National Student Survey Research Articles

The national student survey of GenerativeAI use among Australian university students

Entrusting GenerativeAI (GenAI) to complete tasks that require critical engagement with content can have wide-spread implications to the integrity of student learning outcomes. This paper presents the preliminary findings of a mixed-methods survey of Australian university students (n=399) on their use of GenAI in their studies. Preliminary findings suggest student GenAI use in universities is common, with approximately one third of students using GenAI and 53% engaging with ChatGPT alone. In open-ended responses, stigma and judgement towards students utilising GenAI to complete their assignments is evident. Stigma may entrench a culture of secrecy around integrating GenAI into the student workflow, which may work against any initiatives to increase citation or transparency in the sanctioned use of GenAI. Students also discussed implications for employability, skill development, and the originality of their work, with 80% of students concerned that GenAI is devaluing their degrees. These findings require universities to critically engage with either: building a culture of engagement with, or increasing surveillance against the use of GenAI in student assessments (reflecting the GenAI stance of each university).

Protocol for the SELECT study: a sequential mixed methods study of the selection of UK medical students into clinical academic training

BackgroundInternationally, there has been a move towards fostering diverse healthcare workforces that are representative of the patient populations they serve. Selection criteria for academic-clinicians often aim to capture skills and attributes that demonstrate both clinical and academic excellence. Currently, it is not known whether the selection criteria for early academic-clinical careers advantage or disadvantage certain ethnic or socioeconomic groups. The UK has a structured route of integrated clinical academic training with entry level training for newly qualified doctors administered through the ‘Specialised Foundation Programme’ which provides protected time for research within the first two years of postgraduate clinical training. In this study, we aim to identify what selection criteria are used within the UK Specialised Foundation Programme, and how these relate to demographic factors.MethodsWe will perform a mixed methods study consisting of a document analysis of person specifications and selection criteria used in the 2024 UK Specialised Foundation Programme, and a national cross-sectional survey of current medical students in the UK. We will obtain the person specifications, selection criteria, white space (open ended questions used during shortlisting) and interview questions and mark schemes from each Specialised Unit of Applications via information available on their websites or through Freedom of Information requests. Our survey will collect information relating to demographic data, selection criteria, and perceptions of specialised foundation programme selection.DiscussionInternational literature has demonstrated inequity in academic markers used in selection of post-graduate clinicians and that disadvantages caused by selection can compound over time. As such it is important to understand what inequity exists within the selection of early academic-clinicians, as this can help inform more equitable selection practices and help nurture a more diverse academic-clinical workforce.

In what environment can female college students excel? An analysis of gender differences in learning of Chinese college students

With the expansion of higher education in China, gender equity has been largely improved at the entrance to undergraduate education. Yet, whether male and female students developed equally during college is still under debate. Using data from a Chinese national college student survey in 2021, this study explores gender differences in learning behaviors and outcomes of college students and examines whether they are influenced differently by educational environmental factors. Employing multiple regression models, we find that though female students outperformed males on active learning behaviors and academic scores, they were less active in higher-order learning behaviors, resource-intensive high-impact educational practice, and student-faculty interactions and reported lower educational gains than their male counterparts. Environmental and educational factors, including institute type, gender composition, academic challenges, and student support, influence the gender gaps in different ways. Overall, most female college students behave under the gender expectations of society and are less responsive to educational factors than their male counterparts. Collectively, these findings underscore the need for heightened awareness of gender gaps in the learning process in different learning environments and advocate for a more tailored collegiate environment that optimally supports female students’ educational pursuits.

