Student Voice Analytics for Business and Management Non-specific — UK student feedback 2018–2025
Scope. UK NSS open‑text comments for Business and Management (CAH17-01-01) students across academic years 2018–2025.
Volume. ~6,636 comments; 96.2% successfully categorised to a single primary topic.
Overall mood. ≈52.6% Positive, 42.8% Negative, 4.6% Neutral (positive:negative ≈ 1.23:1).
What students are saying
The single most discussed theme is Feedback, accounting for about one in ten comments (≈10.6%). Tone is mildly negative (index −11.5) but better than the wider sector on this topic. Students also talk extensively about Type and breadth of course content (6.3%, positive) and Teaching Staff (6.0%, positive), though both sit a little below sector on tone. Learning resources draw more attention here than in the sector overall (6.0% vs 3.8%), yet the tone is softer than the sector benchmark.
Assessment remains a decisive factor. Alongside Feedback, Marking criteria (4.0%) is strongly negative (−46.5) and close to sector norms; Assessment methods (2.8%, −21.2) also leans negative. In practice, students want clarity on what “good” looks like and consistent application of criteria.
Operational delivery is present but not dominant. Remote learning (5.2%) is slightly positive and notably above sector tone; Scheduling/timetabling (3.5%) and Organisation, management of course (3.1%) are both net positive and sit well above sector baselines. Communication about course and teaching features less often (1.4%) and is negative overall, but again less negative than sector.
People‑centred themes are a strength. Student support (6.4%) is clearly positive, Student life (3.7%) is very positive, and Personal development (2.4%) is exceptionally positive. Career guidance, support (2.3%) also stands out with a strong positive tone. Two counterpoints: Personal Tutor (3.8%) is only slightly positive and well below sector on tone, and Opportunities to work with other students (4.0%) trends negative, suggesting friction around group work or collaboration design.
Placements/fieldwork are marginal in this discipline (0.3% vs 3.4% sector), underlining that assessment clarity, teaching delivery, collaboration, and resources shape the day‑to‑day experience far more than off‑campus learning.
Top categories by share (Business & Management vs sector):
| Category | Section | Share % | Sector % | Δ pp | Sentiment idx | Δ vs sector |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feedback | Assessment and feedback | 10.6 | 7.3 | +3.3 | −11.5 | +3.6 |
| Student support | Academic support | 6.4 | 6.2 | +0.2 | +20.6 | +7.4 |
| Type and breadth of course content | Learning opportunities | 6.3 | 6.9 | −0.6 | +19.1 | −3.5 |
| Teaching Staff | The teaching on my course | 6.0 | 6.7 | −0.8 | +28.5 | −7.0 |
| Learning resources | Learning resources | 6.0 | 3.8 | +2.2 | +13.1 | −8.3 |
| Remote learning | The teaching on my course | 5.2 | 3.5 | +1.7 | +2.3 | +11.3 |
| Delivery of teaching | The teaching on my course | 4.5 | 5.4 | −0.9 | +7.6 | −1.2 |
| Marking criteria | Assessment and feedback | 4.0 | 3.5 | +0.4 | −46.5 | −0.8 |
| Opportunities to work with other students | Learning community | 4.0 | 2.0 | +2.0 | −12.0 | −13.0 |
| Personal Tutor | Academic support | 3.8 | 3.2 | +0.6 | +4.6 | −14.1 |
Most negative categories (share ≥ 2%)
| Category | Section | Share % | Sector % | Δ pp | Sentiment idx | Δ vs sector |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marking criteria | Assessment and feedback | 4.0 | 3.5 | +0.4 | −46.5 | −0.8 |
| COVID-19 | Others | 3.6 | 3.3 | +0.2 | −32.0 | +1.0 |
| Assessment methods | Assessment and feedback | 2.8 | 3.0 | −0.2 | −21.2 | +2.5 |
| Opportunities to work with other students | Learning community | 4.0 | 2.0 | +2.0 | −12.0 | −13.0 |
| Feedback | Assessment and feedback | 10.6 | 7.3 | +3.3 | −11.5 | +3.6 |
