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How we collect feedback
For the MBBS programme at UCL we have 2 main ways of collecting feedback
- Via the Student Reps (who attend many of our faculty meetings)
- Via the Learning Surveys (and occasional other surveys that aim to capture areas not covered in these)
You can also ask questions or clarify queries with any of our team at any time either by reaching out directly to the undergraduate teams at your clinical site or your year teams and module leads at UCL. Either email them directly or use the relevant Moodle forum.
Learning Surveys
Following declining student response rates, engagement and at times confusion over how the feedback is circulated and used, the Student Evaluation Questionnaires were replaced with Learning Surveys for the academic year 2022/23.
This followed several working group meetings which looked at the purpose of gathering this type of feedback, the ways in which the data collected is used, and the best ways to encourage student engagement. The underlying principles of the new Learning Survey process are:
- short surveys
- immediate feedback for staff
- transparency for students
How do they work?
Learning Surveys are hosted on the Academic Student Record (ASR) and usually consist of only two questions: one numerical “satisfaction score” and one free text. Whilst as much demographic data as possible will be pre-populated the software means there will be some to enter - in total the surveys may have 5-6 questions each.
Students will be asked to complete their Learning Surveys for each Module/Placement while they are still on it (rather than having to remember back to teaching several weeks prior). The completion of feedback is usually requested at the end of the placement but for Modules/Placements of 4 weeks or more they may also be requested at a mid-point.
Time to complete Learning Surveys should, where possible, be embedded within an existing teaching session or other face to face opportunity such as sign offs and it is the responsibly of the Module/Placement Leads to identify suitable times for students to be asked to complete feedback. Otherwise students will be appropriately signposted either directly or by email. A single link is used for all surveys, to make it easier to access them.
Live reports and transparency
Instead of long reports which need to be signed off by multiple parties, ASR provides a live dashboard with up-to-date numerical results, where students can see their feedback alongside their peers’ in real time. This can be accessed by students and staff whenever convenient.
Comments are moderated by the QAEU and released to the dashboard regularly. This should help speed up data circulation and improve transparency for students. Module Leads can react to feedback more quickly, as they do not need to wait until the end of each Block for feedback to be collected and then several weeks further for reports to be circulated.
Feedback should be constructive – what can we do to make the course better? Negative comments felt to be derogatory and aimed at individuals will be redacted and forwarded to the relevant year or module leads for review and consideration as to whether these should be taken further.
Student feedback on Learning Surveys is presented and treated as anonymous. The QAEU can, in exceptional circumstances where student or patient safety is threatened, request access to the source of individual comments for intervention purposes.
As we continue to improve the feedback processes at UCLMS we aim to analyse the feedback we receive and this may include research projects approved by the UCL ethics committee.
Accessing feedback
Feedback can be accessed by all staff members and students who have an ASR account. Below is a short clip on how to access the live dashboard.
For IT Issues or concerns:
For IT issues contact the ASR helpdesk, for general concerns or queries either mention it in the learning survey free text or speak to your student rep.