issues we identify as important. We seek to create a research environment in which open and honest dialogue drives our subsequent actions and, by feeding back to students by providing them with the end product of the research (i.e. through circulating reports with participants), we can demonstrate to students that their voice is the heart of what drives us. 

So, what’s next for University of Manchester Students' Union ? 

Our commitment to enhancing the student experience here is made possible by data-driven insights and through that we are creating a more responsive, supportive and effective learning environment. 

Moving forward, we're dedicated to using our research to enhance every aspect of the student journey because we believe, collaborating with students is how we help them make the most of their time at Manchester.

Key takeaways: 

• Utilising data like the NSS ensures that we are adapting to our students needs and prioritising areas of work within Teaching and Learning spaces. We would encourage all staff within the University of Manchester to work with the Students’ Union, and students, to identify areas of collaboration and enhancement. 
• Prioritise what matters most for students. The student model suggests that students’ satisfaction with their SU, events, belonging to the SU, informing services and feedback effectiveness are primary enablers to improved scores on SU representing their academic interests.  
• Take student voice seriously and rely on students to let us know their experiences and concerns throughout the year via surveys, focus groups, so that we can make change happen in various domains of a student life during their time at Manchester.   

We’re currently working on publishing a report that explains the complete ‘the student model’ with all the variables and predictors. The report will be available online in the next couple of months.  

Feeling inspired? Get in touch with Ruth Fernandes , Emma Bramwell or insight.su@manchester.ac.uk with any questions.