The Postgraduate Research Experience Survey 2011
Thank you to everyone who completed the 2011 survey. The next survey will run in 2013.
The Postgraduate Research Experience Survey (PRES) is a national online survey run by the Higher Education Academy. The survey asks postgraduate research (PGR) students about different aspects of their programme, in order to help improve the quality of postgraduate research degree provision in the future. The University of Sheffield participated in the survey for the first time in 2011.
Results from PRES 2011
What you told us:
- 86.7% of you said that your overall experience of your research degree programme met or exceeded your expectations (higher than the average result of comparable universities participating in the survey).
- Satisfaction with supervision was high across the Faculties; in particular, more than 80% of you said your supervisors make a real effort to understand any difficulties you face, and have the skills and subject knowledge to support your research.
- You were generally satisfied with your skills development; more than 80% of you agreed that your experience so far had improved your analytical skills and your ability to learn independently, although some of you felt that you had not received adequate opportunity to develop your transferable skills.
- You were fairly satisfied with the facilities and infrastructure provided to support your research, although some of you felt that there should be more financial and technical support for your research.
- You were fairly satisfied with your understanding of the goals and standards expected of you, although some of you were less clear about the requirements of the examination.
- You were less satisfied with aspects of the 'intellectual climate' provided to support you in your research; in particular, some of you (particularly those of you based away from Sheffield) did not feel integrated into your department's research community.
- Some of you did not feel that you had been encouraged to think about the career opportunities available to you and to reflect on your professional and career development needs.
- Whilst many of you were clear about your responsibilities as a research student, some of you were not sure about the University's responsibilities towards you, or who you should approach if you were dissatisfied with any aspect of your programme. In addition, some of you did not feel that the University values and responds to feedback from research students.
- Some of you did not feel that you had had adequate opportunity to gain teaching experience, or adequate support and guidance for your teaching (although of those of you who did undertake teaching, most felt that it was a worthwhile aspect of your programme).
What we are doing (so far) in response:
- Departments' provision for PGRs was considered in detail during meetings with every department in 2010, focussing on many of the issues that have been raised in the survey (such as 'intellectual climate' and preparing students for the examination). Since those meetings, a wide range of the good practices that were identified have been made 'essential practices' which all departments are expected to implement during the 2011-12 year. In addition, further good practices have been shared across departments with a view to as many of these as possible being put in place. The Code of Practice for Research Degree Programmes 2011-12 sets out the full details.
- Each Faculty's PGR committee has been asked to consider the Faculty's results in detail, and to consider a number of priority issues that were highlighted in the survey (including how to ensure that PGR students have adequate opportunities to gain experience of teaching, adequate support and guidance for their teaching, and financial and technical support for research activities).
- Each department has been asked to address a range of priority issues that were highlighted in the survey (including the need for supervisors to ensure that their PGR students are aware of the University's responsibilities towards them and who they should approach if they are dissatisfied with any element of their research degree programme, as well as the issue of how best to obtain feedback from their PGR students and communicate back to students any actions that have been undertaken as a result, and how best to ensure that students based away from Sheffield are integrated as fully as possible into the department's research community).
- The University will continue to participate in the Postgraduate Research Experience Survey (which will run next in 2013), in order to ensure that student feedback is obtained at an institutional level, and will continue to post information about the results and actions being undertaken via this webpage.
- The Doctoral Development Programme (DDP) was launched for new PGR students at the start of the 2010-11 year, to replace the previous Research Training Programme. The DDP aims to provide PGR students with a range of skills and competency-based training opportunities orientated both towards their own research and towards future employment, equipping them with transferrable skills that will make them not only a successful researcher, but will also extend employability to other professions. As a result of the feedback from PRES 2011, the DDP will be enhanced to ensure that students are encouraged to reflect on their professional and career development needs.
- A new professional development programme, the Sheffield Teaching Assistant, has been introduced for postgraduates and early career researchers with teaching responsibilities. Further details can be found at www.shef.ac.uk/lets/sta.
Further feedback
If you have any suggestions or ideas that you'd like to share to help us improve the experience for our postgraduate research students, please get in touch with the Quality and Governance Team in Research & Innovation Services, or your own department or PGR student representative.
18 November 2011