Finalists have their say in National Student Survey 2021

A rising number of University of Reading students have provided feedback in the National Student Survey in a year affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

In total, 2,507 University of Reading undergraduate finalists participated in the National Student Survey in 2021, which saw the response rate reach 70.84%, up from 70.03% in 2020.

Student satisfaction across the university sector has been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, with national scores for overall satisfaction falling to 75% from 83% in 2020. At the University of Reading, overall satisfaction fell in line with the sector, scoring at 74% down from 84% last year.  

At discipline level, three areas achieved an overall satisfaction score of 90% or above, including: Archaeology (92.6%); Biomedical Engineering (92.9%); Typography and Graphic Communication (94.7%).   Satisfaction with our Students’ Union was also above the sector average.

Three subject areas with 90% or higher overall satisfaction

Archaeology (92.6%)
Biomedical Engineering (92.9%)
Typography and Graphic Communication (94.7%) 

 

Professor Robert Van de Noort, Vice-Chancellor at the University of Reading said:

“It’s obviously disappointing to see a decline in overall student satisfaction, but we remain in line with the sector. I am very grateful to all colleagues who have worked immensely hard to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 and support our students personally and academically.

“While we are pleased that we are in line with the sector for overall satisfaction at 74%, obviously this represents a drop from last year’s 84%. This year’s results clearly demonstrate the impact that COVID-19 has had on student experience. We are very grateful for the high number of finalists filling out the NSS and we need to continue listening to our students’ feedback to ensure we offer our students the best possible experience, particularly as we will no doubt be living with the virus for some months yet.

“We have a number of activities underway that respond to some of the concerns raised through NSS feedback, such as learning capture, ongoing student partnership work and our Strategic Foundations Programme.

“We stand firmly by our principles set out in our 2020-2026 Strategic Plan, which clearly define our commitment to continually improving the student experience. Feedback from our students and colleagues, through the National Student Survey and other means, help to focus our efforts to ensure that their time at Reading is productive, enjoyable and meaningful.”

How the pandemic has affected student experience 

This year’s NSS asked students specifically about their experience in relation to the pandemic. The majority of University of Reading finalists reported being able to access the learning resources they needed (76%), felt protected from the virus (77%) and received useful information about any changes to their course (69%).

In addition, students have scored the University of Reading higher than the sector, recognising that colleagues have been contactable when needed (82%) and students felt that they have had the “right opportunities to work with other students” (78%) and the “right opportunities to provide feedback” (82%) as part of their course.

Feedback from surveys like the NSS is hugely valuable, helping us to better understand where things are working well and where we could improve. We are committed to working in partnership with our students to enable them to reach their full potential, personally and academically.

The full results are publicly available on the Office for Students website.