• Section 1 - Purpose and Context
• Section 2 - Definitions
• Section 3 - Policy Statement
• Student Feedback on Subjects (SFS) and Student Feedback on Teaching (SFT) Surveys
• Internal and External Occasional Student Surveys
• Section 4 - Procedures
• Section 5 - Guidelines

Section 1 - Purpose and Context

(1) The University recognises the importance of obtaining feedback from students and graduates as a critical evidence-based approach to improving the quality of the University's curriculum, teaching, and the student experience.

(2) The University is committed to providing opportunities for all students to offer feedback on their educational experiences.

(3) The University collects feedback from students using a variety of mechanisms, including surveys, polls and focus groups, and participates in national surveys of students and graduates and is committed to ensuring that these mechanisms are of the highest quality, fit for purpose and utilised by the University for improvement purposes.

(4) This policy and its associated procedures provide the principles and framework for the collection of student feedback through:

1. optimising frequency and timing to reduce the burden on participants and to maximise response rates
2. utilising existing survey data wherever possible to prevent duplication and over-surveying of students
3. ensuring high standards of design and implementation, fit for purpose, including protection of privacy and confidentiality
4. ensuring student feedback is used to inform monitoring, reviewing and improvements in learning and teaching, and the student experience based on the Higher Education Standards Framework (Threshold Standards) 2021.

(5) The collection design and administration processes used ensure that any personal or health information relating to individuals is collected, stored, accessed, used and managed in accordance with the University's Privacy Policy and Privacy Management Plan.

(6) This policy applies to all feedback collections that gather information from the University's students or graduates (referred to in this Policy as ‘students’) about the student experience of learning, teaching, curricular and co-curricular activities, as characterised below:

1. Sector Surveys (Government Endorsed Benchmarking surveys)
2. Internal Quality Assurance surveys (Student Feedback on Teaching ( SFT) and Student Feedback on Subjects (SFS) surveys)
3. Internal occasional surveys as requested by University staff and students for a specific internal purpose and administered to a defined cohort of students at a set time
4. Approved external occasional surveys as requested by an external party for a specific purpose, administered to a specific cohort of students at a set time.

(7) This policy does not apply to:

1. surveys conducted for academic research projects approved by the University Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC) and/or conducted under the Research Conducted by External Parties Approval Policy
2. survey-based learning and teaching activities conducted as part of the curriculum, and not intended for dissemination outside the University (e.g., online surveys for reflection and discussion within a class group or use of synchronous polling tools in class)
3. surveys of prospective students i.e., those who have not enrolled in Australian higher education awards with Western Sydney University and/or its third-party providers
4. transaction-based service ratings following the provision of specific services (e.g., service ratings on completion of a service ticket or provision of Student Services).

(8) This policy should be read in conjunction with the Academic Promotions Policy, Academic Staff Agreement 2022, Code of Conduct, Health Safety and Wellbeing Policy, Privacy Policy, Privacy Management Plan, Records and Archives Management Policy, Research Conducted by External Parties Approval Policy, Student Code of Conduct and Learning and Teaching Policy.

Section 2 - Definitions

(9) For the purpose of this policy, definitions that apply can be found in the Policy DDS Glossary, in addition to the following:

1. External occasional student surveys means those surveys requested by an external party for a specific purpose, administered to a specific cohort of students at a set time.
2. HDR means Higher Degree Research.
3. HREC means Human Research Ethics Committee.
4. Internal occasional student surveys means those surveys requested by University staff and students for a specific internal purpose and administered to a defined cohort of students at a set time.
5. Sector Survey means a survey delivered to students where the University's participation is pertinent to institutional rankings or government reporting.
6. Students means those individuals enrolled in an award subject or program at Western Sydney University or one of its third-party providers and includes graduates.
7. Survey means a method of primary data capture, including but not limited to interviews, questionnaires, polls, and focus groups, whether delivered online, through electronic devices, paper-based forms or in person.