The Impact of the Initial Teacher Education Reaccreditation Process on Teacher Educator Identity

ABSTRACT This article reports initial findings from a research project that focused on the impact of the reaccreditation process and its outcomes on teacher educators in four institutions in England where Qualified Teacher Status accreditation was removed, despite leading successful programmes as detailed in Ofsted inspections and National Student Survey data. Whilst the outcomes of the reaccreditation process were mentioned in the mainstream press, the impact of this policy on teacher educators had only been reported anecdotally. This research fills a research gap to document impact on teacher educator identity and provides an evidence base to inform teacher education policy debates. Data were gathered through focus groups using a triad collaborative enquiry approach, based on the lesson study model, where researchers took on different roles: clarifier, observer, and questioner. This method formed part of a constructed focus group and built on a process of semi-structured and unstructured creative tasks. Initial findings identified the shifting context university educators perceived in relation to policy constraints, including a greater top-down, centralisation that negated the opportunity for teacher educators to provide a contextualised, evidence informed approach to teacher preparation. This contributed to the impact of the reaccreditation process on teacher educators’ professional identity, self-efficacy and agency.

LGBTQIA health in medical education: a national survey of Australian medical students

PurposeLesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex and asexual (LGBTQIA) individuals experience poorer health outcomes than other individuals. Insufficient LGBTQIA health education of doctors in existing medical curricula contributes to these outcomes. We sought to explore medical students’ experiences of content coverage and mode of delivery, as well as their preparedness, attitudes and learning needs regarding LGBTQIA health education in Australia.MethodsUsing a conceptual framework specific to curricular development, we adapted a previous cross-sectional national survey. This included 28 questions (analysed statistically) and 5 free text responses (analysed deductively using Braun and Clarke’s thematic analysis framework). Data was compared between LGBTQIA and non-LGBTQIA respondents, and clinical and preclinical students.ResultsThere were 913 participants from 21 of 23 medical schools, with most preclinical (55%) and clinical (89%) students reporting no teaching specific to LGBTQIA health. Reported content coverage was highest for sexual history taking (30%), and especially low for transgender and intersex health (< 16%), and intersectional LGBTQIA health (< 7%). Participants had positive attitudes towards LGBTQIA health, with 89% agreeing LGBTQIA topics were important and need to be covered in detail. Students desired longitudinal integration of LGBTQIA content, and LGBTQIA community involvement and case-based teaching that allows for interaction and questions. Self-perceived competency was low in all LGBTQIA health topics, although LGBTQIA participants reported higher preparedness than non-LGBTQIA participants.ConclusionsMajority of survey participants reported limited teaching of LGBTQIA health-specific content, highlighting the limited coverage of LGBTQIA health in Australian medical schools. Participants expressed positive attitudes towards LGBTQIA content and broadly agreed with statements supporting increased integration of LGBTQIA health content within medical curricula.

Enabling computing students to recognize acquired competencies with ePortfolios

ABSTRACT Background and Context While higher education in Norway intends to ensure students can translate academic learning to real-world settings, a gap persists in computing students’ perceptions of their acquired competencies. Objective This study aims to understand the gap and explore how formative assessment with ePortfolios can help students recognize acquired competencies. Method This study investigates data from a national student survey, summative reflections from 67 computing students’ exams at the end of a course, and observations of their ePortfolio development during the course. Findings The ePortfolio emerges as a powerful tool, enabling students to actively record their learning journey, recognize acquired competencies, and gain a holistic understanding of the total learning outcomes, thus bridging the identified gap. Implications This study offers insights into how ePortfolios can help computing students recognize acquired competencies and present implications and recommendations for higher education institutions and teachers.

Trends in research grant applications and outcomes among medical students in the United Kingdom: a national self-reported cross-sectional survey.

