Student Evaluation

The WISE CDT sought feedback from students on an ongoing basis, both informally and formally. Methods have been varied, including surveys, polls, evaluation forms, suggestion boxes, cohort and group meetings, sessions with the CDT’s external examiner, individually and via the cohort representatives.

Results from end of programme surveys have shown high satisfaction ratings. Based on graduate returns each cohort has rated its WISE CDT experience at least 4.1 out of 5 (‘good’ to ‘excellent’). The most frequently cited best elements have been the cohort (‘community’) experience, the funded research visit and the opportunity throughout the programme to present work and engage with other researchers both in the UK and internationally. These results are pleasing, as they represent areas not generally available on a standard PhD programme. Areas cited as learning points for the CDT have been more varied, generally reflecting individuals’ preferences about the composition of their own training programme, their personal experience at their registered university and the fact that the partner universities’ policies and procedures outside those specific to the CDT were not always consistent. The CDT Programme Management Group recognised this latter issue, but acknowledged that it was not feasible to seek to align university policies to suit a time-limited PhD programme.

The CDT has explicitly sought feedback on areas for improvement in order to develop the programme for subsequent cohorts. WISE can evidence how it has acted in response to such feedback, for example making changes to the first year taught programme, pursuing Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management (CIWEM) accreditation to recognise that not all entrants had a formal engineering academic background and providing enhanced CDT administrative support for students. The presence of a dedicated CDT administrator, who has functioned as a point of contact for all WISE students and graduates, plus for academic and support staff across the partnership, has been welcomed. Students have appreciated being able to raise questions or seek guidance from a person independent of their PhD supervisory team who was knowledgeable about the programme.

In response to a request from the CDT’s Advisory Board, a ‘happiness index’ question was incorporated into students’ 2018–19 Annual Progress Review forms and was used then on. This asked students to rate their general happiness in their PhD on a scale from one to five (from ‘very unhappy’ to ‘very happy’). From 2021-22 the happiness index form was distributed as a standalone document, with students’ responses only being viewed by the CDT administrator and no individuals being identified when reporting the results. The majority of WISE students each year have rated themselves ‘happy’ or ‘very happy’ (2018-19: 69.8%, 2020-21 68.8%, 2021-22 70.8%). However, the impacts of the Coronavirus pandemic on students’ experience were evident in 2019-20, when only 61.4% assessed themselves as ‘happy’ or ‘very happy’. In the final 2022-23 survey, 66.7% rated themselves ‘happy’ or ‘very happy’, reflecting the fact that respondents were primarily students who were beyond their funding period or nearing their funding end date, probably evidencing the pressures of finishing writing a PhD thesis, particularly where this was alongside managing a job.