This year we are partnering with Student Voice to conduct a pilot evaluating their service which uses AI to provide analysis of student feedback for institutions. We are accepting expressions of interest to take part in this pilot until 10/03/2023.
Please read through this post to find out whether this pilot could be the right opportunity for your institution.
What is Student Voice?
Student Voice provide a service which can automatically analyse student comments, this can be used to process large amount of student survey data for example National Student Survey (NSS) responses. Their system uses machine learning to label and categorise comments automatically, saving considerable time compared to manual labelling.
To get an understanding of the system’s capabilities you can look at the categorisation structure Student Voice uses – custom categories can also be set up which are specific to the institution e.g. comments on specific campus locations. Student Voice’s model has been trained on data from over 100 UK higher education institutions, as such it can also help institutions benchmark their data against the wider sector.
Why are we piloting Student Voice?
AI assisted text analysis has the potential to provide institutions with a much quicker, more efficient way to derive insights from their student feedback. This can mean institutions have more time and capacity to act on that feedback thus improving the student experience.
From the Student Voice pilot, we will produce an evaluation and see how Jisc’s members might benefit from this service.
What is the benefit for pilot institutions?
This is a unique opportunity to evaluate this AI assisted tool against your existing methods for analysing student survey data. Pilot institutions will receive free analysis of several past years of NSS data through Student Voice, this may also provide new insights into that data and provides a chance to benchmark your results against the sector.
Who should put themselves forward to take part in the pilot?
This pilot is suitable for higher education institutions and further education colleges to participate in. To participate in this piloting opportunity you will need to provide at least 2 years of past NSS data. Student Voice doesn’t require any specialist software or platforms to use, they should be able to work with you regardless of the format of your survey data.
Participants will also need to commit to participating in evaluation activity including online staff interviews after they have received their survey analysis, which we will use to produce our evaluation of Student Voice. Participants will be asked about their experience with Student Voice and how this compares to their existing methods for processing NSS data. It will be helpful for us to understand a bit about your existing process for analysing NSS data.
Key requirements:
- Be able to provide 2-3 years of NSS data to be analysed by Student Voice
- Give time to evaluation interviews with the Jisc AI team (2 – 4hrs)
When will the pilot take place?
The pilot will take place between February and April 2023.
Below is the timescale for the pilot:
March 13th – 20th*: Participants will be chosen, notified and given time to ask any clarifying questions
14th March – April 3rd: Participants provide NSS data to Student Voice with the support of Jisc AI and Student Voice
April 4th – April 16th: Participants receive analysed data back from Student Voice (within around 2 weeks of providing data)
April 16th -April 30th: Evaluation session(s) with Jisc AI take place
What support will pilot institutions get?
The Jisc AI team will be there to support pilot institutions throughout the process, ensuring that participating institutions can get the most out of the experience. The Student Voice team will support institutions with processing their survey data and in navigating the analysed data once it is returned.
What are the legal requirements?
Participating institutions will need to sign a participation letter with Jisc and contract directly with Student Voice. This contract will be based on Student Voice’s standard customer agreement but with relevant variations. For example, there will be no payment obligations for the Institution because Jisc will have already paid on their behalf.
Are there any costs?
There are no costs to participating institutions.
How do I register my interest?
If you meet the key requirements and are interested in joining the pilot please email AI@jisc.ac.uk including the following information:
1. Can you provide a minimum of 2 years of NSS data to use in the pilot?
2. What is your current method for analysing NSS results?
The deadline for registering interest is 10/03/2023.
* In original publication of this blog this timeframe was listed as ‘By March 13th’, this has been extended up to the 20th.
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Get in touch with the team directly at AI@jisc.ac.uk