The students’ judgement
New figures from the Studiebarometeret show that digital tools are not used very much in the teaching provided. At the same time, students are pleased with digital aids when they are actually used.
“The use of digital tools has often depended on the enthusiasm of the individual teachers. This is too random and today the digital ambitions of universities and university colleges for their courses and students are very different. Nonetheless, figures from the Studiebarometeret show that they are falling behind in this work.
So says NOKUT’s Director General Terje Mørland. In this year's version of NOKUT’s Studiebarometeret, the questions answered by students included ones on how much different digital tools are used, how they are used, and whether they are used appropriately.
More active participation with digital tools
While their use is low, the students exposed to digital aids are largely positive with respect to how they are used. Half of the students believe they participate more actively in the teaching when academic staff use digital aids. Those students who report extensive use of digital aids are generally far more satisfied with their use than those students who report little use of digital aids.
Data/IT, policing and primary industries report the greatest use of digital aids, while architecture, medicine and anthropology students report the least.
Need to know how students learn
Universities and university colleges need to balance multiple requirements when it comes to digitalisation, and several have launched their own digitalisation strategies. NOKUT’s Director General thinks this is good, but at the same time warned institutions that:
“The introduction of digital tools must be based on knowledge of how students learn by using the tools. NOKUT is interested in ensuring both that digitalisation should contribute to more activating and varied forms of learning and assessment, and that students acquire the digital skills they will need in the workplace. In coming years, the Studiebarometeret may provide useful information on how the tools can be used and whether this improves the quality and relevance of the education,” said Mørland.
Key findings from this year’s Studiebarometeret
Norwegian students are satisfied
Students at Norwegian higher education institutions are very satisfied with the quality of their study programmes. This year's results are largely in line with previous years’ results.
The variation in overall satisfaction between the types of education is small, although some stand out. The students undergoing police training are the most satisfied with the quality of their study programme, with an average score of 4.7. On the other hand, the students on 5-year primary and lower secondary education teacher courses are the least satisfied, with an average score of 3.6. The variation is greater at a programme level, although most of the programmes are close to the national average of 4.1 (on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the most positive).
Work relevance and practice
Work relevance is one of the areas the students are most satisfied with. 84% believe their study programme is relevant or highly relevant for work. Categorised by education type, the students on nursing, pharmacy, kindergarten teacher and primary and lower secondary teacher courses are the most satisfied. The types of education in which students feel the courses are least relevant for work are sociology, anthropology, socio-economics and history/philosophy subjects.
The students are generally satisfied with their practical training, but point to the communication between where the practical training is performed and universities and university colleges as an area clearly in need of improvement. Nor are they very satisfied with how universities and university colleges prepare students for their practical training. Among the types of education that include practical training, the students on policing, primary industry, pharmacy and art courses are the most satisfied. At the other end of the scale, we can see that the students taking business subjects, pedagogics and technical subjects are least satisfied with their practical training arrangements.
Time spent
In 2017, full-time Norwegian students stated that they spent 34.9 hours per week studying. However, there are major differences in the effort students put into their studies across the types of education. Architecture and odontology students report that they spend 49 hours a week on study activities. Students on medicine, policing and master’s programmes in nursing also state that they spend a lot of time on academic activities (more than 40 hours a week). The five types of education that spend the least amount of time on studying – 5-year primary and lower secondary teacher education, sports, pedagogics, sociology and languages – are all below 30 hours a week.
Feedback and guidance
Two of the things that students are least satisfied with in the entire survey are feedback and guidance. Only around half of the students are satisfied with the academic staff’s ability to provide constructive feedback on their work and the academic guidance they receive. Nor are the students satisfied with the ability to influence the content and structure of their study programme and how students’ criticisms and viewpoints are followed up. Categorised by education type, the students in the education types policing, physics, art and history/philosophy subjects are most satisfied. The students in the education types medicine, socio-economics, psychology and nursing are the least satisfied.
Internationalisation
The vast majority of students in the survey's base data have not studied abroad as part of their programme. However, a significant minority have experience of various forms of study abroad, such as exchanges, fieldwork, courses and practical training. Both students who have been on short and long stays abroad reported that their stay produced great academic dividends and increased their motivation. Most of the students state that very little of the teaching takes place in English, that little of the curriculum is in English, and that there are few international students on their study programme. Most of the students who report that there are international students in their study programme feel that the integration between the Norwegian and the international students is not good. Bachelor's and master’s students largely agree.
Digitalisation
More than half of the students (52 %) believe they participate more actively in the teaching when the academic staff use digital aids. The students in the education types data/IT, policing and primary industries report the greatest use of digital aids, while architecture, medicine and anthropology students report the least use of digital aids.
The main impression from the free text field comments is that many are positive towards digitalisation, but at the same time there are some critical comments about solutions not working well enough and lecturers/teachers not being fully familiar with the technology being used.