Snakes and League Table Ladders The Value of Campus Facilities In The Student Experience September, 2018 The Value Of Campus Facilities In The Student Experience September, 2018 Contents Hassell Contact 61 Little Collins Street Michaela Sheahan Melbourne VIC Australia 3000 Senior Researcher T +61 3 8102 3000 [email protected] hassellstudio.com +61 03 8102 3132 @hassell_studio 1. Headline Findings 4 2. Who's Measuring What? 6 3. National Surveys Analysis 8 4. What Role Do Facilities Play? 15 5. Case Studies 18 6. Conclusion 32 7. References 33 Hassell believes that good Acknowledgements University of Leeds, United Kingdom We would like to thank the university – Stewart Ross, Director, Commercial and design can positively representatives for their time and insights: Campus Services; Michele Troughton, Head of Estate Planning; Michael Fake, Head of influence the student UCL (University College London), United Learning and Customer Services (Library; Kingdom Joanna Hynes, Deputy Director, Campus experience. – Ben Meunier, Director of Operations, Library Support Services Services,; Jay Woodhouse, Facilities and This research explores Project Manager, Library Services; June University of Newcastle, Australia Hedges, Head of Liaison and Support Mark Kirby, Manager, Planning and Quality how the student Services, Library Services; Katherine Fletcher, Senior Academic Planning – Greg Anderson, University Librarian; Meri experience is measured, Coordinator, UCL East Butler, Campus Strategy Manager; Professor Liz Burd, Pro Vice Chancellor (Learning and and the importance that University of New South Wales, Australia Teaching) universities and student – Professor Geoff Crisp, Pro Vice Chancellor University of Surrey, United Kingdom (Education) place, amongst all the – Michele Facer, Head of Strategic Space University of Sheffield, United Kingdom Management; Craig Lowe, Head of Student Support Services; Dr. Rick Woods, Associate indicators, on the campus – Alison Little, Associate Director, Learning Dean, Faculty of Engineering and Physical environment. Strategy and Student Engagement; Anne Sciences; Caroline Thomas, Director, Horn, Director, Library Services and Library and Learning Support Services; University Librarian; Keith Lilley, Director, James Newby, Director, Traded Services and Estates and Facilities Management; Heather Business Support; Harri ap Rees, Director, Crookes, Digital and Stakeholder Liaison Student Services and Administration and Coordinator Deputy Registrar Electrical Engineering Building, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia Photography by Brett Boardman Hassell © Section 1 HEADLINE FINDINGS their students’ educational journeys, Universities are striving to demonstrate their unique and the importance of the campus qualities, strengths and, more pragmatically, their ability environment in those responses. to improve in league tables in order to attract the best, From analysis of different student surveys, and interviews with key and more, students. university representatives, two critical insights emerge: Experience counts attraction and retention of students, Æ Governments, universities satisfaction, engagement, graduate and students view the student As competition for students outcomes, league table rankings etc.. experience differently, but all intensifies, the term Student For this project, the student have value for money as a core Experience is seemingly everywhere experience is defined as the concern in university strategic documents the sum of three distinct but related Æ High quality facilities play a world over. components: direct role in student attraction, This competition is a consequence and an indirect role in student Æ University brand of the commodification of higher satisfaction Æ Social, learning and support education, and has profound activities undertaken by students implications for how, when, and Æ Spaces in which these take place These insights provide food for why education is delivered. It is also thought for decision makers who affecting how universities design strive to improve their university their buildings and campuses. Within this framework we explore in the league tables of student the growing trend of measuring There are many angles from which experience. student experience, the responses of to view the student experience, and universities to maintain or improve many indicators to measure it - University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia 4 The Value Of Campus Facilities In The Student Experience September, 2018 Snakes and League Table Ladders Universities that do well in student The combined evidence suggest that campus facilities experience rankings give their play a direct role in student attraction, and an indirect students: role in satisfaction. 1. Capacity For many universities the most Surveys: What student While the extent of questions relating pressing issue in facilities to facilities is limited and very management is providing sufficient experience means on paper general, many universities conduct capacity for students to remain on further surveys to obtain more detail Universities have measured student campus between and beyond lectures on facility related information, which satisfaction as a matter of course for - put simply, somewhere to sit. Study can be used to formulate funding decades through short surveys at the space, whether in discipline specific applications and strategic plans completion of each unit of study. buildings, or more general areas such for campus and student services as the library, is a priority in estate More recently, overall satisfaction development. development. with the university experience has Teaching quality is particularly under been measured by governments in the spotlight as a major point of questionnaires such as the National 2. Choice difference, but it is not the only factor Student Survey in the UK, and the in students’ perceptions of whether Once universities have sufficient Student Engagement Survey in their time and fees at university have study space capacity (as measured Australia. been well spent. against their peer institutions), Student surveys are also gaining providing choice in how, when, what A university must now explicitly popularity for privately funded and where their students study demonstrate value for money publications such as the Good is a critical factor in satisfying a through its graduate outcomes (one Universities Guide in Australia, the diverse student population with high tangible measure of teaching quality) Princeton Review in the US, and the expectations of value for money. but also its brand, institutional Times Higher Education league tables rankings, student retention, and in the UK. campus environment, amongst other 3. Co-operation These combine national survey data indicators. Those universities with a highly with other measures to produce rated student experience seek to overall comparisons of institutions for understand, and act upon the needs prospective students. Interviews: What student of different cohorts, as identified by These surveys are important for experience means in the students themselves. universities in two ways – they They provide services and facilities provide an opportunity to understand practice that support transitions (for first the opinions of current and Three themes relating to an optimal year, first-in-family or international finishing students to enable quality student experience consistently students), affordable and high quality improvements, and they act as a arose in interviews with university residential accommodation, pastoral comparative tool to help prospective representatives. Each of the themes care, industry placement, and out of students choose where they will has a direct link to the campus hours access to library services. study. environment, and is explored in case studies of the participating The three most effective mechanisms universities. to identify needs are student surveys, focus groups, and a strong relationship between the university and the student union. Hassell © 5 Section 2 WHO'S MEASURING WHAT? "There will be twenty Vice Chancellors in the UK who Data say their university is in the top ten. And they will all The research includes analysis of the be right, because they will be looking at different following data: Æ Interviews of 23 Executive, league tables." Estates and Library staff from six Keith Lilley, Director Estates and universities Facilities Management, University of Sheffield Æ National student experience surveys Æ Canadian University Survey Consortium, Canada Method Participating institutions Æ National Survey of Student This study compares seven national Æ University College London, UK Engagement, US/Canada/Ireland student experience surveys in the UK, Æ University of New South Wales, Æ National Student Survey, UK Australia and North America, and Australia Æ QILT Student Experience Survey, how universities in Australia and the Æ University of Sheffield, UK Australia UK respond to them Æ University of Leeds, UK Æ The Princeton Review, US Æ Æ Times Higher Education Student Research questions University of Surrey, UK Æ University of Newcastle, Australia Experience Survey, UK Æ How do universities and peak Æ The Good Universities Guide, bodies measure student Australia experience? Æ Which aspects of the campus Student barbecue, environment are most critical to University of New South Wales, the student experience? Sydney, Australia 6 The Value Of Campus Facilities In The Student Experience September,