Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

StudentSurvey.ie (formerly known as the Irish Survey of Student Engagement) collects responses from undergraduate and taught postgraduate students on their experience of higher education. Since 2019, a similar survey, PostGraduate Research (PGR) StudentSurvey.ie, has also been administered biennially to students enrolled on postgraduate research programmes. These surveys provide invaluable insight into the higher education student experience and, in doing so, ensure higher education institutions are able to support every individual in their learning journey in an informed manner.

In 2023, both surveys were undertaken and the detailed results of these were published on 29th November 2023, reflecting the experiences of over 39,000 taught and over 4,000 research students. The surveys are intended to be of particular use to the institutions who can examine their own results in detail. However, one heartening result was that over half of students in the primary survey responded that the quality of interactions with academic staff was ‘excellent’. Moreover, around 78% of these students evaluated their entire educational experience at their institution as good or excellent.

The project is managed as a collaborative partnership between the Higher Education Authority (HEA), The Irish Universities Association (IUA), the Technological Higher Education Association (THEA), and the Union of Students in Ireland. In accordance with the Steering Group’s decision, the surveys’ questions are reviewed on a regular basis. Most recently, a comprehensive review of the questions was conducted in 2021, the details of which have been published. My Department does not directly sit on the project Steering Group but works with the HEA to ensure that the survey remains a key pillar of the evidence base necessary to inform and guide our tertiary policy.