National Student Survey shows strengths of Archaeology at York

The results of the 2024 National Student Survey have revealed the strengths of the Department of Archaeology.

We placed 1st for ‘Learning Resources’ in the Russell Group among universities included for Archaeology in the 2024 National Student Survey (NSS), with a score of 97%.

We scored 100% for Q20. ‘How well have the library resources (e.g. books, online services and learning spaces) supported your learning?’, 98% for Q19. ‘How well have the IT resources and facilities supported your learning?’, and 91% for Q21. ‘How easy is it to access subject specific resources (e.g. equipment, facilities, software) when you need them?’

We rated highly for ‘Teaching on my course’ (93%) and ‘Academic support’ (88%) in the Russell Group among universities included for archaeology in the 2024 National Student Survey (NSS).

For ‘Teaching on my course’, we scored 96% for Q1. ‘How good are the teaching staff at explaining things?’ and Q3. ‘How often is the course intellectually stimulating?, 90% for Q2. ‘How often do teaching staff make the subject engaging?’, and 85% for Q4. ‘How often does your course challenge you to achieve your best work?’

For ‘Academic support’, we scored 90% for Q16. ‘How well have teaching staff supported your learning?’, and 84% for Q15. ‘How easy was it to contact teaching staff when you needed to?’

Forensic and Archaeological Sciences

We also scored highly for ‘Teaching on my course’ (95%), ‘Learning resources’ (93%) and ‘Academic support’ (91%) in the Russell Group among universities included for forensic and archaeological sciences in the 2024 National Student Survey (NSS).

For ‘Teaching on my course’, we scored 100% for Q1. ‘How good are the teaching staff at explaining things?’, 95% for Q3. ‘How often is the course intellectually stimulating?, 91% for Q2. ‘How often do teaching staff make the subject engaging?’, and 91% for Q4. ‘How often does your course challenge you to achieve your best work?’

For ‘Learning resources’ scored 91% for Q20. ‘How well have the library resources (e.g. books, online services and learning spaces) supported your learning?’, 91% for Q21. ‘How easy is it to access subject specific resources (e.g. equipment, facilities, software) when you need them?’, and 98% for Q19. ‘How well have the IT resources and facilities supported your learning?’

For ‘Academic support’, we scored 95% for Q16. ‘How well have teaching staff supported your learning?’, and 86% for Q15. ‘How easy was it to contact teaching staff when you needed to?’

Professor Nicky Milner, Head of the Department of Archaeology, said “I’m so pleased with these results. In Archaeology we are passionate about teaching and we work hard to ensure our students achieve their potential. It is wonderful to have such positive feedback”.

What is the National Student Survey

The NSS is a nationwide survey of final-year students in higher and further education. They answer questions on a variety of aspects of their university experience, including their department and course. 

Almost 2,800 York students responded to the 2024 survey, helping prospective applicants to compare courses and make informed decisions about where to study. The survey empowers those taking part to shape the future of their course, giving universities honest feedback on what they are doing well and where they can improve.