Media Studies least likely to satisfy UK undergraduates

A UK Government-funded poll of 177,000 students has shown that undergraduates give highest ratings to traditional disciplines like history and classics, while media studies and other degrees derided in some quarters as Mickey Mouse-viz. tourism and complementary medicine-were least likely to satisfy them.

London, September 13 : A UK Government-funded poll of 177,000 students has shown that undergraduates give highest ratings to traditional disciplines like history and classics, while media studies and other degrees derided in some quarters as "Mickey Mouse"-viz. tourism and complementary medicine-were least likely to satisfy them.

The researchers said that the least contented students were pursuing courses in cinematics, photography, imaginative writing, complementary medicine, and media studies.

Publicity studies and tourism, transport and travel were also among the courses that were rated below average.

Courses in physics and chemistry, however, had a satisfaction rating of 90 per cent, while ratings for history were 91 per cent, for English 87 per cent and for classics 93 per cent.

During the survey, final-year students who were asked to rate their courses for quality of teaching, feedback, academic support, resource and organisation.

The university with the most satisfied students emerged as the Open University with 95 per cent of students declaring themselves happy with their courses. It was closely followed by Prince William's alma mater, St Andrews, on 94 per cent, Buckingham on 93 per cent, and Oxford on 92 per cent.

Students at Cambridge University did not fill in enough questionnaires to take part.

As low as 53 per cent of former polytechnics and specialist art or music colleges expressed satisfaction during the survey.

The study indicates that nearly 19 per cent students did not believe their courses were up to scratch. The same proportion did not consider their courses to be "intellectually stimulating", say the researchers.

It was also found that 40 per cent of students were unhappy with the way their work was marked and the feedback they received.

University chiefs suggested that it was so because students had grown used to re-sitting exams they failed at school.

"Even when you do get essays back in a very timely fashion and with detailed comments - at least detailed in the eyes of those providing them - students still don't necessarily regard that as good feedback," the Daily Mail quoted Leeds University vice-chancellor Michael Arthur, chair of the National Student Survey steering group, as saying.

"A theory is that there is really quite a significant difference between the type of assessment and feedback that occurs earlier in life through your secondary education and that that occurs at university. There are multiple opportunities to resit assessments to improve your score and universities don't usually work in that way," he added.

Shadow universities secretary David Willetts said: "This is further evidence that the quality of the student experience is under threat. Parents and students need to be confident that their top-up fees are paying for greater teaching commitment."

ANI