Each month we gather student thoughts and opinions on various topics through a project called Survey Superheroes. In January, we focused on gathering your ideas on academic representation, support and feedback. Thank you to everyone who participated! This project has been crucial in shaping our initiatives and implementing change to enhance student experiences at Exeter!
This month, we wanted to understand who students turn to for their academic support and whether our current resources fulfil their needs. Our survey responses highlighted friends, family and lecturers as being the main point of contact for help, with the importance of academic tutors increasing with year of study. The survey showed that while many students feel well-supported in understanding course content and accessing teaching materials, concerns were raised about feedback and assignment guidance. Common suggestions to reduce stress included implementing clearer guidelines on assignments, better coordination between assessment deadlines and more group study sessions to boost motivation and foster a sense of accountability between students.
We also explored how well students feel represented on their course and how much they engage with their academic representatives. Including diverse perspectives and inclusive teaching materials in module content was highly appreciated. Mixed feelings were expressed in terms of academic representation across different faculties. While some students reported positive experiences, others were unsure about how to connect with their representatives. A key issue was also the lack of awareness and engagement with academic reps, limiting their ability to effectively share feedback and implement change. To improve this, we are focusing on improving the visibility of academic reps by providing more streams of communication between reps and students, as well as more opportunities for reps to create change on their course.
Many students appreciate the opportunity to give feedback, but some feel that their feedback does not always lead to visible change. A common suggestion was to include more structured feedback opportunities, especially mid-module feedback surveys so that changes can be implemented throughout the duration of the module. Students reported having minimal problems accessing marking criteria, however, concerns over clarity and level of detail were raised. Students also emphasised the need for more timely, frequent and high-quality feedback to help monitor their progress and improve in the future.
Want to know all the details? You can read the full report here.
See all our research and reports on our page.