ABSTRACT
The introductory chapter reflects on the development of surveys as an omnipresent manifestation of student feedback to the institution, and outlines their multiple functions in quality assurance and enhancement processes, and personnel decision-making. The chapter argues that positivism is still the prevailing paradigm in survey data analysis, where a strong focus is placed on quantitative data. However, reliance on one type of data can leave significant unknowns, preventing institutions from seeing the richness of student experience behind the numbers. The chapter provides a strong argument for a need for systematic and timely analysis of student comments, and a collective, institutional student voice (e.g. departmental or institutional datasets) in particular. Challenges of analysing large qualitative datasets are outlined, followed by discussion of recent developments in applications of text analytics in varying national and institutional higher educational contexts. As such, the introductory chapter sets the scene for the subsequent contributions focussing on current practice.
