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Perfect storm or persistent drizzle? Art & Design and the NSS

Perfect storm or persistent drizzle? Art & Design and the NSS. Mantz Yorke mantzyorke@mantzyorke.plus.com University of the Arts, London 29 January 2014. This work was sponsored by the Higher Education Academy. Is Art & Design particularly disadvantaged by the NSS?.

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Perfect storm or persistent drizzle? Art & Design and the NSS

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  1. Perfect storm or persistent drizzle? Art & Design and the NSS Mantz Yorke mantzyorke@mantzyorke.plus.com University of the Arts, London 29 January 2014 This work was sponsored by the Higher Education Academy

  2. Is Art & Design particularly disadvantaged by the NSS? Art & Design tends to receive lower NSS ratings than many other subjects (we know that only too well) Research Question 1: How does Art & Design compare with other subjects in the NSS? Art & Design has a particularly high level of part-time staffing Research Question 2: So could staffing be influencing NSS ratings? RQ2A: Comparisons within the Art & Design subject area RQ2B: Comparisons with some other subject areas

  3. Research Question 1 2012 NSS data chosen since they align with the most recent staffing data available from HESA Comparisons Performance Arts [Music, Dance, Drama] (practice-based) Nursing (practice-based, lots of staff/student contact) Imaginative Writing (creative, but in words) Biology (specialist equipment, widespread in post-92 institutions) Law (‘academic’ but with fair number of part-time staff) Business Studies (fair number of part-time staff) History (traditional ‘academic’ subject)

  4. Post-92 multidisciplinary institutions

  5. Whole HE sector

  6. Research Question 1: Broad Conclusions • Art & Design receives lower ratings in the NSS in a number of the NSS’s scales: • Teaching • Advice • Course organisation • Presentation of self • But not as regards feedback • Other subject areas exhibit low ratings in particular areas What proportion of the lower ratings received by Art & Design is attributable to the nature of the subject area, and what might be attributed to practice that could be improved?

  7. Research Question 2 What part might part-time staffing play? RQ2A: in respect of Post-92 universities and institutions specialising in Art & Design The percentage of part-time staff is that for the Design and creative arts cost centre which is wider than Art & Design Each institution has a fixed percentage of part-time staff in the sequence of charts that follow

  8. 3 Staff enthusiastic Higher positivity Lower % PT Staff Higher positivity Higher % PT Staff NSS Positivity Lower positivity Lower % PT Staff Lower positivity Higher % PT Staff % Part-time staff

  9. 3 Staff enthusiastic NSS Positivity % Part-time staff

  10. 7 Prompt feedback NSS Positivity % Part-time staff

  11. 8 Detailed comments NSS Positivity % Part-time staff

  12. 10 Advice and support NSS Positivity % Part-time staff

  13. 11 Contact staff when needed NSS Positivity % Part-time staff

  14. 12 Advice for study choices NSS Positivity % Part-time staff

  15. 13 Timetable effective NSS Positivity % Part-time staff

  16. 14 Effective communication of changes NSS Positivity % Part-time staff

  17. 15 Course organisation NSS Positivity % Part-time staff

  18. 22 Overall satisfaction NSS Positivity % Part-time staff

  19. Research Question 2 What part might part-time staffing play? RQ2B: comparisons with some other subject areas HESA collects staffing data by cost centres that don’t align well with JACS Hence any comparisons will inevitably be rough and ready Staffing data were acquired for the following cost centres: (05) Nursing & paramedical studies ....................................... Nursing (10) Biosciences .................................................................... Biology (25) IT & systems sciences, computer software engineering .. Computer Studies (27) Business & management studies .................................... Business Studies (30) Media studies ................................................................Media Studies (31) Humanities & language based studies ............................ History (33) Design & creative arts ........................................... Art & Design, Perf Arts

  20. What part might part-time staffing play? The picture for the whole of HE in 2012

  21. Method The correlation between percentage of part-time staff and NSS ratings was calculated for NSS items that might be particularly affected by staffing profile This involves patching together two data sets that don’t fit tightly together, and so results need to be treated with considerable caution A negative correlation shows that: the higher the level of part-time staffing, the lower tends to be the NSS rating Art & Design looks as though it fits this picture, albeit weakly

  22. 7 Prompt feedback NSS Positivity % Part-time staff

  23. Correlations

  24. % Positive Hist Bio Bus Comp Media All Medic CreA&D % PT Staff Q11 Contact Q15 Organisation Q22 Overall

  25. Research Question 2: Broad Conclusions • The ‘big picture’ conclusion has to be that the higher the proportion of part-time staff in Art & Design, the lower the NSS ratings (in respect of the selected NSS items) • However: • The effect is small • At the institutional level there is a wide variation Some institutions seem to be being more successful then others at operating with high proportions of part-time staff. What is the secret of their success, and is it transferable?

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