Postgraduate Research Experience Survey 2013
The next survey will run from 5 March 2013 to 16 May 2013. All PG Research Students will receive an email direct to their University email account, inviting them to participate. This will contain a personalised link to ensure that you can only complete the survey once and that you don't get reminder emails. However, all results will remain anonymous. There is a prize draw of 4 x £100 for survey participants.
The Postgraduate Research Experience Survey gives you a chance to share your views on what it’s like to do a research Degree at Glasgow and feed into future decisions regarding policy and practical issues. This is a national survey and the results are reviewed by the Deans of Graduate Studies, the Researcher Development Committee, the Students' Representative Council and other relevant groups. An action plan is drawn up to address any issues and its implementation is monitored by the University's senior management.
Thank you to everyone who completed the 2012 survey, we had an excellent response rate of 38%. You can see the results of previous surveys and what we did in response below.
| What you said in 2012 | What we did as a result |
|---|---|
| There was a lack of social space for PGRs | The Gilchrist PG Club opened in October 2012 |
| You'd like more opportunities to develop vital communication and public engagement skills |
We introduced:
|
| You'd like more places available on training courses and opportunities to consider your career development needs |
We’ve trebled the number of places on popular courses like 'presenting with impact' and the PG Leadership Programme as well as tailoring to specific groups (e.g. Arts and Social Sciences project management). Each Graduate School has a portfolio tool based on the Vitae Researcher Development Framework to help students reflect on their professional development and consider the career opportunities open to them. |
| You'd like more information about the career opportunities available post-PhD and what employers are looking for |
We introduced:
|
| Satisfaction with supervision is above the sector average |
We’ve agreed new policies to ensure we keep it that way. New supervisor best practice sessions introduced to help supervisors keep up to date with new policies and share experience. |
| You'd like something to help demystify the viva process and expectations for final year students. |
Towards the Finish Line online course was introduced to help final year students with writing up, submission and viva preparation. Including real viva clips, students reported this to be useful and motivating. Alex Macpherson (Viva-surviver) acted as guest-blogger for the researcher development blog to share some insights into her viva experiences |
| There are issues with getting access to office space in some parts of the University | 30 new dedicated desk-spaces and 135 additional lockers for College of Arts researchers |
| Induction could be improved. | Graduate Schools have listened to feedback on induction and now include social events, treasure hunts and talks from 2nd and 3rd year students |
| You'd like to see improved 2-way communication between students and Graduate Schools |
New provision includes:
|
To read full results from previous surveys visit:
2012 survey 2011 survey 2009 survey 2008 survey
If you have any ideas that you'd like to share, please get in touch with someone from the Postgraduate Research Office or your own Graduate School or PGR student rep to share your views.