NSS results

[damekindness]

We've had our departmental heads up that our NSS scores have plummeted. Which of course is nothing to do with the exponential increase in student numbers (many of whom are low tariff very needy individuals) and a decrease in academic staff and professional service roles

We are apparently going to need to reflect on this and come up with some creative solutions.

Ours have plummeted too, due to a significant organisational issue with the course that was entirely down to the University's central administration.

I'm waiting for the summons from senior management where we'll be gaslighted and asked what we are going to do to "turn this around".

same here
we dropped quite badly and are on a remediation plan already.

Huzzah!

I’ve just started a similar thread, I’ve had the summons already.

yes, not enough academic staff, not enough support staff, too many students and surprise surprise we have a shit NSS which I’m going to get a bollocking for.

Students are all being bastards this year

i think the widespread dissatisfaction with covid response / debt / employment prospects is spilling into specific, unfair moaning about individual lecturers and courses

Just seems so unfair when I know if a student has asked for support they’ve had it, and they’ve all said thanks and that they appreciate it and it’s helped, etc. then lots of moaning about lack of support.

Ours have gone up quite a bit BUT still being asked how to tackle the poor scores in certain areas. My suggestion would be to control for grades in the analysis of satisfaction but apparently that's far too simple.

My course team of 3 have worked our asses off this year (and every year tbh). There used to be 8 of us. Student numbers haven’t gone down, just the points of the ones we are getting.

Only to be slated in the NSS because there are only 3 of us and loads of them. we literally could not work any harder without killing ourselves. I am supportive, signpost when needed, feedback is always timely, the only time I don’t reply to emails promptly is if I’m on leave, and then I have an out of office on.

Additionally the support services have been cut to the bone. My course relies a lot on library support and resources and there barely is any library staff or budget these days.

Oh and they’re pissed off they are still paying full tuition fees for blended learning which they perceive is less work for us. Ha!

I teach in health and honestly, I think I might join the rest of my old colleagues and go back to practice.

Ditto. Ours are dire. Sure it has nothing to do with the fact all academics have had 20+ hours of contact and a huge ratios of staff to students in practical clinical teaching.

This makes an interesting read

wonkhe.com/blogs/nss-data-2022-the-sector-is-bursting-at-the-seams/

And demonstrates the whole Health sector in HE have experienced this. Though no doubt we'll all be knee deep in action plans and rewriting strategies and spending hours in interminable meetings trying to solve the issue. None of the actual solutions will of course be available to us.

Ours were okay but I still managed to have a run in with another colleague about student feedback. The programme leader reported back to the department on feedback he had collected in a meeting with students. One of the items he had put it up on the screen was that the students had complained that they didn't have enough taught sessions on my module- 1 hour every fortnight. I said that was not what was delivered - it was 2 hours every week. He responded that the students had a different perception- I said it is not about perceptions you can check yourself on Blackboard as the sessions were recorded that we ran an online seminar every Thursday 10-12. I wouldn't mind so much but they had already complained earlier in the year saying that they wanted more face to face teaching- I had given them the option in September and they all chose online. You literally can't win. This programme leader seems to take the view that the student is always right.

I can't seem to access results. Are you just getting private notification?

They’re on the NSS website.

I tried, but I just get a short spreadsheet. Will keep trying.

We're in the odd position this year that the university overall score has gone up quite a bit (hurrah! Have a free drink!) while our course has only gone up a very small amount (boo! You're back on the naughty step!).
This cohort due to people leaving and long term staff sickness has had 3 different programme leaders and is a mainly practical performing arts programme which we've managed to keep going through all the Covid faff. So actually any increase at all is good news.
We honestly couldn't have worked any harder and all these unsatisfied students have a degree and a job (our graduate employment is brilliant).
I hate the NSS.

I honestly think this is part of the problem. Students know they're "always right" and have way too much power. We've lost our authority or at least it's being badly undermined.

I am working towards trying to push back for some understanding and standards of behaviour from students. It's doing nobody any good in this current situation.

It doesn't help when you have some colleagues desperate for student awards and popularity. We all need a united front but it's hard when you don't have it and they're further undermining authority by behaving in that way.

