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FAQs for participants
- Why should I complete the survey?
Your institution is participating in the Australasian Survey of Student Engagement (AUSSE), because they need to know more about your experience at your institution - the kinds of activities in which you engage, your interactions with staff and other students, future study intentions and your perceptions of quality. Without this information it is very difficult for staff at your institution to identify areas where improvements can and should be made. By completing the survey, you have a chance to make your voice held and to contribute to your institution's ability to improve the experience of students like you.
Unlike some other surveys, your institution has chosen to participate in the AUSSE. It is not compulsory for higher education institutions to participate in the AUSSE. The fact that your institution has chosen to participate in the AUSSE indicates that there are people at your institution who are interested in what you have to say, and in the results of the survey.
- Are you only surveying students and staff at my institution?
The Australasian Survey of Student Engagement (AUSSE) has been run with many Australasian universities and other higher education providers each year since 2007. In 2010, 53 institutions have chosen to take part in the AUSSE, and over 200,000 students and 10,000 academic staff will be invited to respond to the surveys.
- What will my institution do with the results?
Your institution will use the information from the Australasian Survey of Student Engagement (AUSSE) in many different ways. Most institutions will share the results from the survey in summary form with teaching staff, senior managers and student groups. Most institutions will use the data to inform ways to improve students' experience at their institution and enhance teaching and learning.
- What will ACER do with the results?
The information collected from students and teaching staff will be used in several ways. First, your responses will be combined with those of others at your institution and summarised in aggregate. ACER produces Institution Reports based on these aggregated responses which are provided to your institution along with a data file containing the results from the survey. Your institution will be able to examine the information to understand more about the student experience at your institution, including understanding more about how students are spending their time and their thoughts about educational quality. Having this information allows people at your institution to identify areas for improvement, and make changes to enhance students' experience.
These aggregate results will also be used by your institution to make comparisons with other institutions both within Australia and New Zealand and internationally. These comparisons with different benchmark groups will also help your institution improve students' experience by learning more about the similarities and differences at other institutions.
ACER also aggregates your responses with those of all other students and staff who respond to the surveys throughout Australasia. These responses are then reported yearly in the publicly available Australasian Student Engagement Report, and in many other shorter Research Briefings and papers. These reports are all available in the Reports section.
- What is the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER)?
ACER is an independent and not-for-profit national agency undertaking educational research and development across the school, higher education and VET sectors.
- Who is in charge of the AUSSE?
The Australasian Survey of Student Engagement (AUSSE) is run by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) in conjunction with participating higher education institutions. The AUSSE is directed by Associate Professor Hamish Coates with assistance from Ms Ali Radloff. They are supported by many others at ACER and at your institution who help with the administration of the surveys and the analysis and reporting of the results.
- How long does the survey take to complete?
All of the AUSSE surveys - the Student Engagement Questionnaire (SEQ), Postgraduate Student Engagement Questionnaire (PSEQ) and Staff Student Engagement Questionnaire (SSEQ), each take approximately 15 minutes to complete.
- Why have I been invited to participate in this survey?
At most participating institutions the survey is being completed by a random sample of students, however some institutions have chosen to survey all first-year, third-year and possibly also all postgraduate coursework students.
The Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) has randomly selected you from a de-identified student list provided by your institution. ACER does not have any private or personal information about you. Invitations to participate are sent to you by your institution, and all responses are returned directly to ACER which is an independent non-profit research organisation. ACER is not able to identify individual respondents. Participating institutions and ACER do not identify individual respondents in reports.
- What is the Australasian Survey of Student Engagement (AUSSE)?
The Australasian Survey of Student Engagement (AUSSE) is a survey run by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) in conjunction with participating higher education institutions. The AUSSE is a survey designed for students to provide information about their study experience, and asks about your views on the quality of education provided, and how you spend your time.
The AUSSE has been run in Australian and New Zealand universities and higher education institutions since 2007. In 2010, over 50 institutions are participating and over 200,000 students will be invited to complete the survey.
