External review of Insert name of college

About the learner engagement questionnaire

Dear Students’ Association,

The purpose of this document is to explain why Education Scotland is asking you to consider the issues in the learner engagement questionnaire.  It also provides you with some guidance on using the questionnaire.

As part of the external review of Insert name of college , the Education Scotland team wishes to find out the views of learners in your college regarding how well the college is meeting their needs.  The team also wants to discover how well the college actively seeks out, listens to and acts on learners’ views.  This process of college managers and staff working closely with learners to make improvements is known as learner engagement and is one of the three key principles of the Education Scotland quality framework for external review of Scotland’s colleges.  

How well are learners engaged in enhancing their own learning and the work and life of the college?

Most of the answers to this question will be sought during the review week when the Education Scotland team, including the Student Team Member (STM), will have discussions with staff and learners.  Meanwhile, we would like to hear your views prior to the review to help the review team to focus on key points for discussion during the review week.  Therefore, we would ask you to complete the attached questionnaire, which is designed to capture and reflect the collective views of the whole student body across the college, not your own personal views. 

Prior to the external review, the STM will contact you to ensure that you are clear about what to do.  He or she will answer any questions you may have.  During the external review, we shall ask you, in more detail, how you involved the learners in your college in completing the questionnaire.

Learners’ views are very important and will greatly inform significant aspects of the review of the college.  We ask you to use this opportunity to provide us with a clear, accurate and comprehensive picture of student life in your college.

Guidance on completion of the learner engagement questionnaire

Learner Participation

•	Education Scotland would like as many learners as possible to participate in completing the learner questionnaire. 
•	Learners on all levels of programme, from a cross-section of the learner population, should be represented, (for example, learners from access and NC/HN programmes, full-time and part-time; day/evening/flexible learning and any outreach activity).  Try to include as many of these categories as you can.
•	It may be helpful to consider organising a series of focus groups led by student representatives, who would be familiar with the questions and should be able to direct the discussions.
•	The views expressed should be those of the group and not those of any single individual.

The questionnaire

•	The open-ended nature of the questions should help you to elicit a comprehensive response.  
•	Below each question, there is a series of prompts, which could be used to promote discussion if necessary and should be used as a checklist to ensure key points are covered.
•	Learners may wish to provide additional information and should be allowed to do so.

Recording learner views

•	Only provide responses for those questions for which learners feel they can provide valid information and views that are relevant to their college.  It is not necessary to write something for every question.
•	The learners’ views should be recorded either as a narrative or as a series of bullet points.  You should use the layout of the questionnaire as a template for your response.
•	Where a series of focus groups has been conducted, you should collate the responses of all the groups into a single response.  
•	You may wish to ask the college to assist you in collating the response, or you may prefer to do it on your own, as a Students’ Association.  As a matter of courtesy, you may wish to share your findings with the college principal.
•	You should detail how you went about seeking the views of learners and give an indication of how many learners participated in this process.

Using the information gathered

During the external review, the STM and others in the review team will explore aspects of high quality learning, learner engagement and quality culture.  In all three of these areas they will review the ways in which learners are enabled to contribute to decision making in the college as well as contributing to the evaluation and improvement of aspects of college life. 

The completed questionnaire will be considered by the Managing Inspector and the STM.  It will assist them to identify areas on which to focus during the external review.

Please return the completed questionnaire to:

Insert Managing Inspectors Name
Contact details (telephone and email)

And

Insert Student Team Members Name
Contact details (telephone and email)

By Insert return date

Learner engagement questionnaire
External review of Insert name of college

Section one:  Questions about high quality learning

Guidance and Support:  Is the information, guidance and support you receive meeting learner needs?

Below are some suggested prompts.  Just answer the ones for which you have information.

•	How prepared did learners feel on the first day of their programme?  Think about things such as the range of programmes offered, the learning and teaching approaches used in the programme, induction activities and financial and additional support provided by the college.

•	How well are learners supported by teaching staff during their programme?

•	How well are learners supported in other ways?  Consider things such as finance, personal welfare, and additional learning support.

•	How well are learners supported in preparing for their next steps beyond college? Consider things such as advice about further studies, progression to higher education, preparation for employment, or volunteering opportunities.

Programme of Study:  Do the programmes of study you are undertaking suit learners’ needs?

Below are some suggested prompts.  Just answer the ones for which you have information.

•	Now that learners have been studying on their programmes for some time, to what extent are programmes as they expected them to be?  Are learners satisfied with their programmes?  Consider the information given prior to starting.

•	Are the programmes sufficiently flexible to suit learners’ personal circumstances? Consider things like allowing for childcare arrangements, hospital appointments, caring for dependants, work commitments etc.

Relationships:  Are all learners treated equally?

Below are some suggested prompts.  Just answer the ones for which you have information.

•	Do learners feel valued in your college?  

•	What are relationships like between learners and staff?  How respectful are they?

•	In what ways does the college promote equality and diversity?  Consider issues of race, disability, gender, age, sexual orientation, and belief.  Consider different cultures in the learner population. 

Learning and Teaching:  How well do you think you are learning?  How well do you feel you are taught?

Below are some suggested prompts.  Just answer the ones for which you have information.

•	How do learners rate the resources that the college has provided for programmes of study?  Consider things like access to IT, library resources, technical equipment, and specialist classrooms/workshops.

•	To what extent are learners involved in deciding how they learn and how lessons are planned?  Give examples, where possible.

•	In what ways do teaching staff invite feedback from learners on how lessons have gone?

•	How well do teaching staff make learning interesting, motivating and challenging?

•	In what ways do teaching staff promote sustainability with learners?

•	Are assessments carried out regularly and planned well in advance?  Please explain.
  
•	Are assessments carried out in different ways e.g. open/closed book, essay, multiple choice?  Please explain.

•	Do assessment arrangements take in to account any support needs learners may have?  Please explain.

•	Do assessments help learners to track their progress and identify areas for development?  Please explain.

•	Are learners provided with opportunities to review their progress?   Please explain.

•	Do learners take part in other activities to support their learner?  Consider employment links, work placements, volunteering, and participation in award schemes.

•	How do the college and the teaching staff promote health and wellbeing of learners?  Please give examples.    

Section two:  Questions about learner engagement and quality culture

Learner Engagement:  To what extent are you enabled to express your views on aspects of college life and how the college operates? 

Below are some suggested prompts.  Just answer the ones for which you have information.

Students’ Association and learner representation

•	To what extent is the Students’ Association and class representative system active in the college?

•	How do learners find out about the work of the Students’ Association and the class representative system?

•	Do learners contribute regularly to Course Team Meetings (or equivalent)?  How does this work?

•	How do college managers support the Students’ Association?

•	On which college committees do learner representatives sit?  In what ways are they encouraged to express the learners’ views?

•	How well are they trained and supported to do this work?

•	In what ways is the college involved with other organisations which support student activity (e.g. Sparqs, NUS)

Action and feedback

•	How do college staff listen to learners’ views and act on them?

•	How do learners find out about actions arising from their feedback and suggestions?

•	In what ways can learners influence things that happen in college (such as sitting on Board of Management committees etc)?

Section three:  Please make further comment, on behalf of your peers, if desired

Thank you for your help.