Internal use only Hertfordshire Students’ Union National Student Survey 2016 School of Engineering and Technology The School of Engineering and Technology enjoyed great success in the NSS 2016, seeing increases in all areas except Students’ Union. The School has historically struggled in the NSS, but improvements in Learning and Teaching (8%), Assessment and Feedback (8%) and Organisation and Management (10%), as well as an improvement of 11% in overall satisfaction, are promising. Despite these positive results, a comparison to the sector mean demonstrates that there is much work still to be done, as the School is still below the sector mean in all areas except Learning Resources and Students’ Union. Teaching
Assessment
Support
Organisation
Resources
Development
Overall
SU
School of Engineerin g and Technology
82% (+7%)
66% (+8%)
76% (+7%)
70% (+9%)
90% (+3%)
80% (+4%)
79% (+11%)
77% (-1%)
UH
85% (-1%)
70% (1%)
80% (-1%)
73% (1%)
88% (-2%)
83% (-2%)
82% (-2%)
74% (0%)
Sector (all HEIs)
87% (0%)
73% (0%)
82% (0%)
79% (0%)
87% (0%)
83% (0%)
86% (0%)
69% (-1%)
Positive and Negative Themes (Open Comments)
At or above the sector mean Within 5% of the sector mean Over 5% below the sector mean
Negative themes among the open text comments concerned lecturers – particularly an inability to overcome the language barrier with lecturers who don’t speak English as a first language. Other complaints concerned resources: students complained that there was insufficient lecture notes and past papers available, as well as a lack of books that were needed for the course. More positive comments were themed around approachable and helpful staff, as well as interesting and intellectually stimulating course content. Students also praised the opportunity to study abroad.