What are students actually saying about Learning resources (NSS 2018–2025)?
Students are broadly positive about the resources that support their study. Tone is consistently positive (sentiment index +33.6), with roughly two-thirds of statements praising access, quality or usefulness. There are clear gaps, however: disabled students score notably lower than their peers, some subject areas are less satisfied, and full-time and younger students are slightly less positive than their counterparts.
Scope: UK NSS open-text comments for Learning resources across academic years 2018–2025.
Volume: 14,058 comments (≈3.6% of all 385,317 comments), with 100.0% sentiment coverage.
Overall mood: 67.7% Positive, 29.3% Negative, 3.0% Neutral (index +33.6; positive:negative ≈ 2.3:1).
What are students saying in this category?
- The balance of feedback is positive, indicating that core provision (physical and digital access, equipment, and materials) is generally working for most students.
- There is a measurable accessibility gap: disabled students’ tone (+28.1) trails non-disabled peers (+35.5) by −7.4 points.
- Part-time (+35.4) and mature (+35.1) students are slightly more positive than full-time (+32.7) and younger students (+32.9), suggesting different usage patterns or support models that could be shared.
- By subject, sentiment ranges widely: Psychology is very positive (+43.5) and several humanities areas are strong (e.g., Combined & General +39.6), while Computing (+27.4) and Medicine & Dentistry (+19.5) are more critical.
Segment view (2018–2025 aggregate)
Demographic snapshot
| Dimension |
Group |
Share % |
n |
Sentiment idx |
| Age |
Young |
51.4 |
7,223 |
32.9 |
| Age |
Mature |
47.4 |
6,663 |
35.1 |
| Mode |
Full-time |
49.9 |
7,015 |
32.7 |
| Mode |
Part-time |
48.6 |
6,829 |
35.4 |
| Disability |
Not disabled |
78.6 |
11,054 |
35.5 |
| Disability |
Disabled |
20.2 |
2,834 |
28.1 |
| Sex |
Female |
55.3 |
7,769 |
33.5 |
| Sex |
Male |
43.3 |
6,091 |
34.7 |
Top subject groups (CAH1) by volume
| Subject group (CAH1) |
Share % |
n |
Sentiment idx |
| Social sciences (CAH15) |
9.1 |
1,278 |
34.8 |
| Psychology (CAH04) |
8.6 |
1,210 |
43.5 |
| Combined and general studies (CAH23) |
8.4 |
1,181 |
39.6 |
| Business and management (CAH17) |
8.4 |
1,174 |
31.5 |
| Computing (CAH11) |
7.4 |
1,036 |
27.4 |
| Engineering and technology (CAH10) |
5.7 |
797 |
29.1 |
| Subjects allied to medicine (CAH02) |
5.2 |
730 |
33.1 |
| Mathematical sciences (CAH09) |
4.8 |
675 |
35.6 |
Additional ethnicity highlights (by sentiment index): Not UK domiciled +38.6; Other +34.8; White +34.3; Mixed +32.8; Black +32.5; Asian +30.7.
What this means in practice
-
Close the accessibility gap
- Audit core resources (systems, reading lists, equipment booking, study spaces) against accessibility standards.
- Provide alternative formats by default and make assistive routes explicit at the point of need.
- Track fixes with a simple “accessibility backlog” and publish resolution times.
-
Transfer what works for mature and part-time students to the wider cohort
- Extend service hours or flexible access windows where usage skews outside daytime.
- Offer clear, single-location signposting for key digital platforms and resource links.
- Promote quick-start guides at the start of each term/module.
-
Target low-tone subject areas with “resource readiness” checks
- Before term start, verify availability, capacity and compatibility of high-demand resources (labs, specialist software, equipment).
- Name an owner per subject area; capture issues weekly and close the loop to students with short update summaries.
-
Reduce friction for international and minority groups
- Simplify off-campus access steps; use plain-language instructions and screenshots.
- Provide timely helpdesk options (live chat/email) during peak assignment periods.
How Student Voice Analytics helps you
- See topic volume and sentiment over time, and drill down from institution to school/department, cohort or site.
- Compare like-for-like across CAH subject groups and demographics (domicile, mode, year of study), and export concise summaries for programme and service teams.
Data at a glance (2018–2025)
- Volume: 14,058 comments; 100.0% with sentiment.
- Mood: 67.7% Positive, 29.3% Negative, 3.0% Neutral (index +33.6; ≈2.3:1 positive:negative).
- Notable gaps: Disabled vs not disabled (−7.4 index points), full-time vs part-time (−2.7), young vs mature (−2.2).
- Subject spread: Strong in Psychology (+43.5) and Combined & General (+39.6); weaker in Computing (+27.4) and Medicine & Dentistry (+19.5).