Student satisfaction sags at Australia’s top universities – study

Students in six out of the elite Group of Eight (Go8) universities in Australia are not satisfied with the quality of their educational experience, new data released by the country’s federal Department of Education show.

The level of dissatisfaction at the University of New South Wales, University of Sydney, University of Western Australia, University of Adelaide, Australian National University and the University of Melbourne fall below the national average of 80 percent.

Whereas the University of Notre Dame and Bond University were found to have appeased their students the most, with more than 90 per cent rating their experience positively.

Bond University has topped institutions from around Australia to earn the highest level of student satisfaction. https://t.co/tbuw0E2mp3

— Bond University (@BondUniversity) April 12, 2017

Despite their lacklustre performance, Go8 chair Peter Hoj calls the finding a “good set of results”, and says “in university terms, it’s a distinction”.

“We are happy to see student satisfaction is high at all Australian universities,” Hoj added as reported by The Sydney Morning Herald.

The poorest performer was University of Technology, Sydney (UTS) (72 percent). Officials say the school is going through a “challenging year”, but they are optimistic big investments in facilities and teaching support will result in more positive results in the future.

“UTS is disappointed in the results, but is currently in the middle of a significant transformation to its teaching and learning approach, with a focus on a new model of student learning and outcomes,” senior deputy vice-chancellor Andrew Parfitt said.

https://twitter.com/jacobpetkovic/status/852058434409246725

More than 178,000 students took part in the government’s survey, which asked students whether they rate their educational experience as positive. The results will be uploaded on Thursday to the Quality Indicators for Learning and Teaching (QILT) website.

Prospective students can now compare detailed data on Australian schools so they can enter the country’s higher education institutions with “clear eyes”, according to Education and Training Minister Simon Birmingham.

“The Turnbull government is determined to drive increased accountability in our higher education system and is committed to delivering greater transparency around how higher education institutions perform and engage and support their students,” Birmingham said.

“The more information students can have at their fingertips, the better decisions they can make when considering the courses and careers they want to embark on.”

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