We wanted to know more about how commuter students experience their time at Royal Holloway. Thanks to your participation in a series of feedback opportunities, we have identified key recommendations on how to improve your time at Royal Holloway.
We wanted to know more about how commuter students experience their time at Royal Holloway. Thanks to your participation in a series of feedback opportunities, we have identified key recommendations on how to improve your time at Royal Holloway.
THE PROJECT
Earlier this year, the Students’ Union launched a Policy Inquiry into the commuter student experience at Royal Holloway. A Policy Inquiry is year-long project that engages with students through research activities to generate a Student Voice Report and a list of recommendations for the University. Commuter students were given the opportunity to participate in four feedback opportunities to better understand more about the issues they face while studying at Royal Holloway. Each step informed the direction and questions of the next research activity.
This is all the ways we have engaged with commuter students this academic year:
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In Term One the Students Union launched the first of two surveys. We asked students about the impact of their commute on their social life, their engagement in on-campus services and facilities, and their satisfaction with academic support. Results for this survey were shared in February of Term Two.
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The Term One survey results informed key areas of discussion in a paid focus group held in January 2025. A total of 12 participants were selected based on their academic department, year group and nationality to form a representative and diverse sample of commuter students. The conversation topics of the focus group included the students’ journey to campus, timetable satisfaction, transport, overnight accommodation, friendships and study spaces.
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In February, seven students took part in a journal activity – a new form of data collection for this year. The students were emailed a digital journal document that asked them to write about how they were feeling and what occurred on each day of the week.
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Results from these three activities were amalgamated to inform the questions of the final student survey launched in March of Term Two. The results were shared to students and relevant stakeholders in Term Three.
Across the four feedback activities, the Students’ Union engaged with a total of 1039 students and gave back £985 worth of cash prizes and gift cards to students. We would like to take the time to acknowledge the time that Royal Holloway’s commuter students have dedicated to this Policy Inquiry. Your feedback has helped inform recommendations that are essential to improve the experience of commuter students.
THE RECOMMENDATIONS
We have analysed all the data provided to us this academy year and provided a list of recommendations that we think will possibly impact students at Royal Holloway. A series of recommendations have already been shared with University Working Groups for deliberation, with the expectation that they will be acted upon in the 2025-26 academic year.
Check out the Recommendations
NEXT STEPS
The results of our research have been shared with University and Students’ Union stakeholders. The final Student Voice Report will be written over the summer period to support the recommendations and shared with students in Term One of the 2025-26 academic year.