Edinburgh University student satisfaction

Iv'e applied to Edinburgh to read English Literature and History and when i went to the city really thought it was fantastic. However the one thing that is really putting me off the uni is the fact it's student satisfaction rates are really, really low, i think they're bottom ten in the subjects i want to apply for.

Any one know why this is?

Reply 1

MartinMorrison

6

Though I've been a student here for 2 years +, I can't ever remember being explicitly asked to give feedback on the university for the purpose of those rankings. Though I have given tons of feedback to course organisers for my modules. So I don't think you should take those rankings so seriously. Either way, someone is, Edinburgh really changed a lot to address this in the last year - I now have access to an online system where I can schedule meetings with my Director of Studies (now called Personal Tutor), record notes, mandatory support meetings etc etc. It's actually really good.

I feel like people maybe say feedback is a huge issue here, but I haven't really encountered it to be a problem at all. I think maybe people have unrealistic expectations about feedback at Edinburgh?

Reply 2

HotAirBalloons

OP

2

Right, thanks very much. I was wondering whether people arrived at Edinburgh expecting a level of teaching equivalent to that of Oxbridge et al. due to the fact it puts such emphasis on research and are thus inevitably disappointed (though i'm sure the quality is still high!) so i'd certainly agree with you with regards to your last point. I did think the ratings were odd when i went up there for the open day as the staff seemed really approachable with the tutor system, the library's and the like.

Your reply has put me somewhat at ease regarding the matter, so cheers!

Reply 3

Ambry

18

I am certain the teaching isn't that far from Oxbridge level, but some people come here expecting it to be like Scotland's Cambridge and it isn't- you aren't individually tutored here, so I think a lot of people downrank it for that.
Also, many people who are happy with their teaching won't feel the need to complain, but the vocal minority might turn to a ranking website and report negative feedback- making it look like a lot.
Basically, I'd take it with a pinch of salt. It can't be a bad university because of this- it isn't ranked 17th in the world for nothing.

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Reply 4

ukmed108

7

Original post by Ambry

I am certain the teaching isn't that far from Oxbridge level, but some people come here expecting it to be like Scotland's Cambridge and it isn't- you aren't individually tutored here, so I think a lot of people downrank it for that.
Also, many people who are happy with their teaching won't feel the need to complain, but the vocal minority might turn to a ranking website and report negative feedback- making it look like a lot.
Basically, I'd take it with a pinch of salt. It can't be a bad university because of this- it isn't ranked 17th in the world for nothing.

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Wouldn't it be nice if Edinburgh did start tutoring its students one on one?

Reply 5

nearlyheadlessian

15

Original post by Ambry

Also, many people who are happy with their teaching won't feel the need to complain, but the vocal minority might turn to a ranking website and report negative feedback- making it look like a lot.
Basically, I'd take it with a pinch of salt. It can't be a bad university because of this- it isn't ranked 17th in the world for nothing.

Student satisfaction figures come from the NSS, completed by graduating undergraduates on an annual basis. It's long been known that the numbers are statistically insignificant - response rates are poor, with people far likelier to respond if they have an axe to grind. Several years ago it was uncovered that St Andrews was essentially fixing its results... Definitely take these kinds of rankings with a large pinch of salt.

Reply 6

Ambry

18

Original post by ukmed108

Wouldn't it be nice if Edinburgh did start tutoring its students one on one?

It would be nice! It costs a lot of money though, and most universities don't have the time and resources to operate in this way.
Oxbridge has an advantage with its collegiate layout, students have their college with a designated tutor. Edinburgh doesn't have that.
However, it's still a pretty fantastic university and it offers a lot more small seminar type classes than many other universities

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Reply 7

username1236842

8

A friend of mine works in IT at Edinburgh. He says they are mystified by the low student satisfaction rates and spend alot of time trying to get to the root of the problems. He also said that some of the survey results make no sense. He said that in one aspect of the survey (I can't remember the details but students were asked how they related a particular type of facility) the highest rankings went to a course where this facility wasn't offered at all, where as the course where most time and effort had been spent on this facility scored low marks.
He felt alot of it was people having high expectations of Edinburgh and nothing to compare it with. The students I know who are there are happy. You have to choose which course you do there though, like all universities.

Reply 8

ukmed108

7

Original post by Ambry

It would be nice! It costs a lot of money though, and most universities don't have the time and resources to operate in this way.
Oxbridge has an advantage with its collegiate layout, students have their college with a designated tutor. Edinburgh doesn't have that.
However, it's still a pretty fantastic university and it offers a lot more small seminar type classes than many other universities

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I'm really tempted to say its almost worth doing. I'm sure student satisfaction rates would jump if they were to do that.

Reply 9

nearlyheadlessian

15

Original post by ukmed108

I'm really tempted to say its almost worth doing. I'm sure student satisfaction rates would jump if they were to do that.

Um, no. It's not affordable - there's a reason no one offers it except for Oxbridge. There are far better things to spend the money on anyway.

Reply 10

ukmed108

7

Original post by nearlyheadlessian

Um, no. It's not affordable - there's a reason no one offers it except for Oxbridge. There are far better things to spend the money on anyway.

Well i think you are right if they were to do it, they'd probably have to cut undergraduate numbers in half or else its just too expensive to provide for 20,000 undergraduates when Oxbridge themselves only have 10k each and much more funding.

Reply 11

Ambry

18

Original post by ukmed108

I'm really tempted to say its almost worth doing. I'm sure student satisfaction rates would jump if they were to do that.

I don't think edinburgh are going to throw money into tutorials to increase student satisfaction rates that make no sense anyway - the same people would probably still complain.
At the end of the day I think university is mainly for independent learning, you can't have someone holding your hand through everything.