Background: Research funding disparities contribute to clinical-academic workforce inequalities1-3. Hence, our study explores the association between student demographics and research grant application rates and outcomes among UK medical students. Methods: This is a national multicentre cross-sectional survey of UK medical students in the 2020-21 academic year. Multiple zero-inflated negative binomial regression and generalized linear model (binomial distribution; logit link) were utilized to investigate the association between student demographics, number of grant applications submitted, and successful grant applications (yes or no). P-values less than a Bonferroni-corrected significance level of 0.05/36 = 0.0014 were statistically significant. Results: 1528 students participated from 36 medical schools. 151 respondents (9.9%) had applied for research grants. Black students submitted applications 2.90 times more often than white students [Incident rate ratio (IRR): 2.90, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.37-6.16], with no ethnic disparity in the odds of successful applications. Gender did not influence application rates significantly (P = .248), but women were 4.61 times more likely to secure a grant than men [odds ratio: 4.61, 95% CI: 2.04-10.4]. Being a PubMed-indexed author was associated with increased grant application submission rates [IRR: 3.61, 95% CI: 2.20- 5.92] while conducting more research was associated with greater odds of securing a grant [odds ratio: 1.42, 95% CI: 1.17- 1.73]. Conclusion: Although black students submitted more applications, ethnicity did not influence success rates. Gender did not influence application rates, but women were more successful. These findings underscore the need for strategies supporting women and underrepresented students for continued academic achievement after graduation. This abstract has been published as a paper4

Effect of Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health on Obstetrics and Gynecology Residency Applicants [ID 2683390

INTRODUCTION: Abortion restrictions affect not only provision of abortion care but also experience for trainees. Data from the 2023 match showed a decrease in obstetrics and gynecology residency applications in restrictive states. Our national survey of medical students applying to obstetrics and gynecology residency sought to assess the effects of the Dobbs decision on their application process. METHODS: Medical students who applied to obstetrics and gynecology residency for the 2023 match were surveyed via an electronic questionnaire. Convenience sampling was used. Institutional review board waiver was granted. RESULTS: One hundred seventy-eight students, from 39 different states, completed the survey. The average age was 27.8 years, and the majority identified as women (89%) and White (80.9%). The majority (72.7%) of respondents reported that the Dobbs decision influenced which residency programs they applied to, and of those, 96.9% report that they applied to programs in states with fewer abortion restrictions. Similarly, 66.5% reported that the decision influenced their rank list, and of those, 98.3% report they ranked programs in states that are less restrictive on abortion services higher. CONCLUSION: Access to abortion training was identified as important to a majority of survey respondents. Students reported applying to states with less abortion restrictions and that access to abortion training influenced their rank list. Prior studies have surveyed third- and fourth-year students about predicted effects of the Dobbs decision on residency applications. This is the first to assess perspectives among students who completed the residency application process.

Enhancing academic support for students in higher education

PurposeThe need to enhance student support is evident in higher education (HE) curricula. In addition to the complications created by the COVID-19 pandemic, the current strategies used in academia are criticised for their lack of appropriate student support in HE. The study focused on the themes under Section 4 of the National Student Survey (NSS): availability to contact tutors, receiving good advice and guidance and availability of good advice. The study aimed to provide recommendations for enhancing academic support by developing drivers that need implementation during course delivery.Design/methodology/approachA documental analysis and a qualitative survey were adopted for this study. A documental analysis of 334 mid-module reviews (MMRs) from levels three to six students in the built environment (BE) discipline. Critical themes identified from the MMRs were fed forward in developing a questionnaire for academics. A sample of 23 academics, including a Head of school, a Principal lecturer, Subject leads and Lecturers, participated in the questionnaire survey. Content analysis is adopted through questionnaire data to develop drivers to enhance academic support in BE. These drivers are then modelled by interpretive structural modelling (ISM) to identify their correlation to NSS Section 4 themes. A level partition analysis establishes how influential they are in enhancing academic support.FindingsThe study identified nine drivers, where two drivers were categorised as fundamental, two as significant, four as important, and one insignificant in enhancing academic support in HE. Module leaders’/tutors’ improving awareness and detailing how academic support is provided were identified as fundamental. Differentiating roles in giving advice and the importance of one-to-one meetings were identified as significant. A level partitioning diagram was developed from the nine drivers to illustrate how these drivers need to be implemented to promote the best practices in academic support in HE.Practical implicationsThe identified drivers and their categories can be used to set prioritised guidelines for academics and other educational institutions to improve students’ overall satisfaction.Originality/valueNovelty from the study will be the developed drivers and the level partitioning diagram to assist academics and academic institutions in successfully integrating academic support into HE curricula.