| Communication with supervisor, lecturer, tutor | Academic support | 2.0 | 1.7 | +0.3 | −3.6 | +4.4 |
| Remote learning | The teaching on my course | 5.2 | 3.5 | +1.7 | +2.3 | +11.3 |
Most positive categories (share ≥ 2%)
| Category | Section | Share % | Sector % | Δ pp | Sentiment idx | Δ vs sector |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Personal development | Learning community | 2.4 | 2.5 | −0.1 | +66.8 | +7.0 |
| Student life | Learning community | 3.7 | 3.2 | +0.6 | +42.2 | +10.1 |
| Career guidance, support | Learning community | 2.3 | 2.4 | −0.2 | +40.1 | +10.0 |
| Teaching Staff | Teaching | 6.0 | 6.7 | −0.8 | +28.5 | −7.0 |
| Student support | Academic support | 6.4 | 6.2 | +0.2 | +20.6 | +7.4 |
| Type and breadth of course content | Learning opportunities | 6.3 | 6.9 | −0.6 | +19.1 | −3.5 |
| Learning resources | Learning resources | 6.0 | 3.8 | +2.2 | +13.1 | −8.3 |
What this means in practice
- Make assessment clarity a priority. Publish annotated exemplars, checklist‑style rubrics and brief “how to improve” notes aligned to criteria. Calibrate markers and communicate turnaround standards so Feedback feels timely and actionable.
- Strengthen collaboration design. Where “Opportunities to work with other students” drives negative tone, standardise group formation, role clarity and contribution tracking, and make peer‑interaction aims explicit in briefs and marking criteria.
- Consolidate operational strengths. Scheduling and course organisation trend positive versus sector—protect this by naming a single source of truth for changes, using predictable update rhythms, and ensuring core information lives in one place.
- Build consistency in people‑centred support. Student support, Student life, Career guidance and Personal development are clear positives; ensure Personal Tutor practices are consistent and visible so all students access that value reliably.
- Check resource experience. Interest in Learning resources is above sector, but tone sits below sector; use quick satisfaction checks on access, availability and reliability (including digital) to target the fixes with most impact.
Data at a glance (2018–2025)
- Top topics by share: Feedback (≈10.6%), Student support (≈6.4%), Type & breadth of course content (≈6.3%), Teaching Staff and Learning resources (each ≈6.0%), and Remote learning (≈5.2%).
- Cluster view:
- Delivery & ops cluster (Placements/fieldwork, Scheduling, Organisation & management, Course communication, Remote learning): ≈13.5% of all comments.
- People & growth cluster (Personal Tutor, Student support, Teaching Staff, Availability of teaching staff, Delivery of teaching, Personal development, Student life): ≈28.5%.
- Assessment & feedback categories (Feedback, Marking criteria, Assessment methods, Dissertation): ≈18.0%.
- How to read the numbers. Each comment is assigned one primary topic; share is that topic’s proportion of all comments. Sentiment is summarised as an index from −100 (more negative than positive) to +100 (more positive than negative), averaged at category level.
How Student Voice Analytics helps you
Student Voice Analytics turns open‑text feedback into clear, shared priorities. It tracks topics and sentiment by year so you can see what’s moving, where, and why—at whole‑institution level and down to schools, departments and programmes.
It enables like‑for‑like sector comparisons across CAH codes and by demographics (e.g., year of study, domicile, mode of study, campus/site, commuter status), so you can evidence improvement against the right peer group. You can segment by site/provider, cohort and year, and produce concise, anonymised summaries for programme teams and external stakeholders. Export‑ready outputs (web, slides, dashboards) make it straightforward to share priorities and progress across your organisation.
Insights into specific areas of business and management education
