Do marketing students have the learning resources they need?

By Student Voice Analytics

Yes. Most marketing students say core learning resources work for them, but accessibility gaps and assessment clarity can limit the value they get from otherwise good materials. Across the UK-wide National Student Survey (NSS) learning resources theme, tone sits at 67.7% Positive, 29.3% Negative and 3.0% Neutral (index +33.6). Within marketing, resource comments trend positive (+26.1) and the library is a particular strength (+37.0), yet a −7.4 index-point accessibility gap persists between disabled and non-disabled students, and remote delivery remains a drag on experience (−32.8). These patterns frame how marketing students judge timeliness, usability and authenticity of materials throughout the programme.

What does the current landscape of marketing education require from resources?

The field changes quickly, so students judge resources on currency and direct applicability. Programmes that integrate analytics software, social media tools and content creation platforms make theory actionable and help students transition to roles that expect fluency with data, creative assets and campaign evaluation. Staff prioritise frequent content refreshes and embed tools students will meet in internships and entry-level roles.

Which learning resources do marketing students prefer?

Students favour interactive, hands-on materials that map to real campaigns and consumer behaviour. Online modules, short video explainers and live demonstrations support rapid refresh of sector trends. Guest lectures and practical workshops connect classroom activity to portfolio-ready outputs, and real-time case studies strengthen the link between theory and application. Library provision is consistently valued in student comments, aligning with the positive tone noted for the library (+37.0).

How accessible and usable are resources?

Accessibility drives satisfaction and equity. Student comments highlight friction when platforms are hard to navigate or materials are not available in multiple formats. The category evidence shows a −7.4 sentiment gap between disabled and non-disabled students, so teams audit core systems against accessibility standards, provide alternative formats by default, and make assistive routes explicit at the point of need. Clear signposting to a single hub for platforms and reading, plus concise quick-start guides at the start of each module, raises baseline usability for the whole cohort.

How do students engage with learning materials?

Engagement rises when students see an immediate route from concepts to deliverables. Structured use of contemporary case campaigns, annotated examples of strong work, and sandbox access to tools increase time-on-task and confidence. Remote delivery quality remains variable for some, matching the negative tone students associate with remote learning (−32.8), so programmes set a minimum digital standard for layout, availability and week-by-week structure to reduce avoidable friction.

What challenges do marketing students report?

Students often encounter outdated materials or unclear routes to apply concepts in briefs, and they question how success is judged. Variability in digital delivery and timetabling changes can disrupt planned study patterns and reduce the payoff from otherwise solid materials. These issues cluster around clarity of expectations and the reliability of the study environment rather than the existence of resources.

What would improve learning resources now?

Publish annotated exemplars at multiple grade bands and use a concise, checklist-style rubric that travels with the work to demystify assessment expectations. Calibrate markers and publish actual feedback turnaround times.
Run “resource readiness” checks before term start to verify software access, capacity and compatibility, and name an owner who closes the loop weekly with short updates.
Transfer what works for mature and part-time students to the wider cohort: extend access windows, keep a single, stable signposting location, and provide quick-start guides at the start of each module.
Reduce off-campus friction with plain-language access steps and timely help options during peak assessment periods.
Build in live briefs and alumni/employer touchpoints to maintain the strong alignment between career preparation and the resources students use to develop applied skills.

What should we take from marketing students’ perspectives?

Marketing students are broadly positive about their resource environment, and the NSS learning resources theme confirms sector-wide strength. The priority now is to remove avoidable barriers—particularly accessibility and digital delivery—and to make assessment expectations transparent so students can use resources with confidence. When institutions combine current, practice-linked materials with accessible systems and explicit criteria, marketing students engage more deeply and produce work that transfers directly to professional contexts.

How Student Voice Analytics helps you

Track topic volume and tone over time for learning resources and compare like-for-like across marketing and other CAH subject groups.
Drill from institution to school, department, programme and cohort to see which groups experience friction, including disabled students and commuters.
Export concise, anonymised summaries for programme and service teams, including representative comments for action planning.
Evidence progress with year-on-year shifts and peer benchmarks, and surface quick wins for resource readiness and accessibility.

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