Screening student drinking behaviors: examining AUDIT criterion validity using CIDI-based alcohol use disorder as the 'gold standard'.

High levels of alcohol consumption among college students have been observed across countries. Heavy drinking episodes are particularly prevalent in this population, making early identification of potentially harmful drinking critical from a public health perspective. Short screening instruments such as the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) are serviceable in this regard. However, there is a need for studies investigating the criterion validity of AUDIT in the student population. The aim was to examine the criterion validity of the full AUDIT and AUDIT-C (the first three items directly gauging consumption patterns) in a sample of college and university students using 12-month prevalence of alcohol use disorder derived from an electronic, self-administered version of the World Health Organization (WHO) Composite International Diagnostic Interview, fifth version (CIDI 5.0), which serves as the 'gold standard'. The study population of the current study is derived from the SHoT study (Students' Health and Wellbeing Study), which is a large national survey of students enrolled in higher education in Norway. In a follow-up study of mental disorders among participants of the SHoT2022 study, students were invited to complete a self-administered electronic version of the CIDI. A random sample of 4,642 participants in the nested CIDI-sample was asked to fill out a set of screening instruments, including AUDIT, before starting CIDI. Based on Youden Index maximization, we estimated the sex-specific optimal cut-offs for AUDIT and AUDIT-C in relation to alcohol use disorder, as determined by CIDI. For the full AUDIT, the optimal cut-offs were 9 for males and 10 for females. The corresponding cut-offs for AUDIT-C were 6 for males and 5 for females. The same optimal cut-offs for both the full AUDIT and AUDIT-C were replicated in bootstrapped analyses with 1,000 runs. The full AUDIT demonstrated acceptable criterion validity with a balance between sensitivity and specificity. However, for AUDIT-C, caution should be exercised when interpreting screening results among college and university students. In conclusion, the full AUDIT is a reliable screening instrument for college and university students, while further modification may be needed for AUDIT-C in this setting.

Inclusion or Isolation? Differential Student Experiences of Independent Learning and Wellbeing in Higher Education

Independent learning is frequently identified as instrumental to student success within higher education. Although there is a significant body of literature demonstrating the importance of independent learning for retention and progression, to date, the relationship between independent learning and student wellbeing within higher education has been under-explored. This article addresses the gap in the literature by interrogating this relationship, with a particular emphasis on the barriers and enablers to independent learning and the implications for the wellbeing of university students as part of a whole university approach. Drawing on data from a large national student survey and nine focus groups with university staff conducted during the formulation of the University Mental Health Charter, the findings demonstrate important intersectionalities between independent learning and student wellbeing. In particular, they highlight that facilitating independent learning has the potential to allow students to flourish in higher education but only when factors relating to accessibility, inclusivity, expectations, and goals are explicitly addressed. Going forward, it is imperative that these links are more widely acknowledged and addressed within higher education research, policy, and practice to ensure that students are supported to develop as learners during both their transition into university and their journey through and beyond their studies.

The trajectory and transition pattern of intention to practice medicine among medical students in China

There has been a growing concern about the career intentions (whether medical students have the intention to practice medicine) due to the increasingly serious problem of medical students attrition. Career intentions have the potential to promote medical students' career commitment and encourage them to stay in the medical profession. Moreover, a series of dynamic career intentions during medical education can be served as an early guide to the medical students' future career choices (whether medical students finally choose to practice medicine). However, few studies focus on the dynamics of career intentions among medical students. In this study, we utilized data from a large-scale national survey of medical students conducted in China from 2020 to 2022 to curve the trajectory of the intention to practice medicine among medical students during their undergraduate medical education by using multilevel growth model. Furthermore, we applied latent Markov model to estimate the transition matrix of the intention across each academic year during the undergraduate medical education. Our findings revealed a trajectory curve with a peak during the second year in the intention to practice medicine. In addition, we identified three latent states of career intention including “strong intention”, “wavering” and “weak intention”, and further found two distinct transition patterns between individuals with strong career intentions and those without strong career intentions. The transition patterns play a crucial role in understanding the changes in the trajectory of medical students’ intentions and determining the optimal timing for interventions to prevent medical student attrition. Our study offers a comprehensive understanding for the dynamics of the career intention among medical students, which has practical implications for medical educators and institutions to address the issues of medical student attrition.

