Are accounting students satisfied with course organisation and management?
Yes, when timetabling, assessment clarity and operational communications are predictable and responsive. In the National Student Survey (NSS), the organisation, management of course theme trends more negative across the sector (52.2% negative vs 43.6% positive), and full-time cohorts dominate the feedback (75.7%). Within accounting in the Common Aggregation Hierarchy used across UK higher education, students focus most on assessment and people: Feedback accounts for 10.8% of comments and tends to read slightly negative, while Teaching Staff comprise 9.7% and are widely praised. These patterns frame the priorities in this case study: stabilise timetables, make assessment briefs and marking criteria explicit, and keep staff visible and reachable around assessment points.
How should course structure and module organisation support learning?
Segmented modules help students pace their learning, but operational rhythm determines how well they keep up. Standardised handbooks, a term-long assessment calendar and cross-module sequencing reduce friction and prevent bunching of submissions. Programme teams should publish timetables earlier with a defined change window, and track timetable stability so students see fewer late adjustments in high‑enrolment modules. Transparent criteria for when and why module activities change, coupled with a single source of truth for updates, sustains engagement and reduces avoidable queries.
How can students manage time and workload without burnout?
Students handle heavy accounting workloads better when institutions structure the week for them. Set a predictable cadence for lectures, workshops and labs, and surface assessment milestones in one place. Provide a weekly “what changed and why” note and ensure the virtual learning environment mirrors live timetables. Promote practical tools (digital calendars pre‑loaded with deadlines, study planners) and reserve quiet study slots in the timetable before major submissions. This reduces stress and makes independent study feel manageable.
What should we expect from teaching staff?
Students routinely credit accounting staff with making complex concepts accessible. Maintain that strength by calibrating teaching quality across the team: align marking through moderation exercises, share worked exemplars, and coordinate office hours so every cohort has reliable access to help around assessments. Balance experienced professional insight with newer pedagogic approaches, and support all staff with targeted CPD on delivery, feedback practice and accessibility.
How can access to resources and support be strengthened?
Resources matter as much as delivery. Ensure core texts, datasets and specialist software are available both on campus and remotely, with short how‑to guides embedded in modules. Pair digital access with reliable on‑site provision in libraries and study centres. Make course operations accessible: machine‑readable schedules, mobile‑friendly comms, alternative arrangements where needed, and clear routes for adjustments. Tutoring and mentoring should be easy to find and scheduled to precede known assessment pinch points.
How should assessment and feedback operate?
Design assessments to mirror professional practice and make expectations unambiguous. Publish annotated exemplars mapped to the marking criteria and use checklist‑style rubrics that show what “good” looks like. Set and meet a service level for feedback turnaround, and give students one scheduled Q&A opportunity per assessment to interpret feedback for feed‑forward. Monitor student comments and close the loop with “you said, we did” updates so cohorts see how assessment processes improve across the year.
How should practical experience be integrated?
Practical work cements theory and supports employability. Use live briefs with real data, client‑style presentations and simulations that mirror typical accounting tasks. Broker short placements, micro‑internships or consultancy projects where full placements are not feasible, and tie these experiences to assessed reflection so learning counts towards the programme. Keep industry engagement current through structured partnerships, and signpost pathways into accreditation and early career roles via careers support embedded in core modules.
What should programme teams do next?
Prioritise timetable stability, single‑source communications and accessible operations; make assessment design and feedback practice explicit; and keep staff presence high around critical points in the academic calendar. Measure response times, time‑to‑resolution and change lead time, and publish monthly actions taken so students see progress. These operational disciplines, combined with strengths in teaching and resources, lift satisfaction and outcomes in accounting.
How Student Voice Analytics helps you
Student Voice Analytics aggregates open‑text feedback on course organisation in one place, showing sentiment over time by cohort, mode and discipline. You can drill from provider to programme to generate concise, anonymised summaries for timetabling, exams and student comms teams. Like‑for‑like comparisons across discipline groupings and demographics reveal where operational practices diverge and where to intervene. Export‑ready briefings make it straightforward to share priorities and track improvements in organisation, management and assessment experience for accounting students.
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