The quality of teaching is the number-one consideration for students choosing degree courses, research has shown. Almost a third named it their top priority — far more than chose graduate employment prospects or the university’s ranking — in a survey of 67,000 students from more than 190 countries by QS Enrolment Solutions. In the absence of Ofsted-style ratings of academics — the closest equivalent was abolished more than a decade ago — university applicants have to rely on the verdicts of final-year undergraduates in the National Student Survey (NSS). A set of 27 questions covers everything from whether a course is intellectually stimulating to the availability of good advice, the efficiency of timetabling, and the extent to which student feedback has had an impact.

Source: The Times September 23, 2018 23:02 UTC