UPSU Student Opinion Survey 2013

sos university of plymouth students’ union

student opinion survey 2013

OPEN JAN 29th - FEB 25th

COMPLETED AT UPSU.Com

Who Filled Out The Survey 1346 SURVEYS COMPLETED

Year of Study POSTGRADUATE

1st YEAR

2nd YEAR

3rd YEAR

526

{

{

UNDERGRADUATE

PHD

MASTERS

OTHER

94%

407

334

34

35

10

Of survey participants were undergraduates

Nationality

Are You An International Student Visiting The UK To Study?

23

NO

1263

Yes (within the EU) Yes (OUTSIDE the EU)

60 Of the survey participants were from the UK

94%

Dependents

Do You Consider Yourself To Have Any Dependents?

NO 1273

YES 73

95%

Of the survey participants DID NOT consider themselves to have DEPENDENTS

Who Filled Out The Survey Age Group 1 PERSON

UNDER 18

18-21 22-25 26-30 31-49 50+

1014 People 255 People 29 People

75%

42 People

Of the survey participants were aged 18 to 21

5 People

Part Time/Full Time

Home Or Away

Are You a Part Time or Full Time Student?

Would You Describe Yourself as a ‘Home’ or ‘Away’ Student?

26

FULL TIMe

143

PART TIME

1320

Home

1203

99%

AWAY

89%

Of the survey participants were Away Students

Of the survey participants were Full Time Students

Years Spent At University

1

2

4

5 6

7 8

1

2 3 4

36% 1

1

26

120

377

334

480

How Many Years Have You Been At This University, Including This Year?

9

10+

Of the survey participants have studied at the university for two years

Your SU & University Member of The Students Union

Do You Know If You are a Member of The Students’ Union?

Why Are You Not A Member?

Yes: 858

Not Sure: 392

Didn’t think that I would get anything out of it [21] Didn’t Know how to become a member [37] Don’t feel the SU is relevant to me [12] Not sure [26]

No: 96

Democratic Representation

Who Do You Believe To Be Responsible For Democratic Representation?

The Students’ Union

863 191

The University External Provider

11 No Idea 281

64%

Of the survey participants believe the SU is responsible for Democratic Representation

Course Representation

Who Do You Believe To Be Responsible For Course Representation?

818 413 14 The Students’ Union

The University

External Provider

101 No Idea

69%

Of the survey participents did not know that the SU was responsible for Course Representation

Your SU & University Advice Centre

Who Do You Believe To Be Responsible For The Advice Centre?

No Idea [79] The Students Union [736] The University [512]

55%

External Provider [19]

Of the survey participants thought that the Students’ Union was responsible for the Advice Centre.

Nancy Astor Sports Centre

Who Do You Believe To Be Responsible For Nancy Astor Sports Centre?

58%

THE STUDENTS’ UNION

THE UNIVERSITY

[424]

[781]

External Provider [57]

NO IDEA [84]

Of the survey participants thought the University was responsible for Nancy Astor Sports Centre

Student Counselling

Who Do You Believe To Be Responsible For Student Counselling?

NO IDEA

EXTERNAL PROVIDER

59 80 680

THE UNIVERSITY

THE STUDENTS’ UNION

527

51%

Of the survey participants thought the university was responsible for Student Counselling

Your SU & University Rate Nancy Astor Sports Centre [32] Not Aware of this Service [509] NEVER USED THIS SERVICE [5] VERY BAD [52] BAD [133] NEUTRAL [445] GOOD [170] VERY GOOD

55%

Of Nancy Astor’s members rated the service as good

Rate The Advice Centre Not Aware of this Service [53] NEVER USED THIS SERVICE [964]

82%

Of people who used the Advice Centre rated the service as good or very good.

