What are students actually saying about Remote learning (NSS 2018–2025)?

Students’ comments on remote learning are slightly net‑negative overall, with stronger negativity among full‑time and younger cohorts. Part‑time and mature students are closer to neutral or mildly positive, and tone varies widely by subject area.

Scope: UK NSS open‑text comments tagged to Remote learning across academic years 2018–2025.
Volume: ~12,933 comments; 100% with sentiment classification.
Overall mood: 42.0% Positive, 53.8% Negative, 4.3% Neutral (sentiment index −3.4).

What students are saying in this category

Mode and life stage matter. Full‑time (index −11.2) and younger students (−10.2) are more negative; part‑time (+6.5) and mature (+3.5) are notably less negative or mildly positive.
Differences by sex are small at scale (Female −1.9; Male −6.0). Disability status tracks the overall pattern closely (Not disabled −3.3; Disabled −3.9).
Domicile/ethnicity splits show the most negative tone among not‑UK‑domiciled students (−16.1; 2.2% share) and more neutral/positive tone among Asian students (+1.2).
Subject mix is a major driver. Psychology (+4.5), Law (+5.2), Education (+5.2) and Computing (+2.6) read more positive; Design/Creative Arts (−17.0), Media (−15.3) and some Humanities (e.g., Historical/Philosophical/Religious Studies −10.1) are more negative. Treat small‑n groups with caution.

Segment benchmarks (2018–2025)

By mode and age

Segment	Share %	n	Positive %	Negative %	Sentiment idx
Overall	100.0	12,933	42.0	53.8	−3.4
Full‑time	54.6	7,066	37.3	58.5	−11.2
Part‑time	42.5	5,493	47.8	47.8	+6.5
Young	49.4	6,394	37.9	57.7	−10.2
Mature	48.4	6,257	45.9	49.9	+3.5

Subject area (CAH1) — highest and lowest sentiment (n ≥ 100)

Subject group (CAH1)	Share %	n	Sentiment idx
Law (CAH16)	4.8	623	+5.2
Education and teaching (CAH22)	3.0	384	+5.2
Psychology (CAH04)	9.7	1,258	+4.5
Computing (CAH11)	4.9	639	+2.6
Architecture, building and planning (CAH13)	0.9	110	+2.6
—
Design, creative and performing arts (CAH25)	2.1	268	−17.0
Historical/philosophical/religious studies (CAH20)	4.1	525	−10.1
Social sciences (CAH15)	9.9	1,275	−6.0
Physical sciences (CAH07)	2.1	273	−5.7
Engineering and technology (CAH10)	4.1	527	−5.6

Notes: Sentiment index runs from −100 to +100. Percentages may not sum to 100% due to neutral content. Interpret very small groups cautiously.

What this means in practice

Prioritise full‑time and younger cohorts: use a consistent weekly rhythm (same platform, day, joining route), shorter blocks (10–15 mins), and clearly signposted tasks.
Make “remote‑first” materials standard: captioned recordings, transcripts, alt‑text, low‑bandwidth versions, and a single, stable link hub per module.
Smooth the digital start: a short “getting set online” orientation for new cohorts; publish a one‑page “how we work online” playbook.
Keep asynchronous parity: ensure every live session has a timely, searchable recording and a concise summary of key takeaways.
Support international learners: time‑zone‑aware office hours, flexible deadlines, and written follow‑ups for critical announcements.
For practice‑ or studio‑heavy subjects: invest in demo capture (multi‑angle where feasible), digital galleries/critique templates, and clear submission specs.
Monitor and act weekly: track the top friction points (access, audio, link churn, timetable slips) and close the loop with a brief “what we fixed” update.

How Student Voice Analytics helps you

Track topic volume and sentiment over time, with drill‑downs from provider level to school/department and cohort.
Slice results by mode, age, domicile/ethnicity, disability and CAH subject groups for like‑for‑like comparisons.
Produce concise, anonymised summaries for programme teams and governance.
Export tables and charts for quick briefing and continuous improvement cycles.