Thumbs up for Imperial in student satisfaction survey

National Student Survey gives the College a high satisfaction score - News

Imperial scores highly with its students, according to a country-wide student feedback scheme published today.

The results of the National Student Survey show that the College has a strong overall satisfaction score with a result above the sector-wide average.

Provision of learning resources, which includes library services, IT resources and specialised equipment, is a particular strength, with Imperial receiving the top score in the country. Organisation and management, covering issues such as the timetabling of courses, is also rated highly by students, with feedback placing it in the national top ten. Professor Rees Rawlings, Pro Rector, Educational Quality, says:

"We take student feedback very seriously so it's great to get this result, especially as we know Imperial students are rightly demanding about the quality of experience they get here."

In addition to taking part in the National Student Survey, Imperial carries out its own detailed online evaluation of students' experiences. This scheme, praised in recent Quality Assurance Agency reviews, allows departments to respond directly to specific feedback. External reviewers also carry out large-scale reviews every five years in each department. Professor Rawlings adds:

"Unlike our own surveys of student opinion, the NSS paints with a very broad brush which gives little exact information to which individual departments can meaningfully respond. However it will hopefully give potential students an idea of the strengths and weaknesses of the institutions to which they are applying."

The National Student Survey, carried out for the second year running, is part of the Teaching Quality Information initiative and gathers student opinion on all aspects of university life including teaching, academic support and assessment and feedback.

The survey seeks feedback from final year students at UK universities with the aim of helping future students to choose the right course and institution for them. Results are not provided if the student response rate for an institution is below 50 per cent. Universities not scored this year include Cambridge, LSE, Manchester, Oxford, UCL and Warwick.

Imperial's 2006 NSS scores (out of five) are:

Overall satisfaction: 4.2 (sector average 4.0)
Teaching: 4.0 (sector average 4.0)
Assessment and feedback: 3.3 (sector average 3.5)
Academic support: 3.8 (sector average 3.8)
Organisation and management: 4.0 (sector average 3.7)
Learning resources: 4.3 (sector average 3.9)
Personal development 4.0 (sector average 4.0)

59 per cent of Imperial's students took part in the survey, compared to the sector average of 56 per cent.

NSS results can be viewed on the Teaching Quality Information website at www.tqi.ac.uk