VERY BAD [6] BAD [4] NEUTRAL [49] GOOD [164] VERY GOOD [106]

Rate The U:Shop Service [4] Not Aware of this Service [94] NEVER USED THIS SERVICE [4] VERY BAD [35] BAD [186] NEUTRAL [687] GOOD [336] VERY GOOD

7%

Of survey participants have not used the Shop

Rate The Volunteering Service Not Aware of this Service [94] NEVER USED THIS SERVICE [805]

84%

Of participants who used the Volunteering Service rated it as good or very good.

VERY BAD [0] BAD [7] NEUTRAL [64] GOOD [221] VERY GOOD [155]

Your SU & University Rate The Kitchen [11] Not Aware of this Service [393] NEVER USED THIS SERVICE [5] VERY BAD [36] BAD [168] NEUTRAL [480] GOOD [253] VERY GOOD

78%

Of participants who used The Kitchen rated the service as good or very good

Rate The Hive Service Not Aware of this Service [23]

87%

NEVER USED THIS SERVICE [360]

VERY BAD [2] BAD [11] NEUTRAL [143] GOOD [541] VERY GOOD [266]

Of participants who used The Hive rated the service as good or very good

Rate The PSU Accommodation Service [72] Not Aware of this Service [674] NEVER USED THIS SERVICE [15] VERY BAD [28] BAD [140] NEUTRAL [305] GOOD [112] VERY GOOD

51%

Of survey participants have not used the PSU Accommodation Service

Rate The Lounge Service Not Aware of this Service [41]

19%

Of survey participants have not used the Lounge

NEVER USED THIS SERVICE [262]

VERY BAD [10] BAD [27] NEUTRAL [137] GOOD [618] VERY GOOD [251]

Your SU & University Rate The Bar Service [2] Not Aware of this Service [33] NEVER USED THIS SERVICE [3] VERY BAD [44] BAD [133] NEUTRAL [602] GOOD [529] VERY GOOD

2%

Of survey participants have not used the Bar

Rate C103’s Wednesday Club Night “Boogie Nights” Not Aware of this Service [16] Not attended this event [340] Of survey participants have not attended Boogie Nights

25%

VERY BAD [67] BAD [100] NEUTRAL [202] GOOD [361] VERY GOOD [260]

Rate Oceana’s Monday Club Night “Fuzzy Logic” [14] Not Aware of this Service [246] Not attended this event [45] VERY BAD [72] BAD [156] NEUTRAL [447] GOOD [336] VERY GOOD

18%

Of survey participants have not attended Fuzzy Logic

Rate Oceana’s Thursday Club Night “Sinsation” Not Aware of this Service [23] NEVER USED THIS SERVICE [445]

Of survey participants have not attended Sinsation

33%

VERY BAD [44] BAD [102] NEUTRAL [206] GOOD [371] VERY GOOD [155]

Your SU & University Please Rate UPSU Friday & Saturday Club Nights [11] Not Aware of this Service [122] NEVER USED THIS SERVICE [19] VERY BAD [40] BAD [119] NEUTRAL [484] GOOD [551] VERY GOOD

What Best describes UPSU Commercially?

Price FOCUSED [295] QUALITY FOCUSED [208] VALUE FOR MONEY FOCUSED[843]

Of survey participants felt that UPSU was value for money focused

62%

Your SU & University Would You Recommend UPSU to a Friend?

[1285] YES

[61] No

Would You Recommend Plymouth University to a Friend?

[1299] YES

[47] No

Your Employability & Academic Support What 3 Motivators For Studying At University Are Most Relevant To You? [710] A Necessary Part of Career progression [502] The academic challenge/achievement/qualifications [754] to improve employability [380] TO INCREASE EARNING POTENTIAL [309] FOR AN IMPROVED LIFESTYLE [51] INCREASED RESPECT FROM OTHERS [570] THE SOCIAL LIFE AT UNIVERSITY [320] A DESIRE TO LEARN [320] A DEEP INTEREST IN A PARTICULAR SUBJECT [114] RELEVANT WORK EXPERIENCE/INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITIES [8] MENTORING & GUIDANCE FOR AFTER UNIVERITY [62] LEADERSHIP OF & INVOLVEMENT IN ACTIVITIES & SPORT [128] TRAINING A PRACTICAL SKILS DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES [99] NETWORKING OPPORTUNITIES [161] TO GAIN MORE CONFIDENCE [24] OTHER

