Trends from the first nine years of the NSS
The first large-scale analysis of the National Student Survey (NSS) since its launch in 2005 has reported that UK university students have become more satisfied over time.
The study by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) looked at trends in the responses of more than 2 million final-year students over nine years and revealed a number of interesting insights:
- Students have become more satisfied overall.
- The largest variation in satisfaction scores within each year is seen within subject of study; for example, Creative Art and Design students have been less satisfied over time while Mathematical Sciences students have been more satisfied.
- When other student characteristics are taken into account, Black African students are more satisfied overall when compared with White students, while Black Caribbean students are less satisfied.
- Students who have declared a disability have been less satisfied than those with no known disability.
The study also shows that the proportion of students who tick the same answer for every question has gradually increased over time, from 1 per cent in 2005 to 5.4 per cent in 2013. However, these increases have had no effect on the trends in student satisfaction over time.
Loughboroughâs Learning and Teaching Committee will be considering the review report, alongside the outcomes of the 2014 NSS, at its meeting in September 2014.