Take the National Student Survey, it will help improve your course

Ever felt that your Department doesnít listen to your views? Want to thank them for all the hard work they have done or quite the opposite? The National Student Survey (NSS) is a platform for you to voice your positive and negative opinions!

If you are a final year undergrad, you probably have already heard that the survey began on the 10 January. When I was asked to complete it last year, I had no idea what I was filling out and I guess most of you feel the same way. Itís easy to complete and only takes a few minutes, but does it really live up to the hype? Yes.

The NSS isn't like other surveys. Over the past years, youíve been asked to complete numerous surveys (and are probably sick of all the acronyms by now!). Whether SOLE, TOLE or ROLE, these all provide quality feedback on specific issues which are going well (or not so well) in Departments. The NSS is different. It allows both College and the Union to measure themselves against other UK institutions. Questions range from learning provisions to Union activities. You get to let College know how you really felt about your 3 or 4 years here. Oh, and did I mention itís anonymous?

The Union and your student reps encourage positive changes using this survey's results as (metaphorical) ammunition. Equipped with views gathered from a large majority of students, it is hard for Departments to ignore major issues. It is important, however, to have a high participation rate, otherwise results arenít representative.

The NSS has changed things in the past and youíve been reaping the benefits. Last year the NSS showed that students werenít happy with their coursework feedback. Resulting from that, we introduced a 2 week turnaround deadline and have clamped down on Departments which have been lax with feedback. I hope you have noticed the difference! In the past, NSS results have also played a key role in opening our beloved library resources 24hrs. Although the resulting action taken from the NSS will not directly impact your uni experience, your feedback will allow prospective students to know what they are getting into by applying to Imperial. The results also have an impact on Imperialís standing in the League tables.

As with all surveys we run, we are providing some great incentive prizes to those who complete it. We are giving away 6x £20 Union Shop vouchers as well as 4x free Ents tickets to this yearís massive Summer Ball at the end of the year. All winners will also receive free lifetime membership to the Union! So make sure to complete the NSS under www.thestudentsurvey.com

Very soon the people running the survey will begin targeting those of you who have not completed it via post, email and even telephone so get on it before they begin annoying you!