What do accounting students say about teaching staff?

teaching staffaccounting

Accounting students widely praise their lecturers but ask for clearer assessment and steadier timetables. In the National Student Survey (NSS), the Teaching Staff theme attracts 78.3% Positive comments with a sentiment index of +52.8, and within the Common Aggregation Hierarchy grouping for accounting the tone around Teaching Staff is also strong at +43.9. That positive baseline sits alongside persistent pressure points: feedback dominates accounting students’ comments (10.8% share) and scheduling/timetabling sentiment trends negative at −22.0. In sector terms, Teaching Staff captures students’ experience of interactions with lecturers and tutors, while the Common Aggregation Hierarchy enables like-for-like benchmarking of subjects across UK providers.

How did we gather these insights?

We analysed surveys, interviews and feedback forms from accounting students, using multiple touchpoints across the year to track change. Mixed methods capture a broad, diverse cohort and show how teaching practice and staff interactions shape learning. Using existing student channels increased participation and the relevance of the evidence.

What do students value about teaching staff?

Students highlight subject expertise, enthusiasm and availability. Approachability and detailed, individual feedback help them master complex concepts. Staff who adapt materials, offer extra sessions and keep communication consistent sustain engagement and trust in modules that demand cumulative understanding.

Where do teaching styles fall short?

Students describe over-reliance on theory without sufficient practice. Large lectures that repeat content reduce engagement. Accounting cohorts respond better when staff use worked exemplars, case studies, live problem-solving and interactive elements, with clear signposting of how topics link to assessment and professional standards.

Which support systems enable better teaching?

Targeted academic development, up-to-date resources and streamlined admin support free staff time for teaching and feedback. Visible availability, predictable drop-ins and timely responses improve students’ ability to act on advice. Mirroring support for part-time and commuting students through out-of-hours options and asynchronous Q&A summaries makes provision equitable across the cohort.

How should feedback and assessment work in accounting?

Feedback drives the largest share of accounting comments (10.8%), so clarity is pivotal. Students want annotated exemplars aligned to the marking criteria, checklist-style rubrics that show what good looks like, and published turnaround standards. When criteria feel opaque or timing is unpredictable, motivation dips and students struggle to calibrate their work for the next assessment.

How does organisation affect learning?

Timetabling changes and fragmented communications undermine learning rhythms, consistent with negative student tone on scheduling. A single source of truth for timetable updates, brief weekly “what changed and why” notes, and visible ownership of decisions reduce friction and protect the positive experience students report of teaching staff.

What changes move sentiment fastest?

• Protect what works: keep staff presence visible around assessments, maintain approachable office hours and keep module communications predictable.
• Make assessment transparent: publish exemplars, align rubrics to criteria and set realistic, trackable feedback turnaround expectations.
• Prioritise applied learning: embed worked examples, real cases and simulations to connect theory to professional practice.
• Stabilise operations: centralise timetable messaging and summarise changes promptly so students can plan.
• Measure and close the loop: track sentiment by programme and cohort, review outliers regularly, and tell students what you changed and why.

How Student Voice Analytics helps you

Student Voice Analytics gives continuous visibility of Teaching Staff comments and sentiment over time, with drill-downs from provider to subject family and programme. You can compare like-for-like with other accounting provision, segment by mode and cohort, and export concise summaries for programme and departmental briefings. The platform highlights where feedback, assessment methods and timetabling are dragging sentiment, and shows whether changes have shifted the dial for your next NSS cycle.

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• All-comment coverage with HE-tuned taxonomy and sentiment.
• Versioned outputs with TEF-ready governance packs.
• Benchmarks and BI-ready exports for boards and Senate.

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