Satisfaction for students in Wales
MORE than eight in 10 undergraduates at universities and colleges in Wales said they were satisfied with their courses this year.
The findings come against a backdrop of disruption caused by UCU strikes at some institutions, as well as closure caused by the Covid-19 lockdown.
A total 84% of final-year undergraduates told the National Student Survey they were satisfied with their course in 2020. The figure is slightly ahead of the UK as a whole and down one percentage point from 2019.
The National Student Survey is open to final-year undergraduate students at higher education providers in the UK.
The survey was open from January 6 to April 30, 2020 and the results were analysed to determine if the pandemic had a bearing on their reliability.
It was concluded that the statistics could be published without including exceptional caveats or adjustments.
Dr David Blaney, chief executive of the Higher Education Funding Council Wales (HEFCW), said: “It is more important than ever that students have an opportunity to feed back to their providers about their courses.
“The outcomes help universities to improve the offer for future students, and the robustness of the data means the survey is a valuable tool that students can trust when making decisions about where and what to study.
“We are pleased to see that overall student satisfaction levels in Welsh higher education remain high.
“We know that a lot of responses were provided before the Covid-19 crisis shut down faceto-face teaching. Changes, and institutions’ own responses to these changes, can always throw up additional concerns.
“We know that providers have broadly responded well, not just in showing innovation in teaching and learning, but also in support for students and pastoral care.
“What I will say is that the survey has always shown that the student experience is a particular strength of the higher education sector in Wales, and long may that continue.”
Amy Matthews, from Rhymney, who graduated this year with a first-class honours degree in mathematics, operational research and statistics with a professional placement from an unnamed Welsh university, told the survey organisers: “My four years at university have been outstanding. Being a mathematics undergraduate has exceeded my expectations; it has been made by the friends I’ve met, lifelong memories and the exceptional academic experience.”