Do midwifery students view teaching staff positively?
Yes. Across the National Student Survey (NSS, the UK’s annual final‑year student survey), comments about Teaching Staff are strongly positive sector‑wide (78.3% positive; sentiment index +52.8). Within midwifery, students especially value people‑centred support from tutors, even as placements dominate the conversation (17.8% of feedback) with a slightly negative tone (−0.8). Availability of teaching staff stands out as a strength in this subject area (index +53.1). The Teaching Staff theme benchmarks how students experience academic interactions across subjects, while the midwifery subject area in the sector’s Common Aggregation Hierarchy groups clinically focused programmes where placement design and day‑to‑day delivery shape satisfaction.
The teaching staff in UK higher education, particularly those involved in midwifery programmes, shape the academic and professional futures of students. Midwifery educators impart critical knowledge and provide guidance and support across classroom and placement learning. Student surveys and text analysis let us evaluate whether these approaches meet diverse needs and where to refine practice so students progress with confidence.
How do knowledge and expertise shape learning?
Students’ trust depends on tutors’ current practice knowledge and their ability to translate complex material into safe, real‑world decision‑making. Feedback points to strong experiences where teaching teams align theory with clinical realities and use precise, applied examples. Where students perceive gaps, regular professional updating and structured peer calibration across the team help keep delivery aligned to contemporary midwifery practice.
How approachable and supportive are staff?
Approachability and timely support drive positive learning experiences. Midwifery students emphasise the value of visible, responsive tutors and placement staff. Availability of teaching staff scores highly in this subject area (index +53.1), and students note that predictable office hours, clear contact routes and responses within agreed timeframes reduce stress and improve engagement. Programmes that provide proactive check‑ins and signpost support early see stronger confidence and help‑seeking.
Does support follow through across placements?
Continuity of support across modules and placements sustains progression. Students report the greatest friction when handovers lapse or follow‑up is delayed during clinical rotations. Programmes that schedule regular feedback touchpoints, close loops on actions, and maintain a single source of truth for placement information help students integrate theory with practice and avoid feeling isolated while on shift patterns.
How well do programmes handle placement issues?
Handling placement issues promptly protects learning and wellbeing. Students benefit when institutions treat placements as a designed service: plan allocations early, set and honour a change window, make escalation routes explicit, and capture short, in‑situ feedback to resolve concerns before they escalate. Consistent communication between programme teams, practice partners and students keeps expectations aligned and reduces administrative strain.
How are simulations used effectively?
Simulation supports safe rehearsal of complex scenarios and complements clinical learning. The most effective use prioritises realism, structured debriefs, and explicit mapping to placement competencies. Teaching teams add value when they coach students to analyse decisions, link to current guidelines, and transfer learning back to practice with targeted action points.
Are assessments consistent across the teaching team?
Variability in marking and feedback undermines trust. Students ask for predictable assessment briefs, annotated exemplars and checklist‑style rubrics that make standards transparent. Team calibration, second‑marking protocols and timely, actionable feedback help students understand performance and apply guidance quickly across modules and practice settings.
What should midwifery programmes prioritise next?
- Protect the strong baseline in teaching interactions: agree visible service standards for staff availability, query response and weekly updates.
- Design the placement journey end‑to‑end: publish reliable information early, clarify changes and escalation, and build short feedback loops on shift.
- Tighten operational rhythm: name an owner for timetables and programme communications, and maintain a live log of actions and resolutions.
- Make assessment expectations unmistakable: provide exemplars, rubrics and feedback service levels; review consistency across the team.
- Monitor sentiment by cohort and stage, then close the loop with students on what changed.
How Student Voice Analytics helps you
- Continuous visibility of Teaching Staff comments and sentiment over time, with drill‑downs from provider to subject family and cohort.
- Like‑for‑like comparisons for midwifery against sector peers, plus segmentation by mode, campus/site and year of study.
- Concise, anonymised summaries for programme and placement partner briefings, and export‑ready tables for quality boards.
- Simple dashboards to track topics such as placements, timetabling, communications and assessment, review outliers monthly, and evidence improvements.
Book a Student Voice Analytics demo
See all-comment coverage, sector benchmarks, and governance packs designed for OfS quality and standards and NSS requirements.
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