Student Voice Analytics for Physics — UK student feedback 2018–2025
Scope. UK NSS open-text comments for Physics (CAH07-01-01) students across academic years 2018–2025.
Volume. ~2,967 comments; 97.9% successfully categorised to a single primary topic.
Overall mood. Roughly 52.0% Positive, 45.0% Negative, 3.1% Neutral (positive:negative ≈ 1.15:1).
What students are saying
The Physics conversation is anchored in the core learning experience: the mix of content, how teaching is delivered, and the people delivering it. The largest topics are Type and breadth of course content (~7.4% share), Delivery of teaching (~7.2%), and Teaching Staff (~7.2%). Students are generally positive about staff (index ~+29.3) and content (index ~+22.2), while Delivery of teaching is only slightly positive (index ~+3.7) and below the sector’s tone for the same topic.
Assessment & Feedback is a persistent pressure point. Feedback (6.3% share) trends negative (index ~−14.5); Assessment methods (3.6%) is more negative (index ~−35.2), and Marking criteria (3.0%) is strongly negative (index ~−46.7). The pattern is familiar: clarity of expectations, transparency of weighting, and usefulness/timeliness of feedback drive sentiment.
Operational delivery attracts a smaller but notable share of comments. Remote learning (3.5%, index ~−13.7) and Scheduling/timetabling (2.9%, index ~−23.2) lean negative; Organisation, management of course is closer to neutral (2.8%, index ~−2.8). Workload (3.2%) stands out as particularly negative (index ~−48.8). Placements/fieldwork are rarely mentioned in Physics (0.2% vs 3.4% across the sector) and, when they are, sentiment is positive—though the volume is too small to shape the overall picture.
Set against these frictions, people-centred support is a strength. Personal Tutor comments are strongly positive (index ~+38.5, well above sector), and Availability of teaching staff is a standout positive (index ~+54.9). Student support (5.0% share) is positive but sits slightly below sector on tone. Learning resources feature more than average (6.0% vs 3.8% sector) with a positive tone overall; Library and Study Space comments are also positive, though General facilities attracts a softer tone relative to sector.
Top categories by share (Physics vs sector):
| Category | Section | Share % | Sector % | Δ pp | Sentiment idx | Δ vs sector |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Type and breadth of course content | Learning opportunities | 7.4 | 6.9 | +0.5 | +22.2 | −0.4 |
| Delivery of teaching | The teaching on my course | 7.2 | 5.4 | +1.8 | +3.7 | −5.0 |
| Teaching Staff | The teaching on my course | 7.2 | 6.7 | +0.4 | +29.3 | −6.2 |
| Feedback | Assessment & feedback | 6.3 | 7.3 | −1.0 | −14.5 | +0.5 |
| Learning resources | Learning resources | 6.0 | 3.8 | +2.2 | +17.3 | −4.2 |
| Student support | Academic support | 5.0 | 6.2 | −1.2 | +9.1 | −4.1 |
| Module choice / variety | Learning opportunities | 4.9 | 4.2 | +0.7 | +22.9 | +5.6 |
| Assessment methods | Assessment & feedback | 3.6 | 3.0 | +0.6 | −35.2 | −11.5 |
| Remote learning | The teaching on my course | 3.5 | 3.5 | +0.1 | −13.7 | −4.7 |
| COVID-19 | Others | 3.4 | 3.3 | +0.1 | −37.3 | −4.3 |
Most negative categories (share ≥ 2%)
| Category | Section | Share % | Sector % | Δ pp | Sentiment idx | Δ vs sector |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Workload | Organisation & management | 3.2 | 1.8 | +1.4 | −48.8 | −8.8 |
| Marking criteria | Assessment & feedback | 3.0 | 3.5 | −0.5 | −46.7 | −1.0 |
| COVID-19 | Others | 3.4 | 3.3 | +0.1 | −37.3 | −4.3 |
| Assessment methods | Assessment & feedback | 3.6 | 3.0 | +0.6 | −35.2 | −11.5 |
| Scheduling/ timetabling | Organisation & management | 2.9 | 2.9 | +0.0 | −23.2 | −6.7 |
| Student voice | Student voice | 2.4 | 1.8 | +0.7 | −22.1 | −2.9 |
| Feedback | Assessment & feedback | 6.3 | 7.3 | −1.0 | −14.5 | +0.5 |
Shares are the proportion of all Physics comments whose primary topic is the category. Sentiment index ranges from −100 (more negative than positive) to +100 (more positive than negative).
Most positive categories (share ≥ 2%)
| Category | Section | Share % | Sector % | Δ pp | Sentiment idx | Δ vs sector |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Availability of teaching staff | Academic support | 2.0 | 2.1 | −0.1 | +54.9 | +15.6 |
| Personal Tutor | Academic support | 3.3 | 3.2 | +0.1 | +38.5 | +19.8 |
| Career guidance, support | Learning community | 2.3 | 2.4 | −0.1 | +35.9 | +5.8 |
| Student life | Learning community | 3.1 | 3.2 | −0.1 | +32.3 | +0.2 |
| Library | Learning resources | 2.0 | 1.8 | +0.2 | +31.5 | +4.8 |
| Teaching Staff | Teaching | 7.2 | 6.7 | +0.4 | +29.3 | −6.2 |
| Module choice / variety | Learning opportunities | 4.9 | 4.2 | +0.7 | +22.9 | +5.6 |
What this means in practice
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Make assessment clarity a priority. Publish annotated exemplars, checklist-style rubrics and clear marking criteria. Map and communicate turnaround times, and ensure feedback points forward to the next task.
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Smooth the operational rhythm. Timebox timetable changes, provide a single “source of truth” for course communications, and summarise weekly changes with brief rationale. Where remote delivery remains, standardise expectations and formats.
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Balance workload peaks. Co‑ordinate assessment calendars across modules, cap weekly assessment load where possible, and signpost study planning support ahead of high‑demand periods.
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Double down on people strengths. Protect the visibility and responsiveness of tutors and teaching staff (office hours, prompt replies, signposted drop‑ins). These are already high‑impact positives—make them universal.
Data at a glance (2018–2025)
- Top topics by share: Type & breadth of course content (≈7.4%), Delivery of teaching (≈7.2%), Teaching Staff (≈7.2%), Feedback (≈6.3%), Learning resources (≈6.0%).
- Delivery & ops cluster (placements/fieldwork, scheduling, organisation & management, course communications, remote learning) accounts for ≈10.3% of comments and leans negative overall.
- People & growth cluster (personal tutor, student support, teaching staff, availability of staff, delivery of teaching, personal development, student life) accounts for ≈29.6% of comments and is broadly positive.
- How to read the numbers. Each comment is assigned one primary topic; “share” is that topic’s proportion of all comments. Sentiment is an index from −100 to +100, averaged at category level. Sector figures are like‑for‑like for the same categories.
How Student Voice Analytics helps you
Student Voice Analytics turns open‑text survey comments into clear, prioritised actions. It tracks topics and sentiment over the years, for the whole institution and down to schools and departments, so you can see where Physics is performing well and where friction persists.
It also 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 change relative to the right peer group. You can segment by site/provider, cohort or year to target interventions precisely, and share concise, anonymised summaries with programme teams and external partners without trawling thousands of responses. Export‑ready outputs (web, deck, dashboard) make it straightforward to brief colleagues and track progress.
