Student Engagement Data in the UK: Policy and Practice Dr Alex Buckley University of Strathclyde

Plan for talk What is student engagement? Development of the UK Engagement Survey How is UKES data used? Engagement and learning gain

What is student engagement? “The term [‘student engagement’] covers two domains relating to: improving the motivation of students to engage in learning and to learn independently the participation of students in quality enhancement and quality assurance processes, resulting in the improvement of their educational experience” (QAA 2012) “This Chapter is related to the participation of students in quality enhancement and quality assurance processes”

What is student engagement? Student engagement in US, Canada, Australasia, is about… “the time and energy students devote to…activities that matter to learning and student success.” (McCormick et al 2013) National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) themes: Academic challenge Learning with peers Experiences with faculty Campus environment

Development of the UK Engagement Survey Run by HEA Voluntary participation, free to HEA subscribing institutions Results are confidential to institutions Administered online Around 50 questions Two question types: activity frequency and course emphasis

Development of the UK Engagement Survey Compulsory questions Critical thinking Collaborative learning Staff-student interaction Reflective and integrative learning Course challenge Optional questions Engagement with research Staff-student partnerships Skills development Time spent on activities www.heacademy.ac.uk/download/ukes-2016-questionnaire

Development of the UK Engagement Survey Participating institutions Student responses 2013 9 8,500 2014 32 25,500 2015 24 24,500 2016 31 ???

How is UKES data used? 10 case studies from 2013: Canterbury Christ Church University Oxford Brookes University University of Bath Cardiff Metropolitan University University of Oxford King’s College London University of Warwick Kingston University York St John University Manchester Metropolitan University https://www.heacademy.ac.uk/sites/default/files/resources/engagement_for_enhancement_case_studies.pdf

How is UKES data used? Challenges: Institutional investment Tension over responsibility Actionable data Response rates, benchmarking

How is UKES data used? Challenges: Institutional investment “It is far easier to sign up for a survey offered by an outside entity…than to orchestrate a series of complex conversations with different groups on campus about what the findings from these data mean and what actions might follow.” (Blaich and Wise 2011) Challenges: Institutional investment Tension over responsibility Actionable data Response rates, benchmarking

How is UKES data used? Challenges: Institutional investment Tension over responsibility Actionable data Response rates, benchmarking “College is basically a voluntary activity… This is why the quality of effort, which one might also think of as quality of initiative, is so important at the college level… [C]ollege can’t give you an education; but if you go to college, and fully use the facilities and opportunities it provides, you can get an education” (Pace 1982)

How is UKES data used? Challenges: Institutional investment Tension over responsibility Actionable data Response rates, benchmarking “The focus on behaviour is both concrete and actionable: when results fall short of what is desired, the behavioural measures suggest avenues of intervention.” (McCormick et al 2013)

Engagement data and learning gain “There is a rapidly growing evidence base in the US about the impact on educational gains of changes in evidence-based educational processes… There is no such evidence base in the UK.” (Gibbs 2010)

Engagement data and learning gain Examples of staff good practice Provide timely feedback Check to see if students learned the material before moving on to new material Develop organized classes and presentations Provide clear explanations of course goals and requirements Ensure that students work hard to prepare for their classes and are required to read and write a substantial amount of material Challenge students to analyze and synthesize information and make judgments about ideas, experiences, and theories Ask students to integrate ideas and information from different sources and to include diverse perspectives in their work Ask students to examine the strengths and weakness of their ideas and to understand someone else’s view by imagining how an issue looks from his or her perspective (Blaich and Wise 2011)

Engagement data and learning gain How much has your overall student experience contributed to your knowledge, skills and personal development in the following areas? Writing clearly and effectively Speaking clearly and effectively Thinking critically and analytically Analysing numerical and statistical information Acquiring employability skills (eg skills to help you get a job such as CV writing or career planning) Becoming an independent learner Being innovative and creative Working effectively with others Developing or clarifying personal values or ethics Understanding people of other backgrounds (economic, racial/ethnic, political, religious, nationality, etc.) Exploring complex real-world problems Being an informed and active citizen

Engagement data and learning gain How much has your overall student experience contributed to your knowledge, skills and personal development in the following areas?

Engagement data and learning gain Core skills scale: Writing clearly and effectively Speaking clearly and effectively Thinking critically and analytically Analysing numerical and statistical information Acquiring employability skills (eg skills to help you get a job such as CV writing or career planning) Becoming an independent learner Soft skills scale Being innovative and creative Working effectively with others Developing or clarifying personal values or ethics Understanding people of other backgrounds (economic, racial/ethnic, political, religious, nationality, etc.) Exploring complex real-world problems Being an informed and active citizen

Engagement data and learning gain Biological sciences 2200, engineering and technology 1000, business and admin 1800, creative arts 1400

Engagement data and learning gain

References Blaich, C. and Wise, K. (2011). “From gathering to using assessment results: Lessons from the Wabash National Study”. National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment Occasional Paper 8 Gibbs, G. (2010) Dimensions of Quality. York, Higher Education Academy. McCormick, A., Kinzie, J. and Gonyea, R. (2013) “Student engagement: Bridging research and practice to improve the quality of undergraduate education” in M.B. Paulsen (ed.), Higher Education: Handbook of Theory and Research, 28. (Dordrecht, The Netherlands, Springer) Pace, R. (1982) Achievement and the quality of student effort (Department of Education, Washington DC) QAA. (2012). UK Quality Code for Higher Education, Chapter B5: Student engagement. Gloucester, Quality Assurance Agency.