Do creative writing students in UK higher education get the learning resources they need?
Mostly, yes: core provision works for most students, but creative writing cohorts still encounter avoidable friction in the basics. In the Learning resources strand of National Student Survey (NSS) open-text comments across UK higher education, the overall tone sits at index +33.6, yet disabled students trail peers by −7.4 index points. Within creative writing as defined by the Common Aggregation Hierarchy used across the sector, 55.6% of comments are positive overall, but library and IT sentiment drops to −12.5 and −30.0. These signals guide where programmes should prioritise access, reliability and discoverability before layering on specialist materials.
How should we assess learning resources for creative writing?
Assess whether core and specialist resources enable project start-up and progression. Review availability and usefulness of lecture notes, seminar recordings, and access to equipment for filmmaking, podcasting and screen printing. Provide IT skills training so students can use these technologies. Build in resource readiness checks ahead of each module to verify availability, capacity and compatibility, name an owner to track issues, and fix what students notice fastest.
What do digital and library resources need to deliver?
Students expect comprehensive digital provision: eBooks and audiobooks, reading-list availability, and discoverable databases that support both craft and research. Creative writing-specific textbooks and writing guides remain essential, with online journals and articles helping students engage with contemporary practice. Where library use feels constrained, address licensing gaps, provide alternative formats by default, simplify off-campus access with plain-language steps and screenshots, and offer timely helpdesk options during peaks in assessment.
How should course organisation and support make resources usable?
Clarity and predictability in timetabling, assessment windows and guest sessions reduce resource stress. Publish a single source of truth for schedules, reading lists and platform links, and push quick-start guides at the start of each module. Extend access windows and service hours where possible; practices that work well for mature and part-time students often benefit the whole cohort. Flexible tutorials and responsive tutor feedback help students apply resources to their own drafts.
How can diverse materials shape creative practice and wellbeing?
Curate reading and media that reflect a wide range of voices, especially underrepresented writers, and show how each item links to learning outcomes. Mix multimedia content with global and local narratives so students encounter varied forms and styles. Representation supports wellbeing and fosters a confident writing community that can analyse, imitate and innovate across genres.
What resource pressures arise in remote learning?
Remote study exposes gaps in digital availability and broadband access. Not every core text exists as an eBook or audiobook, and licence limits can block use at peak times. Provide predictable digital routes to essential texts, offer print-and-collect or postal options when needed, and design low-bandwidth alternatives for workshops and seminars. Keep submission and feedback workflows simple and stable to avoid IT bottlenecks.
How does student feedback drive resource development?
Use programme surveys, the NSS and student–staff committees to target practical fixes and to align resources with assessment briefs and marking criteria. Students ask for annotated exemplars, checklist-style rubrics and predictable turnaround so they can connect feedback to criteria and apply it in the next assignment. Close the loop with short updates that show what has changed and where to find improved resources.
What should institutions prioritise next?
Focus on the reliability and accessibility of core systems and texts, and reduce friction at the point of need. Track and publish an accessibility backlog so fixes are visible. Transfer service models that work for mature and part-time students to the wider cohort, and test resource readiness before each term. For creative writing, shore up library access, e-resource discoverability and IT stability so specialist opportunities can flourish.
How Student Voice Analytics helps you
- See topic volume and sentiment over time for learning resources, and drill down from institution to school or programme for creative writing.
- Compare like-for-like across subject groupings and demographics, so you can spot accessibility gaps and transfer what works for different modes of study.
- Produce concise, export-ready summaries with representative comments for programme and library teams, and evidence improvements on a like-for-like basis.
- Track issues and resolutions so students can see progress on access, reliability and discoverability.
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See all-comment coverage, sector benchmarks, and governance packs designed for OfS quality and standards and NSS requirements.
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