Please Indicate Which Areas You Believe The Students’ Union Directly Support Rather Than Simply Work To Ensure That The University Provides Support

[293] Relevant Work Experience/ internships [241] education & qualifications [578] mentoring & guidance [431] help with CV/job applications [817] Leadership of & involvement in activities & sports [768] community volunteering [706] casual paid work [420] training & practical skills development [452] networking opportunities

Your Employability & Academic Support

Do You Currently Have A Job Whilst Studying?

How Many Hours Do You Work On Average Per Week

1 to 10 [218] 11 to 20 [118] 21 to 30 [22]

No: 963

Yes: 383

31 or more [35]

How Should The Students’ Union Be Involved In Supporting Students Academically [65] It Should have nothing to do with academic Support [767] It Should monitor the support provided by the university and call for improvements where necessary [235] it should run its own courses to help with general study [234] it should get more involved in providing individual academic support to students [45] NONE of the Above

Our Representation of You

How Do You Think The Union is Run?

Please Check The Following Statements You Believe To Be True

[49] The UNION Gets a lot of money from the government [492] the union gets a lot of its money from the university [1109] the union gets a lot of its money from the shops, bars & events [379] The university has the final say on what the union does [254] the managers employed by the union make most of the important decisions [1066] THEre are elected students who make the decisions on behalf of all student [724] income raised by the union’s commercial services is re-invested in welfare & other services [374] some of the income raised by the union goes back to the university [216] some of the income raised by the union is shared amongst the staff at the union [478] the union is a charity [271] The union is a normal business [270] The union is a department of the university [89] the nus and the union are the same thing [13] none of the above

Your Views

To what Extent Do You Feel Your Views Are Taken Into Account In Decisions That Are Made At The Students Union?

TO A GREAT EXTENT

247 944

TO SOME EXTENT

155

NOT AT ALL

90%

Of the survey participants felt their views were taken into account

Feedback

How Would You Most Like To Give Feedback On Aspects Of Your Experience At Plymouth Which You Are Not Happy With?

34%

Of the survey participants would like to give feedback via an anonymous card or forum

via course/faculty rep [237] in a face to face meeting with a tutor [132] in a face to face meeting ith union staff [66] via an elected officer [48] via marketing research [103] via e-mail [285] via an anonymous ‘feedback’ card or forum [468] other [7]

Our Representation of You Why Not Vote In The Elections?

What Are The 3 Main Reasons You, As A Student And Member Of UPSU, Do Not Vote In Elections?

[530] Don’t Have Time to learn about the candidate/issues [159] Don’t have the time to vote [138] Not interested in the Union generally [240] The candidates will all be about the same [105] Nothing ever gets done anyway [62] I don’t feel the Union is a place for me [189] I don’t know how to vote [216] I don’t understand what the elections are for [465] I usually just forget [52] Other [394] I do vote [227] I am a first year and haven’t had the opportunity yet

Your Sabbatical Officers & Course Reps How Many Of Your Sabbatical Officers Are You Aware Of

342

111

ONE

TWO

79

96

162

Three

FOUR

FiVE

556 NONE

Do You Know What A Sabbatical Officer Does Do You Know How To Get In Contact With A Sabbatical Officer?

932 414 YES

NO

YES [218] NO [118] Never heard of them [22]

Do You Know At Least One Of Your Course Reps?

1145

201

YES

NO

Do You Know What A Course Rep Does?

