The Academys Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey (PTES) 2010 Headline Results Rachel Segal Assistant Director, Research and Evaluation

PTES - Background Online questionnaire –Based on PRES methodology Voluntary Anonymous 2009 onwards (following pilot) Benchmarking

PTES * participating HEIs from England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland Flexible survey period, 15 Feb – 28 May 220,894 students surveyed 32,638 students responded 14.8% response rate

Questionnaire Core survey –7 scales –Motivations, overall experience –Demographic information Institutional questions –Participating institutions ask as many extra questions as they choose, and design these questions themselves

PTES Scales Quality of teaching and learning Assessment and feedback Dissertation and supervision Organisation and management Learning resources Skills and personal development Career and professional development

PTES cohort

43% male, 57% female 63% home, 11% EU, 25% overseas 61% full-time, 37% part-time 76% face-to-face, 24% distance 68% started their programme between 1 Sep and 31 Dec 2009 –Further 17% started in the previous academic year ( )

Age of participants

Age by mode of study

Discipline

Employment 49% in paid employment

Motivations 1 Main motivations for taking this programme To improve my employment prospects53% To progress in my current career path (i.e. a professional qualification) 52% For personal interest44% To enable me to progress to a higher level qualification (e.g. PhD)33% To change my current career18% As a requirement to enter a particular profession17% To meet the requirements of my current job8% Other4%

Motivations – 2a Reasons for studying at this particular institution… The location of the institution39% The overall reputation of the institution39% The institutions reputation in my chosen subject area36% Delivery of the programme is flexible enough to fit around my life23% The reputation of the department23% It was recommended to me20% Funding was available to me to study this particular programme16%

Motivations – 2b Reasons for studying at this particular institution – contd. I have studied at this institution before16% Graduates from this institution have good career and employment prospects 14% It is the only institution offering this programme13% The cost of the programme compared to other institutions12% My employer advised or encouraged me to do it8% Other7% The way the programme is assessed6%

Quality of teaching and learning 90% - the teaching quality on their programme was consistently or generally good 2% - the teaching quality on their programme was consistently poor

Teaching and learning % agree PTES 2009 The course is intellectually stimulating83%84% The teaching and learning methods are effective for this type of programme79%81% I am happy with the teaching support I received from staff on my course71% There is sufficient contact time (face to face and/or virtual/online) between staff and students to support effective learning68%67%

Staff % agree PTES 2009 Staff are enthusiastic about what they are teaching83% Staff are good at explaining things80%83% Staff made the subject interesting76%77%

Assessment and feedback % agree PTES 2009 Assessment arrangements and marking have been fair72%74% The criteria used in marking have been made clear in advance71%74% I have received detailed comments (written or oral) on my work66%68% Feedback on my work has helped me clarify things I did not understand58% Feedback on my work has been prompt57% I received feedback in time to allow me to improve my next assignment56%57%

Dissertation and supervision % agree PTES 2009 My supervisor has the skills and subject knowledge to adequately support my dissertation77%80% I understand the required standards for the dissertation73%77% My supervisor makes a real effort to understand any difficulties I face67%70% I have been given good guidance in topic selection and refinement by my supervisor63%65% My supervisor provides helpful feedback on my progress63%66% I have received good guidance in my literature search from my supervisor58%60%

Workload – PTES % said that the workload on their programme was more or less what they expected 31% said it was higher than they expected 10% said it was much higher than they expected Identical to 2009

Organisation and management % agree PTES 2009 The timetable fits well with my other commitments77%80% Any changes in the programme or teaching have been communicated effectively72%74% The balance of core modules and options is appropriate70% The balance between scheduled contact time and private study is appropriate70%69% The programme is well organised and is running smoothly69%70%

Learning resources - 1 % agree PTES 2009 I have been able to access general IT resources when I needed to 78% The library resources and services are easily accessible 77% The library resources and services are good enough for my needs 72%75%

Learning resources - 2 % agree I am satisfied with the quality of learning materials available to me (Print, online material, DVDs, etc.) 74% I have been able to access social learning spaces (e.g. for group working) on campus when I needed to 69% I have been able to access specialised equipment, facilities, or rooms when I needed them 66%

Skills and personal development % agree PTES 2009 The programme has developed my research skills78%79% The programme has developed my transferable skills78%77% As a result of the programme I am more confident about independent learning75% As a result of the programme, I feel confident in tackling unfamiliar problems67%66% The programme has helped me to present myself with confidence66%65% As a results of the programme my communication skills have improved64%61%

Career and professional development % agree PTES 2009 As a result of this programme, I believe my future employment prospects are better78% I feel better prepared for my future employment72% I am encouraged to reflect on my professional development needs68%69%

Overall experience by scale Assessment and feedback met or exceeded my expectations – 75% Organisation and management met or exceeded my expectations – 76% Quality of teaching and learning met or exceeded my expectations – 83%

Overall experience by scale Learning resources met or exceeded my expectations – 87% Career and professional development met or exceeded my expectations – 88% Skills and personal development met or exceeded my expectations – 90%

Overall experience The overall experience of my course met or exceeded my expectations – 85%

Scales ScaleMeanAlpha Teaching and learning Staff Assessment and feedback Dissertation Organisation and management Learning resources Skills and personal development Career and professional development

Multiple regression ScaleBeta Teaching and learning0.330 Skills and personal development0.176 Career and professional development0.133 Organisation and management0.132 Assessment and feedback0.078 Learning resources Dissertation0.000

Experience against expectation – prelim findings Distance learners expectations are met or exceeded more than those of face-to-face learners Part-time students more than full-time International students tend to be more satisfied than Home or EU students

Further analyses Discipline Assessment and feedback scale –Domicile: Home/EU/International –Face-to-face/distance learners –Full-time/part-time Career and professional development scale –Face-to-face/distance learners

Next steps Working with PTES HEIs to share effective practice Using survey findings to inform enhancement activities Further analysis Case studies Next PTES administration 2011 (tbc)

Resources and publications arch/postgraduateworkhttp:// arch/postgraduatework (PTES and PRES reports and results, Redefining the Doctorate (Park, 2007)) (range of learning and teaching evidence, including PRES and PTES findings, case studies)