Students endorse Bristol’s teaching in 2015 NSS

12 August 2015

The University of Bristol has achieved some significant successes in the 2015 National Student Survey (NSS), scoring higher than the sector average across the institution for teaching, and showing marked improvement on last year’s performance in many subject areas.

The NSS is an annual national survey of final-year undergraduate students that runs across all publicly funded higher education Institutions in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

In the latest survey, the University achieved 89% satisfaction for teaching overall, above the sector average of 87%, reflecting students’ high regard for the quality of their academic experience and the positive engagement of academic staff.

The results show some excellent performances within individual schools and departments, with certain programmes scoring significantly higher than last year. For example:

students in the Department of German are 100% satisfied with their degree programme and standard of teaching (up by 15%)
in Physiology and Pharmacology, students are 100% satisfied with their degree programme overall (up by 13%)
in Drama, students are 91% satisfied with the teaching on their course (up by 16%)
in Social Work, students are 95% satisfied with their degree programme overall (up by 14%)
in Mechanical Engineering, overall satisfaction with degree programme comes in at 97% (up by 7%)
in Dentistry, overall satisfaction is 93% (up by 11%)
in Veterinary Sciences, overall satisfaction scores 98% (up by 5%).

Moreover, the survey reveals continued high performance in many areas, including Engineering Maths (96% overall satisfaction), and Biology and Chemistry (both scoring 94% overall satisfaction).

Professor Judith Squires, Pro Vice-Chancellor for Education, said: ‘While the University’s overall satisfaction rating remains at the same level as last year, we are delighted to see such high gains in many areas, reflecting the hard work and dedication of colleagues across the institution.

‘There is room for improvement in certain subjects and areas of provision, but the University is committed to providing a high-quality and positive experience for all students. We are working in partnership with students to achieve this, for example through the flagship Beacon House development, which will provide a new central study and learning hub, including an additional 350 study seats with separate areas for group working along with various student support facilities.’