Effective student communications as a route for boosting engagement in student surveys – a National Student Survey case study

The National Student Survey (NSS), introduced in 2005, provides an opportunity to comprehensively gather feedback from UK undergraduate students. Given the survey results feed into league tables and how the Office for Students regulates universities, the survey is generally taken seriously by higher education institutions. This article provides a case study of how partnership working by student communications professionals at a London-based university contributed to improvements in the response rates and student voice scores within the NSS. The case study, reporting thematic enhancements over a six-year period, discusses how partnership working led to the creation of an institution-wide Student Voice Action Group, and how communications approaches adjusted the focus of messaging, incentives and channel-mix. The case study provides provocations to practitioners seeking to improve student engagement with feedback mechanisms beyond just the National Student Survey; including efficiently utilising digital student communications channels to save on staff resources and campaign costs.

© 2025 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group
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