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Professor Mahsood Shah has co-authored ‘Measuring and Enhancing the Student Experience’ and recently co-edited ‘Assessing and Enhancing the Student Experience in Higher Education’. His work explores student experience measures, focusing on topics such as the influence of student voices on improving teaching methods, effective student engagement strategies, and assessing the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on students’ experiences.
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For decades Shah has researched quality assurance in higher education, with an emphasis on student experience and student engagement as part of a larger quality assurance framework. Recently, he started looking at the role of international education, particularly third-party arrangements where partnerships are formed to facilitate exchanges. Shah argues that institutions can achieve a step change in their student experience through recognising the changing expectations of students and using student feedback data intelligently.
We sat down with Professor Shah to discuss the predictors of a great student experience, solutions to challenges facing institutions in providing it, and the critical role of student feedback in delivering a high quality experience.
“Students are a key stakeholder of the university, and meeting their expectations is critical.”
Shah defines clear themes that are predictors of a positive student experience today: flexibility, personalised student support, just in time learning resources, teaching methods that engage students in learning, innovative use of teaching resources and technologies, and assessment design and feedback.
Students are looking for greater flexibility, regardless of whether they study online or in person.
They want meaningful interactions between peers, as well as staff and students, and personalised support that will help them succeed.
Outdated resources and PDFs of countless slides don’t meet student expectations anymore. Students expect up-to-date learning resources that are dynamic and relevant to their needs. Students are looking for teaching staff who know the content well, and will engage with students. There is an expectation that teaching technology will be high quality and well-integrated into learning.
Finally, assessment issues are often mentioned in qualitative and quantitative data from student feedback surveys. Assessments have to meet students’ needs and provide value in their design and methods of delivery.
These areas are often clear in national and institutional surveys, but are not always acted upon. As Shah says, “students provide feedback on quality of teaching, teaching and learning and other support that is provided by university. But the question is how do we act on the feedback so that the actions that we take is visible and students can see those improvements.”
Shah acknowledges that improving the student experience is not without his challenges. However, with a strategic focus and a resolute commitment to a few key principles institutions can deliver a student experience in accordance with their aspirations.
First, it’s important to have institution level strategies disseminated down to faculty and individual level. Leaders need to work closely with academic peers and build relationships to help deliver those strategies effectively. Shah emphasises the importance of recognising staff who are doing this well, and even more so on building a mentoring system within institutions. This is a very powerful way of improvement from within.
Feedback is also a great way to positively impact staff. If surveys identify outstanding staff, institutions have to find ways to celebrate and support them. These staff members can become leaders and mentors in improving the student experience. However, Shah cautions against disseminating feedback indiscriminately. For him, questions about staff well-being need to be taken seriously, especially when feedback might not be positive as people expect. Institutions, therefore, need mechanisms in place where they can filter some of the feedback before it is disseminated to staff members and other stakeholders.
Shah also believes investment in innovative technologies like data intelligence tools allowing analysis of real-time data reported to the relevant audience is a critical resource to institutions. Using smart data sources to identify trends and patterns is important for action and improvement.
Feedback is crucial, but there’s more to it than just end of semester surveys. Action based on feedback, demonstrating visible change, and encouraging a feedback culture are all instrumental.
It is not surprising that students need to see changes are happening or they are reluctant to provide feedback. There’s also value in institutions soliciting feedback earlier in the semester, if that feedback is used in a timely and efficient manner.
“The question is how do we act on the feedback so that the actions that we take are visible and students can see those improvements.”
Shah has seen some institutions doing this well, publishing changes as a result of feedback within the LMS or the feedback system they are using.
Low response rates in student surveys hinder progress. It is not unusual that only 15% or 20% of students provided feedback on surveys. Why might students be hesitant to fill out long surveys? One reason, Shah states, is that they might not see their feedback leading to real-life results and improvements. If students see changes in their institution based on their feedback, they are more inclined to provide it.
Moreover, if feedback is to be successful, institutions should build a lively feedback culture. Students appreciate constructive feedback, and so too do staff. If student feedback is prioritised at the institutional level and there is a strong understanding and acknowledgment within the institution regarding the importance of student feedback, it will have a profound impact on shaping future practices. This transformative process represents a shift in the institution’s culture, emphasising the value and significance of student feedback as a driving force for positive change.
“Our partnerships with students have to be genuine. We are not only listening to them but we are acting in a timely manner.”
Professor Shah believes that institutions that are genuinely committed to the use of data and to acting on feedback will be renowned for student experience-related work. They will set benchmarks nationally and produce leaders who are experts in student experience research because of the institutional practices and culture that exist.
“I believe that those institutions that use the data well have a genuine partnership with staff and students will see good changes, and they will consistently improve their student experience.”
The role of feedback will only become more important in the coming years as the higher education sector undergoes a post-Covid transformation. Institutions are well-advised to invest in robust feedback mechanisms that involve all stakeholders, make data actionable, and fit the student experience into a larger evaluation and transformation strategy. In this way, they can ensure that the student experience, and with it the institutional reputation, are enhanced and the institution is made future-proof.