Quantitative research key findings May 2012 ExeQuest 2012 Summar y report
Quantitative research key findingsMay 2012
ExeQuest 2012Summary report
Does the Guild make a difference?58.4% of respondents felt the Students’ Guild had a positive effect on their university experience, a slight increase from 2011. Only 1.2% felt it had a negative impact, which is a small drop on last year, and the remainder were indifferent.
ExeQuest 2012
2011 2012
57.6% 58.4%
40.9% 40.3%Negative
No difference
Positive
What difference, if any, would you say the Students' Guild has on your University experience?
EMPS HUMS CLES CSSIS BUSS Don't know
60% 61% 58% 55%63%
34%
40% 38% 41% 44%36%
64% Negative
No difference
Positive
Streatham students feel most strongly that the Guild has a positive effect on their University experience. At Tremough almost two thirds feel it makes no difference to their experience. The majority of PostGraduate and PGCE students, along with those that didn’t know their official college, felt the Guild made no difference to their University experience.
Does the Guild make a difference?
ExeQuest 2012What difference, if any, would you say the Students' Guild has on your University experience?
Streatham St Lukes Tremough
63%48%
36%
36%52%
63%
67% 64% 59%47%
39%27%
65% 69%
33% 35% 39%52%
60%71%
34% 31%
UnderstandingMore than a third (45%) of all respondents have a good understanding of how the Guild is run, but a third of respondents still feel this understanding is ‘average’.
73% of Tremough students have an average or poor understanding of the Guild, compared to 57% at St Lukes and 53% at Streatham.
ExeQuest 2012
Overall
8%
36%
33%
15%
6%
Very poorQuite poorAverageQuite goodVery good
Which of the following best describes your understanding of how the Students' Guild is run?
Streatham St Lukes Tremough
9% 10%3%
39% 32%
24%
33%31%
37%
15%16%
18%
4% 10%19%
Very poorQuite poorAverageQuite goodVery good
Guild ResponsibilitiesThe three key areas that students feel are the primary responsibilities of the Students’ Guild are to be the students’ voice to representatives, should improve the student experience and to run societies, however, 50% feel that the third key area should be to offer student advice and support.
ExeQuest 2012Which of the following things do you think are/should be the primary responsibilities of the Guild?
Entrepreneurial support
To run cafes (e.g. Long Lounge)
To offer volunteering opportunities
Provide social spaces to students
To run shops and services (e.g. Print unit)
To run student campaigns
To run bars (e.g. the RAM)
Offer student advice and support
Societies
To improve the student experience
Be the students’ voice to university representatives
2%
8%
8%
13%
14%
22%
23%
38%
40%
57%
64%
Are
To run cafes (e.g. Long Lounge)
Entrepreneurial support
To run shops and services (e.g. Print unit)
To offer volunteering opportunities
To run bars (e.g. the RAM)
Provide social spaces to students
To run student campaigns
Societies
Offer student advice and support
To improve the student experience
Be the students’ voice to university representatives
4%
4%
9%
10%
12%
14%
15%
29%
50%
68%
70%
Should be
Guild Responsibilities
ExeQuest 2012Which of the following things do you think are/should be the primary responsibilities of the Guild?
The standout differences are the Guild being responsible for improving the student experience and offering advice and support; more respondents felt they should be responsible for this.
To r
un b
ars
(e.g
. the
RA
M)
Soci
eties
To r
un s
tude
nt c
ampa
igns
To r
un s
hops
and
ser
vice
s (e
.g. P
rint
uni
t)
To r
un c
afes
(e.
g. L
ong
Loun
ge)
Prov
ide
soci
al s
pace
s to
stu
dent
s
Entr
epre
neur
ial s
uppo
rt
To o
ffer
vol
unte
erin
g op
port
uniti
es
Be
the
stud
ents
’ voi
ce t
o un
iver
sity
rep
res.
..
To im
prov
e th
e st
uden
t ex
peri
ence
Off
er s
tude
nt a
dvic
e an
d su
ppor
t
11%
11%
8%
5% 4%
-2%
-2%
-2%
-6%
-12%
-12%
NB This chart shows the percentage point difference between the percentage of those that think ARE the responsibilities and those that think SHOULD BE the responsibilities of the Guild
Guild Delivery
ExeQuest 2012
An average of 51% of respondents feel that the Guild delivers on all its responsibilities ‘quite well’, with 19% saying ‘very well’, 13% said ‘not very well’, 16% ‘don’t know’ and only 3% saying ‘not at all well’.
