As Sean Coughlan from the BBC reports, more than a third of students feel they are not getting value from their university education in the UK. Yet based on previous figures, student dissatisfaction is a growing trend which was exacerbated by recent campus closures.

More students say university not value for money

More students think they are not getting good value for money from university, suggests an annual survey. It found 31% of students thought their courses were poor or very poor value, up from 29% last year. The survey, based on 10,000 students across the UK, was gathered in a year disrupted by Covid-19 and lecturers’ strikes.

Dan Lejerskar thinks universities can start with adding more value to university education by drawing real-world relevance in their approach.

“A huge proportion of the education that is delivered is university classroom is highly intellectualized and often delivered by faculty who are incentivized by research than the education they deliver. In addition, academic promotion and recruitment decisions are often focused on research outputs in highly cited journals, which further perpetuates this cycle. Of course, universities have many systems in place to reduce this risk, but it is not nearly enough to ensure graduates are equipped with the necessary skills once they complete their course. I would like to see a stronger connection forged between industry and the classroom, as well as more opportunities to engage in immersive and and active learning with AR and VR technologies. These interventions are no longer out of reach but depends solely on the will and capacity for change.”