The HEPI–HEA Student Academic Experience Survey 2014

Nick Hillman and Paul Bennett

• 15,046 respondents from YouthSight’s “Student Panel”

• The panel itself recruits members via UCAS

• Sample comprises:- Full-time undergraduates in all year groups - From higher education institutions across the UK that receive public funding

• Weightings are applied to results

• Online survey, open 24 February – 26 March 2014

• Main changes for 2014:- New ONS questions on wellbeing- Improved answer options for some questions

2

The survey

Key findings

How satisfied are you with your life nowadays?

To what extent do you feel the things you do in your life are worthwhile?

How happy did you feel yesterday?

General population 77% 81% 72%

Population aged 20-24 79% 78% 70%

Student population 74% 72% 62%

4

Personal wellbeing of students

Percentages are those answering 7 or higher on a scale where 1 = ‘not at all’ and 10 = ‘completely’

5

Satisfaction with course quality

All students

Russell Group

Pre-1992

Post-1992

Other special-ist

3%

2%

3%

11%

9%

9%

13%

10%

57%

56%

57%

58%

52%

29%

33%

31%

26%

34%

Don't know Not at all satisfied Not very satisfied Fairly satisfiedVery satisfied

86%

89%

88%

84%

86%

TOTAL SATISFIE

D

6

Experience compared with expectations

Other/don't know

It's been exactly what I expected

It's been better in some ways and worse in others

It's been worse

It's been better

2%

11%

49%

11%

26%

2%

8%

45%

13%

32%

2%

9%

50%

12%

27%

2014 2013 2012

7

Experience worse than expectations if…

Don't know

Other (please specify)

Teaching staff were inaccessible

The course wasn't challenging enough

The course was too challenging

There was too little interaction with other students

The teaching groups were too large

There was too little interaction with staff

The feedback was poor

The teaching quality was worse than I expected

I didn't feel supported in my private study

I received fewer contact hours than I was expecting

The course was poorly organised

I haven't put in enough effort myself

3%

13%

11%

11%

12%

19%

19%

26%

26%

27%

28%

32%

32%

36%

8

Course choices and information

Don't know

No definitely not

No probably not

Yes maybe

Yes definitely

3%

34%

31%

22%

10%

N/A - Can’t remember the information that

was given to me

None of the above

Vague

Informative

Useful

Misleading

Accurate

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%

8.8%

1.0%

18.2%

50.7%

51.4%

6.7%

37.9%

9.8%

1.1%

19.1%

47.2%

48.7%

7.7%

37.4%

Year 2013 Year 2014

Whether students would have chosen differently knowing what they do now

Views on information provided by the institution before commencement

9

Perceived benefit of different sized classes

No other students

1-5 other students

6-15 other students

16-50 other students

51-100 other students

More than 100 other students

9%

10%

10%

24%

36%

37%

31%

37%

45%

51%

43%

41%

59%

50%

42%

20%

11%

10%

3%

7%

10%

Don't know Not at all A little Quite a bit A lot

89%

TOTAL POSITIV

E

87%

88%

71%

54%

51%

10

Hours spent in different sized classes

0.330.87

2.73

3.96

1.93

2.08

0 students

1-5 students

6-15 students

16-50 students

51-100 students

More than 100 students

11

Hours spent in different sized classes

0

5

10

15

20

25

2014 2013 2012 2007 2006

12

Reasons for missing classes

Don’t know

Other

I had paid work commitments

It was cancelled

Sessions were optional

I couldn’t be bothered to attend

I was ill

I didn’t feel that I needed to go because I could get the notes online

I didn’t find these lectures very useful

1%

15%

9%

14%

21%

31%

31%

40%

50%

13

Total workload

0102030405060

14

Perceived value for money

I have received very good value for money

I have received good value for money

I have received neither poor nor good value for money

I have received poor value for money

I have received very poor value for money

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40%

8%

34%

30%

20%

8%

34%

36%

22%

6%

3%

7%

34%

37%

17%

5%

9%

32%

31%

20%

8%

12%

33%

30%

18%

8%

All UK

England

Northern Ire-land

Scotland

Wales

15

Impact of new fees on perceived VFM

I have received very poor value for money

I have received poor value for money

I have received neither poor nor good value for money

I have received good value for money

I have received very good value for money

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45%

10.5%

22.6%

30.6%

28.4%

7.9%

4.0%

14.3%

29.6%

41.3%

10.8%

Year 2012 Year 2014

First and second years studying in England who are from England, Northern Ireland or Scotland

16

Impact on experience vs expectations

First and second years studying in England who are from England, Northern Ireland or Scotland

It’s been better

It’s been worse

It’s been better in some ways and worse than others

It’s been exactly what I expected

Other/don’t know

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%

28.1%

11.7%

50.2%

9.6%

0.4%

26.7%

11.3%

49.1%

10.8%

2.2%

Year 2012 Year 2014

17

Students’ views on spending priorities

Better security on campus

Giving academics more time for research

Better sport or social facilities

Better buildings

Better pay for staff

Other support services (careers, accommodation etc.)

Supporting students to settle into the university

Providing better access to staff outside teaching sessions

Better financial support for hard-up students

Providing better learning facilities

Better training for lecturers

Reducing the size of teaching groups

Having more hours of teaching

Reducing fee levels

0%

1%

2%

2%

1%

2%

3%

4%

7%

11%

13%

14%

15%

23%

2%

7%

11%

11%

12%

14%

14%

18%

24%

34%

34%

35%

35%

48%

Ranked as top three answer Ranked as top answer

The HEPI–HEA Student Academic Experience Survey 2014

Nick Hillman and Paul Bennett

The HEPI–HEA Student Academic Experience Survey 2014

Nick Hillman and Paul Bennett