Runn
ing
bars
(e.g
....
To r
un c
afes
(e.g
. ...
Runn
ing
shop
s an
d se
...
Bein
g th
e st
uden
ts v
...
Impr
ovin
g th
e st
ud...
Offe
ring
vol
unte
eri..
.
Prov
idin
g so
cial
spa
...
To r
un s
tude
nt c
am...
Offe
ring
stu
dent
ad.
..
Soci
eties
Entr
epre
neur
ial s
u...
26% 24% 20% 16% 17% 18% 15% 17% 18%32%
7%
53% 55% 55% 53% 55% 42% 48% 50% 50%49%
32%
7% 7% 11% 14% 15%16% 21% 14% 14%
9%
18%
11% 13% 13% 14% 10% 20% 12% 16% 15% 9%38%
Don't know
Not at all well
Not very well
Quite well
Very well
Providing social spaces to students is the area most in need of improvement.38% don’t know about how the Guild delivers Entrepreneurial support.
The Guild are currently responsible for each of the following. Based on your own experience and from what you have heard, how well do you think the Guild delivers each of the following?
Guild Services
ExeQuest 2012Do you think the following services should be run by the Guild, run by the University or run by a third party provider?
Most respondents feel that the majority of services should be run by the Guild; the exception to this was 51% of respondents who believe the shops and services (e.g. print unit) should be run by the University (37% feel this should be run by the Guild).
UG 1
st Y
r
UG P
enul
t Yr
UG F
inal
Yr
PGT
PGR
PGCE
INTO
33%
39%
38%
42%
38%
20% 30
%
52% 51
%
52%
47%
50%
70%
51%
15%
11%
9% 12%
12%
10%
19%
Shops & Services
EU Int'l EU Int'l
64%
51%
54%
42%
11%
20%
21%
27%
26%
29%
25%
31%
Bars Cafes
3rd party
Uni
GuildBa
rs (e
.g. t
he R
AM
)
Cafe
s (L
ong
Loun
ge)
Shop
s an
d se
rvic
es (e
...
Stud
ent a
dvic
e an
d...
Stud
ent a
ctivi
ties
Stud
ent s
ocie
ties
71% 56%37%
54%85% 90%
16%27%
51%45%
14% 9%
3rd party Uni
Guild
Split by level of study, shops and services is the one service that bias is more towards the University running it, the other services should all be run by the Guild.
Although the majority of EU and International students feel the Guild should run the bulk of services, there is also a fairly strong belief that a third party provider should run the bars and cafes.
Guild Priorities
ExeQuest 2012
By far, the most important priority to respondents is for the Guild to give students better representation to the University.
60%
35% 33% 33% 33% 32%
22%15%
11%
1%
Which of the following do you think should be the priorities for the Students' Guild?
Listening to the students at Tremough More of a
connection between the
campuses
Involve the Cornwall campus more, we get the newsletters, but none of the benefits.
Running a bar/union where the price reflects
that this IS a university
Keep ram prices in line with
other universities
A real student bar with student
prices.
Guild Priorities
ExeQuest 2012
For PGT, INTO, EU and International students, the two main priorities for Guild should be more social integration between students of different nationalities/cultures and better student representation to the University.
PGR, PGCE and INTO students also place high importance on the Guild making Student Support Welfare a priority.
Undergraduate first year students would like focus on improved social spaces, increased involvement with the Guild and support for activities and volunteering.
Which of the following do you think should be the priorities for the Students' Guild?
Guild Elections
ExeQuest 2012Did you vote in the recent Students' Guild Elections?Which, if any, of the following describe your reasons for voting?
64% of all respondents voted in the recent Guild elections.
The biggest reason for voting is because students feel it is important (60%). 49% did so because they wanted to have their say, and 33% because they knew someone involved with the election.
Other
Felt strongly about an issue
Felt strongly about a candidate
Knew someone involved with the election
Wanted to have my say
Important to vote
1%
7%
17%
33%
49%
60%
Guild Elections
ExeQuest 2012Which, if any, of the following describe your reasons for not voting?
Did not know how to vote
Did not know about it
Did not understand what voting was about
Wouldn't make a difference
Other
Did not care
Too busy
Did not know about the candidates / issues
5%
7%
11%
13%
14%
23%
34%
40%Of those that didn’t vote, 40% said it was because they were unaware of the candidates or issues, and 34% said they were too busy.
