Student satisfaction remains largely unchanged in 2022 NSE

Higher scores for student counselling

Our students’ general satisfaction remains nearly the same as last year. Students are, however, more satisfied with student counselling, an area that – thanks to funds from the National Education Programme – was given an extra boost last year in the form of student counsellors, student psychologists and peer-to-peer contact. This satisfaction is also reflected in the theme ‘engagement and contact’, which students rated as 3.66 on a scale of 1 to 5.

In addition, students are more satisfied with the alignment between their education and professional practice. Though this could be partly related to a slightly modified question, degree programmes have also invested in labour market orientation through such efforts as the formation of Communities of Practice in which students, researchers and the professional field come together to collaborate.

In addition to the general questions about higher education, AUAS students were asked about a number of specific topics as well. The themes of ‘reflection’, ‘distance education’ and ‘degree programme flexibility’ scored higher than last year. The themes of ‘equal treatment’ and ‘challenge and effort’ were rated highest, although these scores were lower than last year.

Impact of COVID-19 pandemic

The NSE was administered between 17 January and 13 March this year. There was a lockdown just before the start of the survey. For at least three weeks of the eight-week survey period, classes were taught remotely. This may have had an impact on the response rate and the survey results. However, since all higher education institutions are affected by this, the mutual comparisons remain the same. Around 15,000 AUAS students (30.7%) completed the questionnaires.

AUAS would like to maintain and build on its progress, as there is still room for improvement. We will continue working with students in the coming year to address the most important findings of the NSE.