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Contents
Contents
Section 1: Students
Pre-survey email
Survey open
Reminder email
Final reminder
Follow-up email
Section 2: Departmental colleagues (Heads of Department, Programme and Course Leaders)
Pre-survey email
Survey open
Reminder email
Final reminder
Follow-up email
Section 3: Other staff
University communications and marketing teams
Department Administrators
Library Communications / Administrators
Student union
Course reps
Section 1: Students
Personalised and informal emails to students are one of the most effective ways of increasing response rates. Institutions that get high response rates typically email students at least every fortnight, and some email every week. It should be made clear that the student can always opt out if they do not wish to complete the survey.
Pre-survey email
[Tell us your thoughts about your course and win [insert incentive] – postgraduate survey 2015]
[Coming soon – The Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey 2015]
[Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey 2015]
Dear [name],
We’re keen to make sure our postgraduate students have the best possible experience while studying with us. To do this, we need to know what you think works well and what we could do better.
We will be emailing you shortly to invite you to complete this year’s Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey. Please take a few minutes to take part.
The survey is your chance to tell us about your experience as a postgraduate student at [institution].
Your feedback is important. The Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey is the only national survey of postgraduate students and so isthe only way for us to compare how we are doing against the national average and to make changes that will improve postgraduate students’ experience in the future.
The more students that take part the better we can do that.
The survey will open on [insert date]. It will take around 15 minutes to complete. Your feedback is [confidential to the research team and any reporting will be anonymous / entirely anonymous]
[[As a thank you for your time, [insert details of any incentive or prize draw.]]
If you would like to know more about the survey, please visit: [web address]. [You can see examples of changes that have been made as a result of previous surveys at [link]]. [or As a result of feedback to previous surveys, we have [insert examples of changes that have been made.]]
I hope you take the opportunity to get involved this year and help us make improvements to the course for students like you.
Best wishes,
[Name of sender] [Email address]
[Job title, Location]
Survey open
[Please tell us your thoughts about your course and win a [insert details of incentive]] or
[How is it going? Let us know in the Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey 2015] or
[Please tell us about your experience in the Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey 2015] or
[Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey 2015 – have you told us your thoughts?] or
[Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey 2015 – survey now open]
[Dear/Hello] [name]
The Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey is now open. Please take a few minutes to complete it.
The survey is your chance to tell us about your experience of your course. Your feedback is importantThe Postgraduate TaughtExperience Survey is carried out by institutions across the country and lets us know what's working well and what's not in [institution name], helping us make things better.
To complete the survey, please click on the link below: [and enter your username [insert] and password [insert]]. [Link]
The survey is open until [date]. It will take only around 15 minutes. Your responses are [anonymous/confidential to the research team].
[As a thank you for your time, [Insert details of any prize-draw or incentive to take part.]]
Please take this opportunity to get involved this year and help us make improvements to the course for students like you.
Best wishes.
[Name of sender] [Email address]
[Job title, Location]
Reminder email
[Tell us your thoughts about your course and win an [insert details] - [insert] days remaining]
[Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey 2015 – [insert] days remaining] or
[Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey 2015 – have you told us your thoughts about your course?]
[Hello/Hi] [name]
[Just a quick reminder, please give us your feedback about your experience on your course this year. Over … institutions across the country take part in the Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey and the results have been really useful in helping us improve the student experience on our postgraduate courses.]
or
[It would really be appreciated if you could find a few minutes to respond and tell us about your course this year.The Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey helps us improve the student experience on our postgraduate courses, and compare ourselves with other institutions across the country.]
[So far, [# or % of postgrads at [institution name] [# or % of students [in/on] your [department/course] have taken part.]
To complete the survey, please click on the link below: [and enter your username [insert] and password [insert]]. [Link]
The survey is open until [date]. It is [anonymous/confidential] and will only take around 15 minutes.
[As a thank you for your time, [insert details of any prize-draw or incentive to take part.]]
Please take part this year and share your experience of being a student with us. If you have any difficulties or questions about the survey, or do not wish to take part, then please [respond to this email] / [visit [link]]. If now is not a good time, you will be able to complete the survey until [date].