Other reasons...
As a PhD student I feel that the Guild
takes care of the UG students, and has
little impact on PGs
Irritated by being harassed during elections. Even
heard foul language from one.
Those running are always more
interested in the kudos they achieve,
than effecting change. Pointless
Candidates need to find a better way of campaigning other
than shouting at voters
find the campaigning and flyering intrusive
and irritating
Guild Elections
ExeQuest 2012Which, if any, of the following describe your reasons for not voting?
Looking at individual campuses, Streatham students were the highest percentage of voters, while respondents from Tremough showed that only 43% voted in the elections.
Other reasons for not voting at Tremough...
At Tremough we feel very alienated and as a result we have no
idea about the voting.
I am at Tremough - we have FXU and
nothing to do with the Guild. Study at Tremough
so didn't think the Guild elections
really effected me.
Doesn't make a difference to students on Tremough campus.
Unaware of presence at
Tremough Campus
Streatham St Lukes Tremough
68%
50%43%
32%
50%57%
NoYes
Guild Elections
ExeQuest 2012Which, if any, of the following describe your reasons for not voting?
Looking at level of study, both Postgraduate and PGCE had very low levels of voters, in particular PGCE, with only 16% of these students voting.
Feedback suggests that some cohorts do not feel as ‘included’ in the University as Undergraduates....
As a mature PGCE student not on the main campus feel
very much outside of the University and
Guild
As postgrad , mature, single
mother, living in another city, I don't
feel part of guild.
Find the whole campaign process is
aimed at undergraduates
(stupid costumes/ campaigning etc)
Was not allowed to (PCMD) although i
specifically contacted the guild to vote, they made
no effort
I am currently on a 1 year PGCE course
& was only on campus for the first
term.
UG 1st Yr
UG Penult
Yr
UG Final
Yr
PGT PGR PGCE INTO Other
73% 71% 78%
39% 36%
16%
61% 59%
28% 29% 23%
62% 64%
84%
40% 41%
NoYes
Guild Involvement
ExeQuest 2012
The main thing students want from getting involved in any Guild activities is to have fun, and the second priority is to improve any future employment aspects.
It is also important to meet new friends and try out new things, enhancing the University experience.
53%49%
45%40%
28%
20% 18% 15%10%
2%
Which of the following is most important to you when considering involvement in the Students' Guild's activities, societies, services or volunteering?
Guild-University Relationship
41%31%
16%9%
1% 1%
ExeQuest 2012Which of the following do you think best describes the relationship between the University and the Guild?
Four in ten believe that the Guild works alongside the University, while almost a third believe it is part of the University.
22% of Tremough students do not know what the relationship is between the Guild and the University, compared with 13% at St Lukes and 7% at Streatham.
Guild Influence
ExeQuest 2012How would you rate the Students' Guild's ability to influence positive change in the University?
Over half the respondents (54%) rate the Guild’s ability to influence positive change in the University as good, while a further 36% feel this influence is average.
Influence
8%
46%
36%
7%
Very poorQuite poorAverageQuite goodVery good
Investment
11%
59%
14%
16%
Don't know
No influence
A little in-fluence
A large in-fluence
70% of respondents believe that the Guild has some kind of influence on the University’s areas of investment, 59% regard this as a modest influence.
Voti
ng in
Ele
ction
s
Soci
eties
Volu
ntee
ring
/ A
ct...
Take
par
t in
Cam
...
Cour
se R
epre
sent
...
Bein
g pa
rt o
f a ..
.
Runn
ing
for
a re
p...
Runn
ing
for
a Sa
b...
94% 92% 85%71% 67% 64% 58% 50%
6% 8% 15%29% 33% 36% 42% 50%
Easy Difficult
Guild Activities
ExeQuest 2012Do you think it is easy or difficult to become involved with each of the following Guild activities?
The majority of Guild activities are perceived by a lot of respondents as difficult to become involved with.
% of don’t knows 10% 9% 22% 32% 29% 27% 36% 37%
NB This chart has been reweighted by ‘easy’ and ‘difficult’ responses to exclude the ‘don’t knows’. The original ‘don’t know’ percentages are in the blue boxes underneath the chart.
Guild Activities
ExeQuest 2012Do you think it is easy or difficult to become involved with each of the following Guild activities?
