Thank you to everyone who completed the Discovery Weeks Feedback Survey, 286 students completed the survey in total, with the following breakdown per Faculty:
- 93 responses from the Faculty of Health
- 66 responses from the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business
- 111 responses from the Faculty of Science and Engineering.
Students were asked to select the types of skills they would like the develop outside of their studies, with topics being broadly grouped into areas that supported career development and academic learning, and others that were related more to wellbeing and life skills.
Overall, career development came out as the top-ranked answer with 10% of students saying that was important. This was closely followed by networking and healthy lifestyle, both with 9% of students choosing those topics. Creativity, critical thinking and communication also ranked highly.
When asked what kind of activities they would like to see students had lots of ideas. As well as those suggesting careers and networking events, students placed value on learning practical skills such as
- First aid
- British Sign Language
- Budgeting
- Coding
Nearly half of the suggested activities focused on opportunities to get involved in social events, learn new hobbies, or undertake some kind of physical activity or sport.
School Rep Focus Group
We also undertook a focus group with our School Reps. They agreed that the opportunity to develop academic skills and knowledge was key, and that the discovery week was ideal time for inter-disciplinary learning, a chance to put into practice some of their theoretical learning. Either allowing them to use equipment that they would not be able to during the year, or to learn more about specific careers or research pathways that they may not otherwise get to know about.
They also noted that an opportunity to enjoy social activity was important and that there should be a good mix of activities, offsetting some of the more academic session with fun and a chance to relax and enjoy time with friends.
What happens now?
The results from this survey have been collated and anonymised alongside the feedback received from School Reps during the focus group. Once collated, the results were shared with the working group who are planning Discovery Week 2025 to influence decision-making and shape the schedule.
If you'd like to share feedback either about Discovery Week or the results of the survey, please get in touch with the Student Voice team by emailing studentvoice@su.plymouth.ac.uk
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