QAA calls for the NSS to keep asking students in England about satisfaction with the quality of their course

QAA has responded to the ongoing consultation on changes to the National Student Survey, and published its full response.

One of the proposals is to remove the summative question 27 in England, which asks students the extent to which they agree with the statement: 'Overall, I am satisfied with the quality of the course'. QAA opposes this plan. This is the only question that addresses the quality of a course and how satisfied current students are with their experiences. We believe that current and future students will be at a disadvantage if that important source of information is lost. As this question - or a version of it - would remain in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, it would also lead to further divergence from a UK-wide approach to quality, which is valuable to the sector’s global reputation for excellence.

In our response, we also unpick what the consultation means by 'public accountability' and how the Office for Students (OfS) proposes to use the survey outcomes in its regulatory framework in future.

The consultation on phase 2 of the review of the NSS is still live, with the OfS (which is hosting the consultation on behalf of the funding bodies across the UK) accepting responses until 1 September 2022.