Section 3 - Policy Statement

(10) Data captured under this policy must be quality assured, reliable, and capable of producing evidence-based, actionable insights that support the University in realising the goals of the Sustaining Success Strategic Plan 2021-2026.

(11) All surveys must meet the University's Ethics, Data Governance and Privacy practices.

(12) All surveys will:

1. adhere to the University's legislative obligations under Fair Trading NSW
2. adhere to any requirements of the relevant Academic Staff Agreement.

(13) The conducting of surveys will be prioritized in accordance with the Student Survey Procedures or as advised by the Vice-Chancellor and President.

(14) University staff promoting student feedback collections must not offer incentives for giving feedback that would unfairly advantage or disadvantage students academically.

(15) When scheduling surveys, assessment and vacation periods for the target population, will be avoided wherever possible.

(16) Students are expected to:

1. contribute constructive feedback through all surveys and
2. provide feedback that is free from racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia or abusive intent, in accordance with the University's Student Code of Conduct and related policies.

(17) Feedback that contains racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia or abusive intent, will not be reported.

Student Feedback on Subjects (SFS) and Student Feedback on Teaching (SFT) Surveys

(18) Subjects will be surveyed in every teaching period they are offered using the University-approved standardised SFS survey, except where special circumstances apply.

(19) Teaching will be surveyed at least annually for every teacher, using the University-approved standardised SFT survey, except where special circumstances apply.

(20) The SFS and SFT questions will be reviewed annually, by nominees of Academic Senate Education Committee and Competitive Intelligence and Analytics and will be approved by Academic Senate Education Committee.

(21) Tests for validity and analysis of the SFS and SFT survey instruments and the response data will be undertaken every two years by the Office of the Pro Vice-Chancellor, Learning and Teaching for process improvements. This information will be reported to Academic Senate Education Committee.

(22) Results from SFS surveys will be reported to stakeholders, including students and staff, as per the Student Feedback Procedures, along with targets and plans for improvement, in a rolling cycle of improving the quality of subjects.

(23) Results from SFT surveys will be reported to individual staff as per the Student Feedback Procedures for continual improvement and to support academic promotion (refer Academic Promotions Policy).

(24) Aggregated findings of SFT surveys that relate to the quality of the student experience at the University may be reported and used by the University for any purpose related to marketing or improving the student experience (refer to the Student Feedback Procedures).

(25) Schools will provide SFS Standards Exception reports to Education Committee twice per year.

(26) Schools or responsible divisional units will implement and inform students of the improvement strategies identified as an outcome of SFS or SFT surveys.

Internal and External Occasional Student Surveys

(27) Internal and External Occasional Student surveys are governed by this Policy and the Student Feedback Procedures (refer also the Internal and External Occasional Student Surveys Guidelines).

(28) Internal and External Occasional Student surveys are approved by the relevant Senior Executive Group executive sponsor in consultation with the Pro Vice-Chancellor, Student and University Planning and reported to Education Committee.

(29) Internal and External Occasional Student surveys will be approved where the specific purpose:

1. meets an aspect of the University's Sustaining Success Strategic Plan 2021-2026 or strong community need
2. provides data that is not already collected or already exists
3. will not contribute to survey fatigue for the target response group.

Section 4 - Procedures

(30) The proposer of all surveys should seek advice to determine whether ethics approval is required from the Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC). Refer to the Research Ethics and Integrity webpage.

(31) All surveys approved under this Policy will be administered according to the Student Feedback Procedures.

(32) Disputes about the use of survey data, not resolved by the School/Divisional unit, must be referred to the Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor, who will mediate and advise on available dispute procedures.

(33) Records of the approval, conduct and results of surveys under this policy will be maintained in accordance with the Records and Archives Management Policy.

Section 5 - Guidelines

(34) Refer to the Internal and External Occasional Student Surveys Guidelines.