Graduate prospects explain undergraduate program standing in university league sports science tables.

UK university undergraduate programs are compared by independent subject-specific rankings (Complete, Guardian, and Times), based on data from the National Student Survey, Higher Education Statistics Agency, Universities and Colleges Admissions Service, Research Excellence Framework, and the universities. The sports and exercise science program at the University of Glasgow has steadily risen to currently rank as the top UK program. This investigation aimed to identify the underlying factors that explain this. Therefore, we obtained underlying scores for entry standard, student satisfaction, research foundation, graduate prospects, staff-to-student ratio, expenditure/student, continuation, program support to students, and teaching quality from the ranking providers for years 2010-2024, and statistically modeled which factors significantly affected the rankings. We found that entry standards and graduate prospects strongly correlated significantly with ranking results. Principal component analysis indicated that a model of graduate prospects and entry standards explained 66.2% of the variance in ranking results. Multiple linear regression with all underlying factors included in the model indicated they explained 78% (R2 = 0.78) of the total variance, while stepwise elimination of insignificant factors identified graduate prospects as the sole factor that significantly affected outcome by explaining 71% (R2 = 0.71) of the variance. Therefore, the primary predictor of ranking success in UK university league tables for sports science is graduates' professional success (graduate prospects).NEW & NOTEWORTHY University rankings are used by applicants and stakeholders to judge programs, including undergraduate studies. In the rankings, undergraduate UK programs are compared and contrasted against each other based on how they score for criteria that affect student life and future prospects. Here, we determined the relative influence of those criteria and found that graduate prospects, how students professionally benefit from their study after graduation, is the factor that matters most for the ranking results.

Accountancy students’ perceptions of the quality of teaching and learning experiences in two UK business schools: implications for generic skills development

PurposeFocusing on the quality of teaching and learning, this study aims to explore the perceptions of accountancy students in two emerging UK Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) of the quality of their learning experiences and the impact of these experiences on generic skills development.Design/methodology/approachA questionnaire survey was used to collect the data. OLS regression was used to test the hypothesis regarding the impact of student learning experiences (lecturer ability, assessment and curriculum) on generic skills development.FindingsStudents value the lecturer as the most important determinant of the quality of their experience. They rated their assessment programme very positively, and the curriculum suggests that students tend to experience a deep blended approach to learning. They also felt that they acquired a wide range of soft competency skills such as those associated with research, critical thinking and time management. Multivariate findings indicate that lecturer ability and curriculum contribute significantly and positively to generic skills development.Practical implicationsThe study provides a benchmark for international accounting and business educators in any efforts to assess the efficacy of HE delivery since the pandemic. By implication, it enables the identification of enhancements to the previous character of delivery and hence offers the means to direct improvements to the student experience. Such improvements can then be seen in the National Student Survey (NSS) scores, thereby positively contributing to the next Teaching Excellence Framework. Additionally, such tangible enhancements in NSS scores may be advantageous to HEIs, in the UK and other Western countries, in their efforts to recruit international students on whom they place great reliance for increased revenue, to their international business education programmes.Originality/valueThis study addresses the research gap surrounding the link between teaching and learning approaches in accounting and the development of generic skills. Furthermore, acknowledging that the COVID-19 pandemic with its imposed structural change in the HE teaching and learning environment ushered in a new model of curriculum delivery, this study reflects on the pre-COVID-19 scenario and gathers student perceptions of their teaching and learning experiences before the changes necessitated by lockdowns. It therefore brings the opportunity to anchor future research exploring the post-COVID-19 environment and secure comparative analyses.