Best wishes.
[Name of sender] [Email address]
[Job title, Location]
Final reminder
Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey 2015 – Last chance to tell us
[Tell us your thoughts about your course and win an [insert details] - [insert] days remaining
[Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey 2015 – [insert] days remaining] or
[Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey 2015 – Last chance to tell us your thoughts]
[Dear/Hello] [insert name]
There are just [insert number] days left to take part in this year’s Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey.
So far, [# or % of postgrads at [insert institution name] [and insert # or % of students [in/on] your [department/course] have taken part.
We realise it’s a busy time, but if you haven’t already, please take a little time to complete the survey.
Your views are important. The Postgraduate TaughtExperience Survey helps us improve the student experience on our postgraduate courses, and compare ourselves with other institutions across the country.
To complete the survey, please visit: [insert link] and enter your username [insert] and password [insert]. It’s anonymous and will take only around 15 minutes.
[As a thank you, [Insert details of any prize-draw or incentive to take part.]]
The survey will close on [date].
Thank you in advance for taking the time to complete it and share your experience with us.
Best wishes.
[Name of sender] [Email address]
[Job title, Location]
Follow-up email
Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey 2015 – thank you
Dear [name]
Thank you for taking the time to complete this year’s Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey.
The survey is now closed. [[# or %] of our Taught postgraduate students took part [an increase of [# or %] against last year] [, and [# or % in the [name] department.]
The results will be available on [date]. We will then use them to look at where the university scores well and less well and how we can improve students’ experience in future.
[Insert any future action to involve students in the next stages of the workor disseminate the results to students.]
Thank you again for your feedback and taking the time to respond.
[Name of sender] [Email address]
[Job title, Location]
Section 2: Departmental colleagues (Heads of Department, Programme and Course Leaders)
Contacting staff can help engage them both in terms of raising response rates, but also making sure they are aware of the survey and can act on the results. Depending on the structure of your institution, the printing of materials such as flyers and posters may best be done centrally (for example, in partnership with your marketing/communications department) or done by Departments.
You can use both direct links to the survey (via email) but also enable students to login using a username and password – so that staff can also directly send the link to students. The reminder email below has a suggested email staff could forward on – please note you need to amend the details within this suggested email.
Pre-survey email
Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey 2015
Dear [name],
We will shortly be launching this year’s Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey PTES. PTES will open on [date] and run until [date].
PTES is the only national survey of postgraduate Taught students’ experience of learning and teaching. The results will allow you to compare students’ experience of postgraduate courses both internally and against groups of institutions so to make changes that better meet their needs in the future.
The survey is also an opportunity for students to voice their opinion and to be partners in developing the postgraduate learning experience. Information gathered helps us to demonstrate the quality of postgraduate Taught degree programmes and show commitment to postgraduate education.
Please do all you can to promote it. The more students that take part the more meaningful the data.
[I am attaching / below is a link to]a pack with resources to use in your department. This includes a slide pack that you can add into taught sessions, editable A3 and A4 posters to display in student and staff areas, A5 flyers for chair drop, a screensaver for PCs, an online advert to use on your departmental web pages, group pages and social media.
Please display the materials widely. Please also do what you can to promote the survey with students in your lecturers or seminars and to publicise it through your networks with students and social media.
To find out more about PTES this year, visit: [web link] or contact [name] on [contact details].
[To see [the results of PTES /details of changes made as a result of student feedback], please visit [link]] [or: As a result of feedback from taught postgraduate students [insert examples of decisions or actions taken or a link to more information.]]
Please do all that you can to encourage your taught postgraduate students to take part this year.
Thank you in advance for your support.
Kind regards,,
[Name of sender] [Email address]
[Job, Location]
Survey open
Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey 2015 – survey now open
Dear [name],
The Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey at [institution] is now open and ready to receive students’ responses. Please do all you can to encourage your postgraduate students to take part.PTES run until [date].
