NSS Results 2012
In the 2012 National Student Survey (NSS) of students in the final year of programmes in Iberian Studies we were pleased to see that we have maintained strength in key areas of our endeavour. Overall, 88% of our students were satisfied with the teaching, with 94% finding that staff are good at explaining things and 89% finding the programme intellectually stimulating. We were pleased to see that areas in which we have worked with student representatives on the Staff Student Liaison Committee have delivered significant improvements. So, the satisfaction with the provision of library resources for the needs of the programme and individual modules increased by 35% from 50% to 85%, and satisfaction with access to specialised equipment and facilities has increased from 64% to 72%, meaning that overall satisfaction with learning resources has increased by 15%, from 64% to 79%.
The department has undergone major academic and administrative changes over the last two years, and we take serious note of the ways in which this affects students. The dialogue with students means that they are more aware of the assessment arrangements and recognise the fairness of the marking (up by 14%). We need, however, to emphasise more effectively the immense value of our continued tutorial system, which supplements written feedback and which is consistently commended by our External Examiners. While areas of notable change – for example in timetabling – have delivered increased satisfaction, with an increase from 72% to 89%, we note other areas of anxiety and concern. So, in a rapidly changing environment we understand the need to work harder on supporting students to understand and communicate the skills they have developed in their degree programme. While graduate employability is a major success at King’s (http://www.kcl.ac.uk/newsevents/news/newsrecords/2012/09-Sept/Kings-wins-Sunday-Times-Best-University-for-Graduate-Employment-award.aspx), we are working with Careers to support our final year students more effectively in recognising the ways in which their time studying Spanish, Portuguese and Latin American Studies has been a major source of personal development. In this respect, the Year Abroad, recognised by many of our students as ‘the best opportunity of my life’ and a key aspect of any languages programme, is an area in which we are listening carefully to what students have to say and using the Staff Student Liaison Committee to address core issues of communication. This year we are working even more closely across all languages departments with the Study Abroad Office, and welcome the excellent Peer Advisors initiative, which will play an important role in addressing student queries and anxieties about the year abroad (http://www.kcl.ac.uk/study/abroad/contactus/peeradvice/index.aspx). Sending students to 18 partner institutions in countries across the Iberian Peninsula and Latin America caters for student demand for variety and flexibility, and also adds to the complexity of the management of the Year Abroad: we are determined to improve our support for students in this crucial and transformative year of study.
In this, the third year of the department of Spanish, Portuguese and Latin American, we are working hard to share with students our passion for a vast range of areas of study from medieval Spain and Portugal to modern Iberia, Latin America and Lusophone Africa, engaging productively with the changing demands of the student experience and providing as rich experience as possible through events that arise from our research, to which all students are invited and which they are urged to attend. (Recent events can be seen here: http://www.kcl.ac.uk/artshums/depts/splas/news/index.aspx).