The new Student Voice Policy provides high level advice on how individual students and their representatives can influence decision making in respect to learning and teaching, research supervision and other aspects of students’ experiences.

The Student Voice Guidelines provide detailed advice for students, teachers and University managers.

To monitor and make improvements, the University needs feedback on student experiences.  

We’re committed to providing students with an outstanding learning and teaching experience, programmes of study that are challenging and of international calibre, and opportunities and support to achieve your academic and personal potential.

To ensure we continue to meet these commitments, we need to know how well we are doing and what you’d like to see done better. Student feedback is an important part of this process.

Your feedback also provides us with ideas and incentives to make further improvements in what we do for you.

Surveys, evaluations and systems of representation are some of the formal mechanisms the University has put in place to effectively capture and act on student feedback. 

Summative Evaluation Tool (SET)

Students provide feedback on their experiences in courses by completing course and teaching evaluations through the SET, the University's Summative Evaluation Tool.  For more information see SET for students.

Learning and Teaching Survey

Students give us feedback on their overall experience of learning and teaching through the annual Learning and Teaching survey that a sample of students is asked to complete each year.

International student experience

International students are asked to provide feedback through the bi-annual International Student Barometer Survey.

Doctoral students

Doctoral students are invited to complete an exit survey on their experiences of doctoral study and supervision, and an annual report on this survey is discussed by the Board of Graduate Studies.

Student representatives

Volunteering as a Class Representative is an excellent opportunity to provide feedback, and to represent your peers. Class Representatives participate in academic unit and faculty-level staff-student consultative committees.

There are student representatives on all of the University's key academic committees, including Senate, Education Committee, Academic Programmes Committee and Teaching and Learning Quality Committee.  Representatives from the Postgraduate Students Association sit on the Board of Graduate Studies.

Elected student representatives from the different student associations across the University attend the Vice-Chancellor's Student Consultative Group where they discuss issues of importance to students with the Vice-Chancellor and senior staff.

Student representation is coordinated by AUSA.  For more information, see AUSA Student Voice.

Other ways students are involved

Students may also make submissions to academic unit and disciplinary area reviews or reviews of programmes.  Students are also involved in preparation for whole-of-institution academic audits. 

Student focus groups are frequently convened when feedback is required on specific University policies, projects or initiatives.

Find out what is done with responses to student evaluations and student surveys.

Learning and Teaching Survey

The University’s primary survey of student experience, the Learning and Teaching Survey is used to get student feedback on overall experience of learning and teaching at this University. The results of the Learning and Teaching Survey are presented to the University’s senior leaders and the Teaching and Learning Quality Committee, and detailed reports are given to each faculty on the results for their students.

SET Course and Teaching Evaluations

Course and teaching evaluation (SET) results are returned to academic staff and their Academic Head (the head of the department or school). Teachers carefully consider students' responses and read students' comments - although these are confidential and students' identities are not revealed.  Teachers will use this feedback in making adjustments and/or improvements to their course, teaching practices etc. 

Feedback to students

Teaching staff are strongly encouraged to tell students what changes will/have been made in the course and its teaching as a result of what students have said in their feedback.

Courses with low SET evaluations

The Enhancement and Evaluation of Teaching and Courses Policy and Procedures requires the University’s academic managers to investigate all courses for which students’ overall satisfaction falls below 70%. Teachers will carefully note students’ comments and make improvements to these courses.

Academic Quality Review

Each year students’ feedback through SET course evaluations, the Learning and Teaching Survey, the Graduate Destination Survey, AUSA’s e-Voice Diaries, and other sources is analysed by the Academic Quality Office. Reports are prepared for each faculty Dean and these are discussed with the Pro Vice Chancellor Education. This helps each faculty set priorities for improving student experiences and outcomes.