The Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey (PTES) is an online survey provided by the Higher Education Academy (HEA), but administered by ourselves. All our students on a postgraduate taught course, studying on campus and at UK partner institutions are included in the population.
What will I be asked?
You’ll be asked to rate the following series of questions with a score of 1 to 5, with 1 being “Definitely Agree”. When answering questions please consider all your experiences at Staffordshire University, from the day you joined us right through to the present day.
Teaching & Learning
- Staff are good at explaining things
- Staff are enthusiastic about what they’re teaching
- The course is intellectually stimulating
- The course has enhance my academic ability
- The learning materials provided on my course are useful
- There is sufficient contact time (in-person or virtual/online) between staff and students to support effective learning
- I am happy with the support for my learning I receive from staff on my course
Engagement
- I am encouraged to ask questions or make contributions in taught sessions (in-person or virtual/online)
- The course has created sufficient opportunities to discuss my work with other students (in-person or virtual/online)
- My course has challenged me to produce my best work
- The workload on my course has been manageable
- I have appropriate opportunities to give feedback on my experience
Community
- I feel part of a community of postgraduate taught students
- I feel a sense of belonging at my institution
- There are sufficient opportunities to interact with other postgraduate taught students
Assessment & Feedback
- The criteria used in marking have been made clear in advance
- Assessment arrangements and marking have been fair
- Feedback on my work has been prompt
- Feedback on my work (written or oral) has been useful
Dissertation or Major Project
- I understand the required standards for the dissertation / major project
- I am happy with the support I received for planning my dissertation / major project (topic selection, project outline, literature search, etc)
- My supervisor has the skills and subject knowledge to adequately support my dissertation / major project
- My supervisor provides helpful feedback on my progress
Organisation & Management
- The timetable fits well with my other commitments
- Any changes in the course or teaching have been communicated effectively
- The course is well organised and is running smoothly
- I was given appropriate guidance and support when I started my course
- I am encouraged to be involved in decisions about how my course is run
Resources
- There is appropriate access to physical library resources and facilities
- There is appropriate access to online library resources
- There is appropriate access to IT resources and facilities when I am on-campus
- I have been able to access subject specific resources (for example, equipment,
facilities, software, materials) necessary for my studies when I am on-campus
- I have been able to access subject specific resources (for example, course materials, software, virtual learning environment) necessary for my studies when I am learning remotely
Support
- The support for academic skills meets my needs (for example, support for your writing, language, subject-specific skills)
- The support for using IT and accessing resources meets my needs (for example, support with accessing online journals and e-books, using digital learning tools/apps)
- The support for my health and wellbeing meets my needs (for example, personal tutor, student support and counselling services)
Skills Development
- As a result of the course I am more confident about independent learning
- My confidence to be innovative or creative has developed during my course
- My research skills have developed during my course
- My ability to communicate information effectively to diverse audiences has developed during my course
- I have been encouraged to think about what skills I need to develop for my career
- As a result of the course I feel better prepared for my future career