NSS 2014
Key messages for NSS 2014
- The College’s Overall Satisfaction remains at 87% in 2014. This is 1% above the sector average.
- The College was ranked 61st in the sector for Overall Satisfaction out of 157 Higher Education Institutions. (Ranking excludes Further Education Colleges and Alternative Providers)
- Percentage satisfaction increases for Academic Support to 82% (+3%) and Assessment and Feedback to 67% (+1%) from 2013.
- Percentage satisfaction decreases for both Organisation and Management, and the Students' Union by 2%, to 81% and 75% respectively, from 2013.
- The College increases its Overall Satisfaction in seven NSS subjects from 2013, the greatest increases being in Medicine (+7% to 90%) and Mathematics and Statistics (+6% to 89%).
- The College had a higher level of Overall Satisfaction than the sector average in 10 NSS subjects.
- The overall College response rate was 84% (+3% on 2013) with 1741 respondents.
Institutional level results
Question category results
The College improved its results in the NSS question categories Assesment and Feedback and Academic Support, maintaining the upward trend from 2011 to 2013. The College maintained its results in Teaching, Learning Resources, and Personal Development.
This graph shows the percentage agree for the years 2011-2014 in the eight question categories. The Students' Union was a new category for 2012.
This graph shows the results for the NSS question categories in 2014 broken down by the five possible responses to questions (Strongly Agree, Slightly Agree, Neither Agree nor Disagree, Slightly Disagree, Strongly Disagree). The percentage agree is the proportion of respondents answering Strongly Agree or Slightly Agree to a question.
Individual questions
The table below shows the 2014 results for the College for each NSS question, with the change in percentage satisfaction from the previous two surveys. In 2014 the College had a higher percentange satisfaction than 2013 for 10 out of 23 questions. Percentage satisfaction for the Overall Satisfaction remained at 87% for 2014.
NSS Question | % Agree in 2014 | Change since 2013 | Change since 2012 |
---|---|---|---|
Teaching | 88 | 0 | +2 |
Staff are good at explaining things | 91 | +1 | +2 |
Staff have made the subject interesting | 83 | +1 | +3 |
Staff are enthusiastic about what they are teaching | 88 | 0 | +2 |
The course is intellectually stimulating | 92 | +1 | +2 |
Assessment and Feedback | 67 | +1 | +5 |
The criteria used in marking have been clear in advance | 77 | +2 | +9 |
Assessment arrangements and marking have been fair | 78 | +1 | +3 |
Feedback on my work has been prompt | 61 | -3 | +1 |
I have received detailed comments on my work | 57 | 0 | +4 |
Feedback on my work has helped me clarify things I did not understand |
60 | +3 | +5 |
Academic support | 82 | +3 | +7 |
I have received sufficient advice and support with my studies | 78 | +4 | +7 |
I have been able to contact staff when I needed to | 90 | +2 | +6 |
Good advice was available when I needed to make study choices | 77 | 0 | +7 |
Organisation and management | 81 | -2 | -1 |
The timetable works efficiently as far as my activities are concerned | 82 | -1 | -1 |
Any changes in the course or teaching have been communicated effectively | 82 | -1 | 0 |
The course is well organised and is running smoothly | 81 | -1 | -1 |
Learning resources | 95 | 0 | +3 |
The library resources and services are good enough for my needs | 96 | 0 | +1 |
I have been able to access general IT resources when I needed to | 96 | -1 | +2 |
I have been able to access specialised equipment, facilities or rooms when I needed to | 91 | -2 | +3 |
Personal development | 84 | 0 | +1 |
The course has helped me to present myself with confidence | 84 | +2 | +3 |
My communication skills have improved | 83 | +1 | +2 |
As a result of the course, I feel confident in tackling unfamiliar problems | 85 | -1 | 0 |
Overall Satisfaction | 87 | 0 | +1 |
Overall, I am satisfied with the quality of the course. | 87 | 0 | +1 |
Students' Union | 75 | -2 | +4 |
I am satisfied with the Students' Union at my institution | 75 | -2 | +4 |
Response rate | 84 | +3 | +13 |
Sector comparison
This graph shows the NSS 2014 results for the College and key competitors by question category.
This graph shows a breakdown of the responses for Overall Satisfaction for the College and key competitors for NSS 2014.
Comments
The National Student Survey (NSS) provides space for students to provide overall positive and overall negative comments about their experience. Details of the comments College students made can be found on the Comments page (internal only).
Subject level results
Select the link below to view the NSS 2014 results for that subject by Question Category, with comparison with previous years and the sector.
Faculty of Engineering
- Aeronautics
- Bioengineering
- Chemical Engineering
- Civil and Environmental Engineering
- Computing
- Earth Science and Engineering
- Electrical and Electronic Engineering
- Materials
- Mechanical Engineering
Faculty of Natural Sciences
Faculty of Medicine
Action plans
The College's action plans based on the results of NSS 2014 are available here: NSS 2014 action plans (internal only pdf).