“My Anxiety Was Through the Roof”: The Gendered Nature of Financial Stress and Its Impact on Mental Health and Well-Being for Women When Undertaking Social Work Placements

Social work practice is not a highly paid or high-status occupation. The historical roots of social work lie in charity work directed toward social needs and poverty, with much of this work previously women's unpaid work. This set the stage for a norm of unpaid labor in the predominantly female occupation. Women who are mature-aged, lone parents, carers and on low income have continuously been the numerical majority within social work. As such, the unpaid field placement disproportionately affects women. This article provides a gendered analysis of qualitative data obtained from women participants in a national survey of social work students from five Australian universities ( n = 409) following 1000 h of field education placement. Open-ended questions aimed to explore the experiences of financial stress from lengthy unpaid placements on the mental health and well-being of social work students. The findings contribute to a growing body of feminist literature critiquing the current field education model and argue for significant reflection, flexibility, and change. To meet the collective social work goals of social justice and dismantling systemic oppression, a new placement model is needed that is both inclusive and sustainable.

Loneliness, online learning and student outcomes in college students living with disabilities: results from the National College Health Assessment Spring 2022.

People with disabilities face many health, economic and social disparities. Loneliness is recognized as a significant issue for this group however, its impact on students with disabilities (SWDs) remains a critically underexplored area of research. Importantly, as higher education continues its transition to the digital space, the potential to entrench social isolation and loneliness within this population has not been examined. This research seeks to explore the associations between SWDs, loneliness, online learning, and academic outcomes in a national survey of university students. Using the National College Health Assessment from Spring 2022, this study compared multiple outcomes between different groups of SWDs and students without disabilities. Two ordinal regression models were used to estimate associations between loneliness, disability type and learning mode (online vs. in-person), as well as cumulative grade average (CGA) with disability type. All disability types included within this study were positively associated with increased odds of loneliness for those engaged in online learning compared to students without disabilities. Interactions indicate a significant effect of in-person learning compared with online learning for deaf or hard of hearing students, and those with multiple disabilities. Several disability groups reported decreased odds of higher CGA compared to students without disabilities. Loneliness is a significant issue for all SWD groups reported in this study. The impact of disability on academic outcomes is reported herein; however, its impact on medium-to-long term outcomes for these individuals remains unknown. To address inequities in higher education for SWDs, universities must invest more resources to holistically support these students.

Capturing virtual voices: using online reflective journals to explore the lived experiences of part-time adult learners

The opportunities for discovering students' lived experiences and perspectives on online learning are often limited. Embarking upon an undergraduate programme marks a period of transition which, for some adults, can be disorientating and challenging especially as an individual' s lifeworld becomes increasingly entangled with the decision to participate in learning. Educational interactions take place within prescribed and structured virtual fora, each with a clear delineated purpose set out by the university, whether that be social or academic, task-based or informative. Further insights may be gleaned from end-ofmodule questionnaires, internal surveys or the National Student Survey (NSS), but there is little opportunity for informal engagements, insights or snapshots without it being captured in a discussion forum or recorded in the learner management system. This study set out to employ a cocreated online reflective journal as a space through which to better understand the experiences of adult learners as they begin online study in order to explore how they forge their identities, progress emotionally and socially between the stages of their learning, and navigate the complex interrelationship between the personal, circumstantial and emotional domains.

