Irish Survey of Student Engagement National Report 2020
By Maura O'Shea
Posted: 24 November, 2020
More students than ever before have taken part in the 2020 Irish Survey of Student Engagement and the results provide invaluable insights for the higher education sector as well as for the students themselves.
The Irish Survey of Student Engagement National Report 2020 was published today, in partnership with the HEA, the IUA, THEA and the USI.
A total of 44,707 students responded to the 2020 survey, which represents a national response rate of 31%. This is the highest response rate to the survey to date.
Among the main findings include:
· 70.7% of students believed that lecturers/teaching staff clearly explained course goals and requirements.
· 69.7% of students believed that lecturers/teaching staff taught in an organised way.
· 74.8% of students believed that their experience at their institution contributed to their knowledge, skills and personal development quite a bit/very much in thinking critically and analytically.
· 84% of students, if they could start all over again, would probably/definitely go to the same institution they are now attending.
According to the survey organisers, the insights provided by the approximately 245,000 respondents to the Student Survey over the last seven years are a rich source of inspiration and challenge and their value to individual institutions and at a national level needs to continue to be mined in creative and constructive ways.
The report states that the results are robust, they are reliable, drawn from a large and representative sample of the student population and are consistent over time.
StudentSurvey.ie asks students directly about their experiences of higher education, including their academic, personal, and social development. In 2020, 44,707 students in 26 higher education institutions participated.
For the purposes of StudentSurvey.ie, student engagement reflects two key elements. The first is the amount of time and effort that students put into their
studies and other educationally beneficial activities. The second is how institutions deploy resources and organise curriculum and learning opportunities to encourage students to participate in meaningful activities linked to learning.
A unique partnership was established between the Higher Education Authority (HEA), the Irish Universities (IUA), the Technological Higher Education Association (THEA), and the Union of Students in Ireland (USI) to manage, direct, and implement the survey project.
The partnership was extended through the national StudentSurvey.ie Steering Group, which maintains strategic direction for the survey project and consists of the aforementioned organisations, participating institutions, and the statutory quality assurance and qualifications agency, Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI).
