Saxion students increasingly satisfied with their study programme

Suzan Koning is the member of the Executive Board responsible for education and educational support. She is very pleased with the NSE results: “We see a good increase in the general level of student satisfaction with their study programme at Saxion. They indicate that they are satisfied with the engagement and contact with teachers as well as their counselling. Good to see that students now give online learning with new study materials and the new digital learning environment a much higher rating than last year when it was a point for improvement. Furthermore, the NSE shows once again this year that students feel safe being themselves at Saxion: this is very important to us and we continue to commit to this as an organisation. We are going to be working on the points for improvement. The results of the NSE help us to continue to improve education. Thanks to all students who filled in the NSE this year!”   

Appreciation of atmosphere and lecturer knowledge of professional practice 

Furthermore, it can be concluded from the NSE results that students highly appreciate the atmosphere at their course programme (8.2), along with teachers’ knowledge of the professional practice (7.8) and their content expertise (7.8). Students are also satisfied with the collaboration with fellow students at their study programme (7.9) and the opportunities for receiving counselling (7.8). They also indicate that teachers foster an environment where questions can be asked (7.9). Students are also satisfied with regard to ‘engagement and contact’ (7.5). For example, feeling at home at their study programme and being able to reach teachers if necessary.   

Points for improvement 

There are also some points for improvement. Students are least satisfied with the topic ‘programme schedules’, but this rating has slightly improved compared to the last time it was measured in 2023 (from 6.6 to 6.7). The timely publication of schedule changes has improved from 6.3 to 6.6. The rating for the timely publication of programme schedules has decreased slightly from 6.3 to 6.2. We will discuss the NSE results with students and programme committees, so we can work on improvements in a more targeted way. 

Sustainability, student well-being and bonding 

This year for the first time, there are satisfaction ratings for Saxion’s strategic themes of ‘sustainability evaluation’ and ‘student bonding’. 48% of students believe that their degree programme provides them with what they need to contribute to making their prospective professional field more sustainable. 72% of students feel bonded to their study programme: they feel safe to be themselves at the institution where they study (8.3) and feel at home at their study programme (7.8). Students give the topic of ‘wellbeing’ a satisfaction rating of 7.1. Students indicate that they sometimes experience too much pressure to perform well when it comes to their studies. Saxion is going to work on these areas in the future: sustainability, bonding and wellbeing are priorities in the Saxion Strategic Plan 2025-2030. These areas will be monitored by the NSE in coming years. 

What is the NSE?  

The Netherlands National Student Survey (NSE) is a large national survey which ran from mid-January to mid-March, asking students in higher education for their opinion of their study programme and educational institution. This year 36% of Saxion students participated in the survey. The Landelijk Centrum Studiekeuze, an independent foundation funded by the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (OC&W) is responsible for the NSE. For more information (in Dutch) visit the Landelijk Centrum Studiekeuze website.