Learning and Teaching Committee

Subject: National Student Survey

Origin: Robert Bowyer

The results of the 2007 National Student Survey were published in mid-September. Various tables were produced, both internally and externally. The relative position of Loughborough varies, depending on the way the tables have been compiled. The following are attached:

The Times Higher ‘satisfaction ratings’

Based on an institutional average of the scores received for 21 questions (ie excluding the ‘overall satisfaction’ question, Q22).

LU summary table showing institutional rankings based on responses to Q22

The third and fourth columns show Loughborough’s position relative to other institutions’ by JACS subject area. The rankings are based entirely on responses to Q22. The ranking in column 3 is based on the average score for Q.22 (from responses on all points of the 5-point response scale). The ranking in column 4 is based on the percentage of students who gave Q22 a score of 4 or 5 (‘agree’ or ‘strongly agree’).

LU table comparing 2007 and 2006 results by JACS subject area

Based on average scores for each of the question sets; the overall average for each subject area is the average of previous columns (unweighted). Year on year comparison is complicated by change in number of subject areas for which details were published.

NSS dissemination site institutional table

This shows in the ‘University’ column the institutional average (mean) score for each of the question sets, and each individual question, together with the percentage change since last year. It also shows the percentage of students who agree or disagree with each question statement: ‘agree’ being scores of 4 or 5, ‘disagree’ being scores of 1 or 2. The other columns show how Loughborough’s position compared with other HEIs in England.

Note: AS A CONDITION OF ACCESS TO THE DISSEMINATION SITE THE INFORMATION IN THIS TABLE IS FOR INTERNAL USE ONLY

The proliferation of different tables results in part from the fact that HEFCE have decided this year to publish the percentage of students responding positively to the question statements in the survey, instead of publishing average scores calculated from the number of responses at each of the five points on the response scale. Internal efforts to analyse Loughborough’s position relative to other HEIs at subject area level have focussed on Q22.

All departments have been provided with the departmental-level equivalents of the institutional table from the NSS dissemination site (though these do not include any sector comparisons). The ‘open comments’ from students, which are also available to us from the dissemination site, have been analysed this year by the Faculty QE Officers before being made available to departmental teaching co-ordinators. The NSS results are being followed up by the AD(T)s in discussions with individual departments.

Author – Robert Bowyer

Date – October 2007