1. Suzanne Guerin University College Dublin & ISSE Steering Committee
Reflections on the Irish Survey of Student Engagement (ISSE) and the Development of the ISSE Postgraduate Research Survey
Best Practice in Student-Centred Approaches in Education and Training Conference 20 November 2018
Suzanne Guerin
University College Dublin &
ISSE Steering Committee

2. ISSE – Great expectations
Based on international best practice (US NSSE & adaptations in UK, South Africa, Denmark)
Commitment to student-centred focus on engagement
Key aims:
To develop a valuable source on students’ experiences of higher education
To inform national dialogue and policy
2013 Pilot Study – Focus on taught programmes (UG & PG)
2014 “first” implementation
To close the feedback loop
To add value at institutional level

3. Collaboration has achieved more than individual actors could
ISSE – The recipe for success
Funded by state policy & funding body (HEA) as shared service for institutions under HEA remit
Co-sponsored by institutions’ representative bodies and national students’ union
Partnership and working groups supported by project manager & contracted external company for technical delivery of survey / return of data
Data returned confidentially to individual institutions
Collaboration has achieved more than individual actors could

4. ISSE – Meeting expectations
60,000 responses from 2013 to 2015
Participation by 30 institutions in 2015
Increasing response rate = 2013 = 10.9%, 2014 = 15.6%, 2015 = 21.9%
Annual reporting and feedback to institutions

5. ISSE – An evolving resource
2016 survey – Reviewed and revised questions
2018 – 27 institutions participated
Continued support and significant effort to promote participation
Response rates continue to show increases = 2016 = 22.2%, 2017 = 27.2%, 2018 = 28%
103,000 responses between 2016 to 2018

6. ISSE – Reflecting on impact
Commitment to using ISSE to support enhancement
Development of videos demonstrating uses of ISSE (
Commitment to learning and dissemination
Google Scholar search shows 96 records citing/reporting “Irish Survey of Student Engagement”

7. MOVIES HERE

8. ISSE – Continuing the evolution
Development of ISSE-PGR
Early commitment to exploring engagement among postgraduate research students
Recognition of unique contexts and experiences
2018 – Pilot of ISSE-PGR in 24 institutions

9. ISSE-PGR - Respondents & response rates
National response rate 32.5%
Response rates ranging from 10.9% to 64.5%
Key distinction between number of respondents and percentage of target cohort
Respondents in “smaller” research settings still contribute to the national data set
@StudentSurveyIE

10. ISSE – More than the sum of it’s parts
Continued levels of engagement
2018 – examined responses from PG Taught students over five years
2017 – examined responses to open-ended questions from first years
Significant potential to continue to draw from the data overtime across key variables

11. ISSE Added Value – Focus on PGT
Generally increasing levels of participation by PG Taught students
More female students, Irish students and students aged 24 and over in the combined sample
Largest field of study = Business, Administration and Law (almost 25%)
Knowledge and skills contributing to their employability has remained stable over time
Blending of workplace experience and academic learning has increased somewhat

12. ISSE – Issues and challenges
Diverse expectations and aspirations of partners
Credibility as a quality, objective project
Effective communication – Complex system, multiple levels
Potential of ISSE to replace existing surveys?
The transparency challenge

13. ISSE - Continuing objectives
Increased awareness of potential  increased participation
Promoting effective, timely feedback
Demonstrating “developing implementation”
Enhancing capacity to analyse, interpret & utilise data
Maximising learning through archived data

14. ISSE – Next steps
Promoting ongoing consideration of data at institution level (greatest variation within institutions rather than between institutions)
Closing the feedback loop
Ongoing dissemination of results
Implemention of survey for PG Research students

15. Launching today!

16. Thank you – further information
/ @StudentSurveyIE
Suzanne Guerin, University College Dublin,
Sean O’Reilly, Technological Higher Education Association,
@StudentSurveyIE