We dropped significantly, which is surprising, because for the last two years our newish HoD has been explaining at great and patronising length how easy it is to improve NSS scores. His analysis is, of course, that the students are mostly still upset about things that happened before he joined us, over two years before they filled in the survey. It’s a bit like Tony Blair being to blame for all the problems the current government have.

Hi .I have never done this but was really interested in this thread .I am Head of Student Services at a uni ..I've basically been told by my head's that I am being removed from my post after the NSS comments. I feel dreadful, I've been consistently understaffed, under resourced lost 4 members of my team in as many months , dealing with swathes of mental health , suicidal young people , safeguarding like I've never seen . The focus is only on the negative, that appears to wipe out any good we do .I hear all of you. I felt like I was going mad but this has made me feel so much better. Thank you x

Hi .I have never done this but was really interested in this thread .I am Head of Student Services at a uni ..I've basically been told by my head's that I am being removed from my post after the NSS comments. I feel dreadful, I've been consistently understaffed, under resourced lost 4 members of my team in as many months , dealing with swathes of mental health , suicidal young people , safeguarding like I've never seen . The focus is only on the negative, that appears to wipe out any good we do .I hear all of you. I felt like I was going mad but this has made me feel so much better. Thank you x

I’m so sorry, that’s awful. No one person should be blamed for stuff like this, especially when short staffed and especially when global factors out of your control such as a pandemic and online teaching will have affected results. Can you appeal? Are they offering you another job? Are they also getting rid of academics and course leaders?

Hi .I have never done this but was really interested in this thread .I am Head of Student Services at a uni ..I've basically been told by my head's that I am being removed from my post after the NSS comments. I feel dreadful, I've been consistently understaffed, under resourced lost 4 members of my team in as many months , dealing with swathes of mental health , suicidal young people , safeguarding like I've never seen . The focus is only on the negative, that appears to wipe out any good we do .I hear all of you. I felt like I was going mad but this has made me feel so much better. Thank you x

Hi .I have never done this but was really interested in this thread .I am Head of Student Services at a uni ..I've basically been told by my head's that I am being removed from my post after the NSS comments. I feel dreadful, I've been consistently understaffed, under resourced lost 4 members of my team in as many months , dealing with swathes of mental health , suicidal young people , safeguarding like I've never seen . The focus is only on the negative, that appears to wipe out any good we do .I hear all of you. I felt like I was going mad but this has made me feel so much better. Thank you x

Hi .I have never done this but was really interested in this thread .I am Head of Student Services at a uni ..I've basically been told by my head's that I am being removed from my post after the NSS comments. I feel dreadful, I've been consistently understaffed, under resourced lost 4 members of my team in as many months , dealing with swathes of mental health , suicidal young people , safeguarding like I've never seen . The focus is only on the negative, that appears to wipe out any good we do .I hear all of you. I felt like I was going mad but this has made me feel so much better. Thank you x

Hi .I have never done this but was really interested in this thread .I am Head of Student Services at a uni ..I've basically been told by my head's that I am being removed from my post after the NSS comments. I feel dreadful, I've been consistently understaffed, under resourced lost 4 members of my team in as many months , dealing with swathes of mental health , suicidal young people , safeguarding like I've never seen . The focus is only on the negative, that appears to wipe out any good we do .I hear all of you. I felt like I was going mad but this has made me feel so much better. Thank you x

Hi .I have never done this but was really interested in this thread .I am Head of Student Services at a uni ..I've basically been told by my head's that I am being removed from my post after the NSS comments. I feel dreadful, I've been consistently understaffed, under resourced lost 4 members of my team in as many months , dealing with swathes of mental health , suicidal young people , safeguarding like I've never seen . The focus is only on the negative, that appears to wipe out any good we do .I hear all of you. I felt like I was going mad but this has made me feel so much better. Thank you x

Hi .I have never done this but was really interested in this thread .I am Head of Student Services at a uni ..I've basically been told by my head's that I am being removed from my post after the NSS comments. I feel dreadful, I've been consistently understaffed, under resourced lost 4 members of my team in as many months , dealing with swathes of mental health , suicidal young people , safeguarding like I've never seen . The focus is only on the negative, that appears to wipe out any good we do .I hear all of you. I felt like I was going mad but this has made me feel so much better. Thank you x