---

The University aims to work collaboratively with academic departments to improve and maintain the good response rates obtained across departments in recent years. The resources below have been prepared to help you promote the NSS and to discuss it with your final year students. If you have any questions, or if you can't find what you need on this page, please contact quality at warwick dot ac dot uk.

This portal focusses on operational aspects of promoting and carrying out the survey. If you are looking for information on survey action planning, further information can be found on the TQ webpages here.

Quick menu:

Key dates and deadlines for depts

The Survey timetable

NSS 2018 'Target list' process

Final NSS 2018 list with student contact details by department

Staff guidance and resources

hardcopy promo materials request form

Form to register departmental incentive scheme

Presentations and Briefings

Student communications

Staff communications

Tips for promoting the survey to students

Downloadable electronic materials: Survey logo and posters for digital screens etc.

Survey response rate reports (from w/c 5 Feb)

Key Dates and Deadlines:

• Survey period 2017/18: 5 February - 30 April 2018
• Survey timetable (schedule of contact with students from Warwick and Ipsos MORI available here)

The NSS 2018 target list process:

Target list checking commences in late October and is completed in mid-November. The HEFCE generate a list based on the 2016/17 HESA return, in many cases this doesn't factor in course transfers (notably between 3 and 4 year course variants) or temporary withdrawals that have happened since last summer.

Teaching Quality submit details of studnets in three categories:

• students that should stay on the target list
• students that should be added to the target list as they are due to complete their studies in 2017/18
• students that should be removed from the target list as they will not complete their studies in 2017/18

Requested additions/removals are then considered by the HEFCE and should be confirmed by early-mid January.

A note on student additions or course transfers:

Please note that unfortunately, students who have changed courses (same length/final year) or transferred to a programme of a shorter length in their final year will (for external results purposes) remain linked to their original course title as per the 2016/17 HESA record. More information on this is available here.

Final Target List (with email addresses for mailing lists):

• The NSS 2018 contact list for the use by departments are now available to nominated NSS contacts here.
• This will be an spreadsheet containing student email addresses alongside their name and course. This can be used as a reliable contact list for only those students who are eligible and able to complete the survey.
•  The simplest way to do this is to copy the column containing all the email addresses and paste them directly into your Outlook addresseee box, preferably the "Bcc" one to avoid "reply all" issues.
• As the SU will not be boycotting the NSS this year, Warwick will not be collating requests from students to not be contacted to complete the survey. Details of students who notify Ipsos MORI directly that they do not wish to be contacted to complete the survey are not relayed back to the University.

 

Staff guidance and resources for NSS 2018

The following are extracts from NSS guidance provided by Ipsos MORI (and approved by HEFCE):

• Briefing for academic staff NSS 2018 (Ipsos MORI)
• NSS questionaire for 2018
• Survey Promotion Guidelines NSS 2018
• Guidance on inappropriate influence (Ipsos MORI)
• Student eligibility summary (Ipsos MORI)
• Social media guide (Ipsos MORI)
• What does the student see when they complete the survey? (mobile and PC screen view)
• Best Practice Guidance for improving response rates (Ipsos MORI)

The full version of the Ipsos MORI document (predominantly for centrally based offices) can be referenced here.

Changes to the incentives/prize schemes for the NSS 2018: 

For the NSS 2018, the University will be permitting departments to spend up to a total of £5 per eligible student on the list towards a local incentive scheme such as a prize draw or charitable donations. There is a public webpage for staff/student reference here.

A briefing sheet for departments on the central £5 EAT incentive can be found here. Please note that th £5 credit will only be available to online respondents.

Presentations and Briefings

An initial briefing presentation for NSS 2018 was held in October 2017, the slides from the presentation can be found here.  

There were further presentations on NSS 2018 on Wednesday 20th December 2017 and Thursday 11th January 2018. The slides from these briefing presentations for NSS 2018 are available to download here.

Revised FAQs regarding the NSS, fees, TEF will be maintained on an on-going basis and are available via staff/student sign-in HERE.

Slides with information about analysing results in terms of responses across the survey scale (% agree and "neither category") available here.

Staff Communications

Ipsos MORI have produced documents providing advice for staff involved with the NSS and a template for a staff communication regarding the survey.

Student Communications

Ipsos MORI have provided templates for email and intranet items on the NSS and also briefings for any student reps who will be promoting the survey.

Any relevant "centralised" communications to students will be made available below:

• MyWarwick item on NSS feedback (6 Nov 2017)
• email from VC to all eligible students (to be sent w/c 19th Jan 2018) will be added here when available.

Example email sent to students in advance of NSS 2017

• Email from VC and PVC (Education) - Friday 3 February 2017

Tips for promoting the survey to students

This document provides guidance on how to improve response rates.

Ipsos MORI provide this template for email and intranet student items on the NSS

Ipsos MORI also provide the Survey Promotion guidelines

There is separate guidance for survey promotion via social media.

NSS Communications from Ipsos MORI and "central" Warwick

• The following are example texts (from NSS 2016) that IPSOS MORI used to contact students on the target list
• template email from Ipsos MORI to be sent to students w/c 6th February
• template reminder email from Ipsos MORI to be sent to non-respondents 

NSS Advice for staff

About the NSS presentation slides

NSS Good Practice Guide

NSS 2018 official video

Logos and imagery

You can use the logo below and associated branding to promote the NSS to your students.

 

Posters, leaflets and digital screen slides:

Digital Screen design 1

Powerpoint slide design

Poster 1

Leaflet

Survey response rate reports

From the first week of the survey (5 Feb 2018), Teaching Quality will provide weekly response rate reports. These will be issued at the close of play every Wednesday until the survey closes on 30 April 2018.