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Reply 12

godfrem

Original post by nearlyheadlessian

Student satisfaction figures come from the NSS, completed by graduating undergraduates on an annual basis. It's long been known that the numbers are statistically insignificant - response rates are poor, with people far likelier to respond if they have an axe to grind. Several years ago it was uncovered that St Andrews was essentially fixing its results... Definitely take these kinds of rankings with a large pinch of salt.

Isn't it true that the National Student Survey demands that the course has a 75% response rate before the course is included in the overall results for publication? If this is the case (and I am reasonably certain it is), then the numbers have some statistical significance and provide a good review of the current final year students' experience of the institution. The students are asked to fill in the NSS between February and March. They are not graduating at this point. They are very much in class, having a student experience which can be judged using the National Student Survey. Students are a canny bunch who discuss with friends studying similar courses in other places. Maybe comparisons can be and are drawn. I understand that it is almost impossible for the institutions to 'fix' their results nowadays.

Given this response and some of your responses in other threads, I wondered if you worked for Edinburgh University?

Reply 13

nearlyheadlessian

15

Original post by godfrem

Given this response and some of your responses in other threads, I wondered if you worked for Edinburgh University?

No, I don't. And if I did I wouldn't be posting here (or if I was in an official capacity then my signature would say so).

godfrem

Isn't it true that the National Student Survey demands that the course has a 75% response rate before the course is included in the overall results for publication?

No idea. Certainly unable to find any sources (easily) that verify that suggestion though - a 75% response rate would be huge. Institutions need a response rate of 50% for inclusion in the overall stats.

godfrem

then the numbers have some statistical significance

They're either statistically significant or not. They can't be a bit significant - it's not possible.

As for your explanation to me what students are, I suggest you take a look at my multiple years of posts before making assumptions.

Reply 14

shades1984

5

Ed uni is a bit like learning in a prison. There's no contact with supervisors and there's no resources to help you study. 1st and 2nd year is a time when you will learn to teach yourself because nobody else will. Good luck.

Reply 15

Okorange

17

Original post by nearlyheadlessian

Student satisfaction figures come from the NSS, completed by graduating undergraduates on an annual basis. It's long been known that the numbers are statistically insignificant - response rates are poor, with people far likelier to respond if they have an axe to grind. Several years ago it was uncovered that St Andrews was essentially fixing its results... Definitely take these kinds of rankings with a large pinch of salt.

Link some proof or you are just being incredibly salty...

Reply 16

nearlyheadlessian

15

Original post by Okorange

Link some proof or you are just being incredibly salty...

Um, ok. So you're quoting a post that is 2 years old. I don't have details to hand, but the St Andrews thing was a minor splash in the nationals (and featured in the Student and the Journal) years ago - I'm thinking probably around 2008.

In terms of the way it surveys respondents, I ask you this - have you ever completed the NSS? Because it's not a bad survey - but by no means can it cover all the angles with multiple choice questions.

Reply 17

Okorange

17

Original post by nearlyheadlessian

Um, ok. So you're quoting a post that is 2 years old. I don't have details to hand, but the St Andrews thing was a minor splash in the nationals (and featured in the Student and the Journal) years ago - I'm thinking probably around 2008.

In terms of the way it surveys respondents, I ask you this - have you ever completed the NSS? Because it's not a bad survey - but by no means can it cover all the angles with multiple choice questions.

Yes I have completed the NSS. I answered honestly and was never coerced or given any sort of benefit for completing the study and this was at St Andrews.

Yes, I realized afterwards that I was quoting a post that was 2 years old, I had no clue that someone had necroed this thread. I still have to speak out against potential slander though.

Reply 18

nearlyheadlessian

15

Original post by Okorange

Yes I have completed the NSS. I answered honestly and was never coerced or given any sort of benefit for completing the study and this was at St Andrews.

Yes, I realized afterwards that I was quoting a post that was 2 years old, I had no clue that someone had necroed this thread. I still have to speak out against potential slander though.

While neither of these articles explicitly reference St Andrews - they're about Kingston - they do tally with my feeling that it was a story around 2008. And by that point, in the case of St Andrews, the gist was that it was the student union providing "advice" on what sorts of answers to give. No coercion or benefits (that sort of stuff would get shut down overnight). As I say, I'm pretty sure a trawl through archives of The Student would yield results on this.

Not slanderous - just making the point that figures have been poor representations of reality in the past and that they may well continue to be now.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-566200/University-lecturers-told-students-glowing-reports-risk-s-t-degree-boost-league-table-ranking.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/7404864.stm

Reply 19

Okorange

17

Original post by nearlyheadlessian

While neither of these articles explicitly reference St Andrews - they're about Kingston - they do tally with my feeling that it was a story around 2008. And by that point, in the case of St Andrews, the gist was that it was the student union providing "advice" on what sorts of answers to give. No coercion or benefits (that sort of stuff would get shut down overnight). As I say, I'm pretty sure a trawl through archives of The Student would yield results on this.

Not slanderous - just making the point that figures have been poor representations of reality in the past and that they may well continue to be now.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-566200/University-lecturers-told-students-glowing-reports-risk-s-t-degree-boost-league-table-ranking.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/7404864.stm

Thanks for the information, it was definitely something that would have taken you time to pull up, but you can see why I asked for proof since its very easy for a reader to pass buy and now assume St Andrews has been rigging its satisfaction. As someone who did go to St Andrews and wasn't ever given any information on the NSS or advice on how to answer, and who did feel that St Andrews had its administration game running very smoothly it would be pretty frustrating if people thought the great results were somehow not to be trusted.

Edinburgh University student satisfaction

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