INTO students think Running for a Sabbatical Position is difficult to get involved with through the Guild, they also feel it is difficult to be part of a committee and run for a representative committee.
Postgraduates and PGCE students don’t know if it is easy to become part of a Committee, and postgraduates don’t know how easy it is to run for a representative position.
Respondents from Tremough don’t know whether it is easy or difficult to become involved in several of the Guild activities. EU and International students don’t know about running for a representative position, and International students find it difficult to be part of a Committee.
Have Your Say Hub & Digital
ExeQuest 2012Are you aware or unaware of the 'Have your say ' hub - this is an area on the Students’ Guild website where you can submit issues, change policy of the organisation or launch campaigns? Which of the following reasons, do you think best explains why other students may not be aware of the 'Have your say' hub?
Awareness of the ‘Have Your Say’ hub on the Guild website is low, with only 21% of respondents cognisant of its existence.
Feedback shows that awareness is low because students just aren’t that interested, there is a lack of information about it and also a lack of understanding.
Other
Difficult to use
There are better, alternative ways to do the same thing
Students don’t understand what its purpose is
Inadequate information given
Students just are not interested
3%
5%
13%
37%
39%
47%
few students frequent the guild website
Its existence is not well
publicised.
Unless you go to the guild website
regularly you don't really see it.
79% of respondents feel that the Guild services should be making more use of digital solutions to promote their services, for example the advice unit or the societies.
University Investment
ExeQuest 2012Which of the following do you think should be the priority areas for University investment?
None of these
Longer opening hours for student services
Increased investment in research
Improved sporting facilities
Investment in online learning and teaching resources
Improved social spaces
Increased focus on employability
Better staff student ratio
Improved teaching facilities
Smaller class sizes
Increase in the number of scholarships and bursaries
Improved library resource (books, e-books, journals etc)
Free or subsidised sports clubs/ society membership
Subsidised accommodation
Reduced costs on campus
No hidden course costs (ie books, field trips, study resources included in fee)
Increase in contact hours
0%
6%
8%
8%
10%
10%
12%
17%
18%
18%
21%
24%
25%
25%
27%
29%
33%An increase in contact hours is the top priority for University investment.
Respondents would like to see cost savings across the board; no hidden costs on their courses, reduced campus costs, cheaper accommodation and free or subsidised sports and societies.
With regards to learning, it is important to have smaller classes or a better staff:student ratio, and an investment in online teaching resources.
University Investment
ExeQuest 2012Which of the following do you think should be the priority areas for University investment?
By the three main levels of study, UG, PGT and PGR, the priority area for investment is believed to be an increase in contact hours, improved library resources and an increase in the number of scholarships and bursaries respectively.
Subsidised accommodation
Free or subsidised sports clubs/ society membership
Reduced costs on campus
No hidden course costs (ie books, field trips, study
resources included in fee)
Increase in contact hours
28%
28%
29%
31%
37%
UG
Reduced costs on campus
Improved teaching facilities
Increase in contact hours
Increase in the number of scholarships and bursaries
Improved library resource (books, ebooks, journals etc)
22%
24%
26%
32%
36%
PGT
Improved teaching facilities
Better staff student ratio
Increased investment in research
Improved library resource (books, ebooks, journals etc)
Increase in the number of scholarships and bursaries
22%
23%
30%
35%
37%
PGR
Summary
ExeQuest 2012
•The greatest effect of the Guild is felt at the Streatham campus (63% of respondents saying it has a positive effect); students at St Lukes (52%), and even more so at Tremough (63%), feel it makes no difference to their University experience.
•Just over half of the respondents have an average or poor understanding of how the Guild is run and this varies more by campus; for example at Tremough, nearly three quarters of the students gave this same response.
•41% of respondents believe the Guild works alongside the University, while 31% think it is part of the University.
•Of all the Guild’s responsibilities, understanding of Entrepreneurial Support seems to be the lowest, as 38% of respondents don’t know how well the Guild delivers on this.
•The majority of Guild activities are viewed as difficult to become involved in, the most difficult being running for a Sabbatical position.
•36% of respondents did not vote in the Guild election; this percentage increases for St Lukes and Tremough campus students, and also Postgraduate and PGCE students.
Methodology
ExeQuest 2012
All students at the University were invited to take part in this survey, which was sent out by the Guild.
There were a total of 2206 respondents.