Successful student survey triggers £1000 for Mikeysline

UHI Inverness has donated £1000 to local charity Mikeysline following a successful incentive campaign to encourage students to give important feedback about their learning experience.

Students voted at the recent Freshers Fair and chose Mikeysline as the charity to benefit from a donation linked to the number of completed Early Student Experience Surveys (ESES). The higher the response rate, the larger the donation for the mental health support charity.

More than 2,000 students completed the survey, and the overall student satisfaction rate was an impressive 95.3 per cent, which is among the highest in Scotland. The response rate of 55 per cent is the highest in five years, and it unlocked the £1000 donation for Mikeysline.

The survey gauges how students feel about their first few weeks of study, and it helps to inform any changes and further improvements to the student experience.

Lindsay Snodgrass, Vice Principal: Student Experience & Quality, said: “We are delighted with the outcome of our ESES/Mikeysline campaign, it was a great example of amazing teamwork. We not only achieved a high response rate, but we also raised awareness and funds for a fantastic local charity, helping to increase its profile amongst our student population.

“The 95.3 per cent overall satisfaction rating is testament to the hard work of all teams across our organisation. The feedback we received will prove to be vital in driving continuous improvement here at UHI Inverness.”

As part of the campaign, an ESES/Mikeysline Event was held at the Inverness Campus earlier this month and students were able to chat to the charity’s staff and receive information.

The campaign was led by Emma Baillie, Quality Officer, who said: “Raising money for Mikeysline was a positive motivator for our students to engage with the survey. The fact the students chose Mikeysline as their preferred charity shows they hold the work it does in high regard. By sharing their views about their student experience, they also contributed to a cause they connect with and care about. The analysis of our survey results will inform our plans to make the student experience even better.”

The donation was presented to Mikeysline’s development manager Marina Finlayson at a special event on campus on Friday, 28 October.

Marina said: "Having worked closely with UHI Inverness in raising awareness of our support services and reducing the stigma attached to mental health and suicide, it was such a pleasure to see that the students chose Mikeysline as their charity to receive a donation. This money means the world to us, it allows us to continue offering emotional and mental health support when people need it the most. We have attended a few events recently, these have enabled us to promote our services and to share how people could be actively involved with Mikeysline, for example by becoming one of our volunteers. Thank you so much to UHI Inverness for championing Mikeysline."

William Campbell, UHI Inverness President of the Highlands and Islands Students’ Association, said: “I would like to thank everyone who has completed the survey and given us fantastic feedback. As a student association we care immensely about mental health, and I am pleased that the students were able to support this amazing charity. I look forward to continuing to work closely with Mikeysline.”