Enhancing the assessment and the feedback in higher education

PurposeLack of appropriate student support and drawbacks in academic progression signify the importance of enhancing assessment and feedback in higher education (HE). Although assessment and feedback are significant in HE, minimal empirical research holistically explores the best practices. This study aims to address the niche and develop a decisive guideline for enhancing assessment setting and feedback provision within HE curricula.Design/methodology/approachA systematic approach was taken to obtain data for the study: a literature review underpinning the thematic content analysis of study documents, followed by semi-structured interviews. Document analysis contained mid-module reviews/student feedback; rubrics used in assessment; and formative/summative feedback provided for the graded work. Documental analysis informed the key attributes of the semi-structured interview. Interpretive structural modelling (ISM) analysis identified the influence and reliance of each driver.FindingsThis study revealed 15 drivers – 4 fundamental, 6 significant and 5 important – for enhancing assessment and feedback. The level partitioning from the ISM analysis established that all assessment and feedback needs to be underpinned by the university policy and fed into the assessment regime and marking scheme. This study identified that National Student Survey results were significantly improved due to implementing said drivers compared with the national and sector benchmarks.Practical implicationsThe developed drivers enable the best practices in assessment setting and feedback provision. The level partition diagram can be used as a decisive guideline or a provisional framework in assessment and feedback provision for quality assurance in HE.Originality/valueThis study is one of, if not the only, to develop a guideline for signposting drivers and their influence and reliance to enhance assessment and feedback in a holistic HE setting. The developed drivers and the level partition diagram bring novelty and add to the current body of knowledge.

Investigating chemical engineering students’ perceptions of feedback: A glimpse into current problems and a platform for improvement

Effective and quality academic feedback is essential for student success in engineering education. However, chemical engineering students consistently report lower satisfaction with the feedback they receive based on the results of the UK National Student Survey (NSS) published in recent years. Despite this, there is limited research on students' perceptions of feedback in chemical engineering education. This study investigates the views of chemical engineering students on four key dimensions: knowledge and understanding of feedback, perceptions of effective and quality feedback, preferences for the modes and format of feedback, and experience with the feedback received. To draw meaningful and useful conclusions, this investigation was conducted on a small scale targeting 37 participants from undergraduate (UG) students in years one to four of the Chemical Engineering programmes at the University of Sheffield. The findings confirm that most of the UG students who participated in the study demanded to receive targeted and personalised feedback. Students considered that feedback on how to improve skills, identify mistakes and give specific examples to solve problems were more effective than a simply stated grade. The focused approach in this study allowed for an in-depth analysis of the perceptions of feedback among targeted UG students, leading to an improved definition of feedback for engineering education. It is proposed that feedback can be characterised as the process of communicating the learner's current and expected accomplishments, pointing out areas for improvement, and suggesting possible steps to address them while also requiring the learner to engage with and reflect on the provided comments.

Consequences of arbitrary binning the midpoint category in survey data: an illustration with student satisfaction in the National Student Survey

ABSTRACT Arbitrary placing cut-offs in data, i.e. binning, is recognised as poor statistical practice. We explore the consequences of using arbitrary cut-offs in two large datasets, the National Student Survey (2019 and 2022). These are nationwide surveys aimed at capturing student satisfaction amongst UK undergraduates. For these survey data, it is common to group the responses to the question on student satisfaction on a five point Likert scale into ‘% satisfied’ based on two categories. These % satisfied are then further used in metrics. We examine the consequences of using three rather than two categories for the rankings of courses and institutions, as well as the consequences of excluding the midpoint from the calculations. Across all courses, grouping the midpoint with satisfied leads to a median shift of 8.40% and 11.41% in satisfaction for 2019 and 2022, respectively. Excluding the midpoint from the calculations leads to a median shift of 4.20% and 5.70% in satisfaction for 2019 and 2022, respectively. While the overall stability of the rankings is largely preserved, individual courses or institutions exhibit sizeable shifts. Depending on the analysis, the most extreme shifts for courses in rankings are between 13 and 79 ranks, for institutions between 24 and 416 ranks. Our analysis thus illustrates the potentially profound consequences of arbitrarily grouping categories for individual institutions and courses. We offer some recommendations on how this issue can be addressed but primarily we caution against the reliance on arbitrary grouping of response categories in survey data such as the NSS.