STUDENTS have given lecturers a huge vote of confidence after a new study revealed that students were increasingly satisfied by their lecturers teaching performance.
Those enrolled at the University of St Andrews have been pleased with their lecturers and the new study has showed that grades have improved at the university.
Of 22 St Andrews Schools, 21 are said to have maintained or significantly improved their student satisfaction scores.
A Teaching and Student Experience Snapshot carried out by the University of St Andrews also confirmed that average grades improved slightly, with anecdotal evidence suggesting that some students may have been able to work harder without the traditional distractions of campus life.
Students studying Classics, Divinity, Economics, Modern Languages, Music, Philosophy, Chemistry, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Geography and Sustainable Development, Mathematics and Statistics, and Medicine at St Andrews all returned higher teaching satisfaction scores than their predecessors had in previous, pandemic-free, years.
The snapshot looked at St Andrews’ undergraduate and postgraduate entrant cohorts and covered the period from September to December 2020.
Satisfaction levels with teaching modules were assessed using an anonymous online questionnaire.
According to the university, the overall satisfaction level was the highest the University has recorded in the last six years.
No significant differences in attainment were found between students taught in-person, those who received a blend of in-person and remote teaching, and those taught entirely remotely.
Professor Clare Peddie, Vice-Principal of Education said:“While we should treat this snapshot with a degree of caution, this is a remarkable outcome.
“It reflects well on our staff’s ability to deliver high-quality teaching during the pandemic and on our students’ willingness to appreciate and recognise what is possible under current circumstances,”
“Overall, given that all of our students underwent the same assessment regimes within their respective modules, these figures suggest that students who engaged remotely only and did not benefit from in-person teaching or the facilities provided on campus performed as successfully as their peers.
“This speaks to the parity of our provision and the quality of our preparations for online teaching, including the provision of learning material through the Library and technical support for the digital delivery of teaching.”
The findings have been welcomed by Dan Marshall, President of the St Andrews Students’ Association who said: “Whilst for many students this hasn’t been the year they had hoped for, today’s news is incredibly positive.
“It is testament to the way in which students and staff have worked hard and pulled together to overcome the challenges of the pandemic and I’m glad that students have recognised staff who have gone above and beyond to support them.”