1070

134

142

YES

NO

NOT SURE

Your Clubs, Societies, Sports & Recreation How Would You Rate Your Current Level Of Involvement With The Students’ Union Student Run Sports Clubs & Societies?

Too Expensive [133]

Why Are You Not Involved?

Committee Member or Involved in Running One: 205

Attend Events Regularly: 287

Attend Event Occasionally: 408

Not Involved At All: 446

Conflicts with other commitments [202] not interested/none of them appeal to me [134] I’m not sure how to become a member [44] DOn’t Feel Welcome As they are cliquey [138] Missed Freshers’ week and feel i have missed the opportunity [100]

I wasn’t aware of this service [21]

How Would You Rate The Nancy Astor Sports Centre Classes?

Not Aware of this Service [13] NEVER USED THIS SERVICE [938]

Of participants have never used the Sports Centre Classes

VERY BAD [7] BAD [9] NEUTRAL [48] GOOD [202] VERY GOOD [129]

70%

Would You Be Interested In Taking A Nutrition / Weight Loss Class?

818

Yes [654] NO [692]

49%

Of the survey participants would be interested in taking a nutrition/ weight loss class

Your Clubs, Societies, Sports & Recreation

How Would You Rate The Students’ Union StudentRun Sports Clubs & Societies?

[10] Not Aware of this Service [399] NEVER USED THIS SERVICE [7] VERY BAD [23] BAD [155] NEUTRAL [458] GOOD [294] VERY GOOD

How Would You Rate The Activators Sports Classes & Activities

VERY GOOD [62]

GOOD [163]

Neutral [79]

BAD [2]

VERY BAD [4]

NEVER USED THIS SERVICE [881]

NOT AWARE OF THIS SERVICE [155]

What Is Your Primary Reason For Choosing To Become A Member Of The Plymouth University Gym?

75%

Of the survey participants were not a member of Nancy Astor Gym

Other [7] Price [99] Atmosphere [3] Number of classes [23] Variety of equipment [10] Recommendation from others[21] 1.2.1 Support and service [4] Location [146] Choice of class [27] Not a member [1006]

Your Clubs, Societies, Sports & Recreation

Which Do You Use The Most?

Don’t use gym [868]

Group Exercise Classes [84]

Cardio Equipment [214]

Spin Classes [19]

Free Weights [112]

Kettlebell classes [0]

Resistance Equipment [30]

Other [19]

What Equipment Or Services Should We Invest In? (Tick as many as you wish) [581] Cardio Equipment [406] Free Weights [300] Resistance Equipment [454] Group Exercise Classes [271] Spin classes [162] Kettlebell classes [305] Rowers [183] Steppers [398] Treadmills [128] Other

Your Community To What Extent Do You Feel Part Of Your Course Community?

To What Extent Do You Feel Part Of The Campus Community?

1014 People

159

241

262 450

737 843

To What Extent Do You Feel Part Of The University Community?

163

To What Extent Do You Feel Part Of The Wider Plymouth Community?

123

344 524

699 839

To What Extent Do You Feel Part Of The Students’ Union Community?

243

314

789

TO A GREAT EXTENT

TO SOME EXTENT

not at all

Your Community How Important Is It To You That The Union Is Directly Involved In Supporting Your Views On University And Campus Issues?

How Important Is It To You That The Union Is Directly Involved In Supporting Your Views On Issues Across Plymouth Or The Neighbourhood Where You Live?

63 237 414 563

720 695

How Important Is It To You That The Union Is Directly Involved In Supporting Your Views On Issues Relating To Government Policy On Education?

How Important Is It To You That The Union Is Directly Involved In Supporting Your Views On Issues Across The UK?

140 317

319

596 610

710

How Important Is It To You That The Union Is Directly Involved In Supporting Your Views On Global Issues?

How Important Is It To You That The Union Is Directly Involved In Supporting Your Views on Issues Relating To Your Academic Course?

143

272

413

493

710

661

very important

somewhat important

not at all important