Policy on Student Surveys

The University recognises the importance of surveying its students for institutional and research purposes. However, the University needs to control the number of times students are asked to participate in surveys each year to ensure questionnaire fatigue is minimised. In order to achieve this, formal approval is required before the University’s students are invited to participate in any survey that is not a “University Supported” project (these are listed below). Formal approval should be sought prior to the project being initiated and prior to any application for external funding.

This requirement applies to the following:

• Undergraduate and postgraduate students undertaking a taught project
• Postgraduate Research students undertaking a thesis
• Externally-funded research project leaders
• External organisations

Approval must be sought from:

• the Head of College, for surveys that will only involve students from within one College.
• the Clerk of Senate⁽¹⁾, for surveys that will involve a broader cross-section of the student population.
• the Clerk of Senate⁽¹⁾, for surveys of any group of student requested by an external organisation.

If you are in any doubt as to whether permission is required, contact Vice Principal (Learning and Teaching) BEFORE proceeding with funding/project proposals.

Consent to conduct a survey under this policy does not imply ethical, funding or other approval.

“University-supported” projects, i.e. those that have ongoing approval, currently include:

• National Student Survey (NSS)
• Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey (PTES)
• Postgraduate Research Experience Survey (PRES)
• International Student Barometer (ISB)
• First Year Student Learning Experience Survey (FYSLES)
• Surveys undertaken in the course of the Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice
• Surveys undertaken in the course of Learning and Teaching Development Fund funded projects
• SRC-run survey
• Student Barometer
• LibQual

If there is any doubt whether a project is “University Supported”, the matter should be referred to the Vice-Principal (Learning & Teaching) for decision. 

Appendix

Current Policy – provided for information

Approval for internal student surveys that form part of an externally funded research project should be sought before the funding bid is submitted. Surveys that form part of either an undergraduate or postgraduate project should also be approved before the project is initiated. For surveys that will only involve students from within one School or College, permission for the survey should be obtained from the relevant Head of College. For surveys that will involve a broader cross-section of the student population, permission should be sought from the Clerk of Senate who will make the decision whether or not to grant permission in consultation with the President of the Students Representative Council. Approvals of this type should be sought prior to submission of the project for ethics approval.

All requests from external organisations to survey any group of students of the University should be referred to the Clerk of Senate who will make the decision whether or not to grant permission in consultation with the President of the Students Representative Council.

Note: “University Supported” projects (such as NSS), that include a student survey element, are exempt from this policy as appropriate mechanisms are already in place for their approval. If there is any doubt whether a project is “University Supported”, the matter should be referred to the Vice-Principal (Learning & Teaching) for decision.

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^[1] The Clerk of Senate will make the decision on whether or not to grant permission in consultation with the President of the Students’ Representative Council.