Student Voice Analytics for Ecology and Environmental Biology — UK student feedback 2018–2025

Scope. UK NSS open‑text comments for Ecology and Environmental Biology (CAH03-01-03) students across academic years 2018–2025.
Volume. ~2,024 comments; 98.5% successfully categorised to a single primary topic.
Overall mood. Roughly 54.4% Positive, 42.8% Negative, 2.9% Neutral (positive:negative ≈ 1.27:1).

What students are saying

The standout feature in Ecology and Environmental Biology is the strong presence of placements, fieldwork and trips. About 15.3% of all comments centre on these experiences—well above the sector share—and the tone is emphatically positive (sentiment index around +47.9, around +36.0 points above sector). Students value the practical exposure and applied learning this brings.

Students are also positive about the people who teach them. References to Teaching Staff (share 6.7%, index +48.0) sit clearly above sector on tone, and Delivery of teaching is similarly favourable (index +18.0). Comments about the type and breadth of course content and module choice/variety are constructive and generally upbeat, suggesting students feel the curriculum is suitably broad and relevant.

By contrast, the Assessment & Feedback picture is more challenging. Feedback attracts a relatively large share (6.6%) with a strongly negative tone (index −35.8), and Marking criteria is even more negative (index −48.3). Assessment methods and Dissertation also lean negative. The pattern is consistent with an ask for clearer expectations, usable exemplars and reliable turnaround times.

Operational topics appear less often but still shape the experience when they arise. Remote learning is net negative (index −16.5) and Organisation/management of the course is slightly negative overall (index −6.5), though both are closer to sector benchmarks than assessment-related issues. Scheduling/timetabling is strongly negative where mentioned (index −49.3) but low-volume (≈1.5%). Broader sector shocks show up too: COVID‑19, Strike Action and Costs/Value for money all carry negative sentiment and moderate but noticeable shares.

Top categories by share (Ecology and Environmental Biology vs sector):

Category	Section	Share %	Sector %	Δ pp	Sentiment idx	Δ vs sector
Placements/ fieldwork/ trips	Learning opportunities	15.3	3.4	+11.9	+47.9	+36.0
Type and breadth of course content	Learning opportunities	7.0	6.9	+0.0	+28.3	+5.7
Teaching Staff	The teaching on my course	6.7	6.7	+0.0	+48.0	+12.5
Feedback	Assessment and feedback	6.6	7.3	-0.7	-35.8	-20.7
COVID-19	Others	5.2	3.3	+1.9	-29.2	+3.8
Delivery of teaching	The teaching on my course	5.2	5.4	-0.3	+18.0	+9.3
Module choice / variety	Learning opportunities	4.6	4.2	+0.4	+25.4	+8.1
Assessment methods	Assessment and feedback	4.2	3.0	+1.2	-18.4	+5.3
Marking criteria	Assessment and feedback	3.8	3.5	+0.2	-48.3	-2.6
Student support	Academic support	3.4	6.2	-2.8	+4.9	-8.3

Most negative categories (share ≥ 2%)

Category	Section	Share %	Sector %	Δ pp	Sentiment idx	Δ vs sector
Strike Action	Others	2.0	1.7	+0.3	-55.4	+7.7
Costs / Value for money	Others	2.2	1.6	+0.6	-51.5	+1.2
Marking criteria	Assessment and feedback	3.8	3.5	+0.2	-48.3	-2.6
Feedback	Assessment and feedback	6.6	7.3	-0.7	-35.8	-20.7
COVID-19	Others	5.2	3.3	+1.9	-29.2	+3.8
Assessment methods	Assessment and feedback	4.2	3.0	+1.2	-18.4	+5.3
Remote learning	The teaching on my course	2.4	3.5	-1.1	-16.5	-7.4

Most positive categories (share ≥ 2%)

Category	Section	Share %	Sector %	Δ pp	Sentiment idx	Δ vs sector
Personal development	Learning community	2.0	2.5	-0.5	+67.9	+8.1
Teaching Staff	The teaching on my course	6.7	6.7	+0.0	+48.0	+12.5
Placements/ fieldwork/ trips	Learning opportunities	15.3	3.4	+11.9	+47.9	+36.0
Student life	Learning community	2.5	3.2	-0.7	+33.0	+0.9
Career guidance, support	Learning community	3.3	2.4	+0.8	+29.5	-0.6
Type and breadth of course content	Learning opportunities	7.0	6.9	+0.0	+28.3	+5.7
Module choice / variety	Learning opportunities	4.6	4.2	+0.4	+25.4	+8.1

What this means in practice

Protect and scale what works in field-based learning. Students are telling you placements and fieldwork are high-value and well-received. Make the experience reliably excellent: clear pre‑trip information, transparent allocation processes, and simple mechanisms to capture on‑site reflections and quick feedback.
Fix the assessment clarity gap. The data point to unclear expectations and variable feedback utility as the main friction. Publish annotated exemplars, tighten rubrics and marking guides, run short calibration sessions for markers, and commit to a realistic feedback SLA. For dissertations and independent projects, set milestones and share a one‑page “what good looks like.”
Reduce operational noise. While smaller in volume, remote learning, timetabling and course communications pull sentiment down when they surface. A single source of truth for updates, predictable change windows, and short “what changed and why” digests reduce confusion.
Keep the human touch visible. Build on strong views of Teaching Staff and the positive signal on careers support. Make student support routes simple to find and track, so that Students know who to contact and when to expect a response.

Data at a glance (2018–2025)

Top topics by share: Placements/fieldwork/trips (≈15.3%), Type and breadth of course content (≈7.0%), Teaching Staff (≈6.7%), Feedback (≈6.6%), COVID‑19 and Delivery of teaching (each ≈5.2%).
Cluster shares:
- Delivery & ops cluster (placements, timetabling, organisation, course comms, remote learning) ≈ 22.2% of all comments.
- People & growth cluster (personal tutor, student support, teaching staff, availability of staff, delivery of teaching, personal development, student life) ≈ 22.6%.
- Assessment & feedback set (feedback, assessment methods, marking criteria, dissertation) ≈ 17.0%.
How to read the numbers. Each comment is assigned one primary topic; “share” is that topic’s proportion of all comments. Sentiment is calculated per sentence and summarised as an index from −100 (more negative than positive) to +100 (more positive than negative), then averaged at category level.

How Student Voice Analytics helps you

Student Voice Analytics turns open‑text survey comments into clear priorities you can act on. It tracks topics and sentiment over time (year‑by‑year) so programme and school teams can see whether changes are working, at whole‑institution level and down to fine‑grained department or course views.

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 judge Ecology and Environmental Biology (CAH03-01-03) against the right peer set—not just the sector average. You can segment by site/provider, cohort and year of study, and produce concise, anonymised summaries with representative comments for partners and programme teams. Export‑ready outputs (web, deck, dashboard) make it straightforward to share priorities and progress across the institution.