Students Heap More Praise on Edge Hill

EDGE Hill University is celebrating another strong performance in the National Student Survey ? with its Law and Criminology department once again riding high, following success in last year?s survey, the first to be carried out in the UK.

The 2006 survey, which was commissioned by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) and conducted in 131 universities and colleges across the UK, saw Law and Criminology rated an impressive joint 2nd in the UK for academic support, joint 3rd for both teaching and assessment and feedback, and 6th overall ? however it wasn?t the only subject to feature at the top end of the table.

Social Work Studies was ranked 5th overall, joint top in learning resources and second for overall satisfaction, while Biology was rated joint top for both learning resources and teaching, and 13th overall.

Elsewhere, English enjoyed a top 20 finish ? including a joint 2nd rating for learning resources ? with teacher training also faring well.

Edge Hill University's vice-chancellor Dr John Cater said: "It is very pleasing to receive positive feedback from our students, whose honest opinion matters most as we continue to provide them with a first-class higher education experience.

"The fact that, overall, our students regard their personal development, resources available to them and quality of teaching as very good, illustrates Edge Hill?s strengths and commitment to quality."

Also rated above the national average are scores relating to students? development of communication skills, access to IT resources, improved self-confidence, delivery of tutorials and enthusiasm of staff. Edge Hill students were also happy with their personal development planning, with this category rated joint 4th among all English universities.

"The higher education marketplace has never been more competitive and I?m sure that the National Student Survey will become a key reference for future students in deciding which university is for them," added Dr Cater. "We take the survey very seriously and hope to continue to feature at the top end of the table every year."