PTES is the only national survey of postgraduate Taught students’ experience of learning and teaching. The results can give your rich information on your students’ experience of postgraduate programmes, and allow comparisons both internally and against the sector and mission groups, so to make changes that better meet student needs in the future. Information gathered helps us to demonstrate the quality of postgraduate Taught degree programmes and show commitment to postgraduate education.
[To see [the results of/details of changes made as a result of student feedback], please visit [link]] [or: As a result of feedback from taught postgraduate students [insert examples of any decisions or actions taken or a link to more information.]]
[[I am attaching / below is a link to] a pack with resources to use in your department. This includes a slide pack that you can add into taught sessions[, editable A3 and A4 posters to display in student and staff areas, A5 flyers for chair drop, a screensaver for PCs], an online advert to use on your departmental web pages, group pages and social media. ]
If you could encourage students to complete by sending them an email that would be much appreciated. An example email could state:
Hello,
The Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey is useful for teaching staff to get a good idea of what has worked, or not worked, this year. The results for the course and comments you make help us make improvements and help us keep doing the things that you value. As a results of student feedback last year we… (please give one or two examples, or delete the sentence). [Please look in your [student / student or home] email inbox for an email from [account email sent from]][To take part in the survey, please click the link below and use your university username and the password ### to access the survey].
[standard link if the survey set up for username/password access]
All results of the survey are confidential to the research team but we will get summarised results and your comments to help us improve the course. Please take the time to fill the survey in.
Yours etc.
To find out more about PTES2015, please visit [link] or contact [name] on [contact details].
Many thanks,
[Name of sender] [Email address]
[Job, Location]
Reminder email
Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey 2015 - have you asked them?
Hello [name],
There are still[number] days for your students to complete this year’s Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey at [institution].
So far [# or % students have taken part in the survey and # or % in your department, [a rise/fall of # or % against last year].]
PTES is an important source of data which will make it possible for us to gain detailed feedback of our postgraduate students’ experience and benchmark ourselves against the sector and other mission groups. Please continue to do all you can to make postgraduate students aware of the survey and to encourage them to complete it. [If you need any resources, for example a slide pack[, online adverts][, flyers][, screensavers], then please get in touch].
If you could encourage students to complete by sending them an email that would be much appreciated. An example email could state:
Hello,
Please fill out the Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey 2015, look for an email from [account email sent from]in your [student / student or home] email inbox. The survey is very useful for teaching staff to get a good idea of what has worked, or not worked, this year. We can compare the results against other institutions and see where we need to improve, or where we are doing well. [Please look in your [student / student or home] email inbox for an email from [account email sent from]][To take part in the survey, please click the link below and use your university username and the password ### to access the survey].
[As a results of student feedback last year we… (please give one or two examples, or delete the sentance)]. All results of the survey are confidential to the research team but we will get summarised results and your comments to help us improve the course. Please take the time to fill the survey in.
Yours etc.
To find out more about PTES2015, visit [link] or contact [name] on [contact details].
Thank you for all you are doing to encourage our postgraduate students to get involved.
Many thanks,
[Name of sender] [Email address]
[Job, Location]
Final reminder
Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey 2015 - last chance to ask them for their thoughts
Dear [name],
The Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey will close on [date]. This is the last chance for postgraduates to give us their views on their experience of their course this year. The results are a vital source of feedback, making it possible to evaluate and make targeted enhancements as well as demonstrate the quality of our provision.
So far [# or % students have taken part in the survey and # or % in your department, [a rise of # or % against last year].]
Please mention the survey to your students during this final week, or simply give them one last reminder in your lectures, emails, or social media. [They need to look for an email from [account email sent from]in their [student / student or home] email inbox.][You can [also] send them the the link below and ask them to use their university username and the password ### to access the survey.]
To find out more about PTES2015, please visit [link] or contact [name] at [contact details].
Thank you again for all you are doing to raise awareness of the survey.
Many thanks,
[Name of sender] [Email address]
[Job, Location]
Follow-up email
Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey 2015: thank you!
Dear [name],
This year’s Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey is now closed.