What do students think about studying Economics?

The Economics Network has conducted three national online surveys of economics students. The latest, in 2006, was answered by nearly two thousand students from sixty-nine departments.

Overall, about three quarters of respondents were satisfied with the quality of their degree course. Among the comments - "Very very satisfied, this is one of the best economics departments"; "Not dissatisfied but feel that easily more could be done to improve it." For those who were disappointed, frequently mentioned topics included the mathematical content of the course, the quality of the teaching staff and the relevance of course content to the real world.

When asked how their course has changed them, many students gave positive replies - "For the better. I look at everything in the world, and think economics. It changes the way you think, into a more rigorous analytical mindset;" or "It made me realise that there's a great deal of pleasure in actually understanding something."

Among the most frequently mentioned best aspects of courses are the quality of staff, the variety of modules to study and future job prospects.

• "Some of the lecturers are really good, they encourage you to learn and understand and are very good at explaining difficult concepts."
• "Mostly very good lecturers - those with passion very motivating and willing to help."
• "The lecturers are not old fashioned economists - they relate the theories to modern day examples to help us understand the concepts easier."
• "The wide variety of modules has allowed me to explore different areas of Economics."
• "Excellent choice of options for Economics student: allows me to study some specific area of Economics that I like; and able to choose non-Economics modules."
• "Learning material which is relevant to my future career. This gives me an insight into the application of theory."
• "Economics is a stimulating, and challenging degree, which can be very difficult at times. This is how a university degree should be!!"
• "The Feedback system is fantastic. You are told exactly where you went wrong and how you can improve on it."
• "Working with other students was very useful since it permits to exchange opinion and intuition about relevant topics."

We gave students a list of activities, from formal lectures to informal work with other students, and asked which they find useful in supporting their learning. Most of the activities were rated "useful or very useful" by at least half the respondents. For a breakdown of these responses, see the full report.

The students expressed strong opinions about the quality, and amount of access to, the teaching staff. Some lecturers were very highly praised for bringing the subject to life. Some students demanded improvements, though:

• "Better lecturers, who are able to speak eloquently so you can understand, especially seeing the amount of money we pay."
• "Lectures should be held by researchers who have an inclination for teaching. Lectures held by professors that are interested just in their own research are quite unuseful and unsatisfactory."

In seminars/tutorials/small classes, a vast majority go through pre-prepared problem sets or worksheets. At the same time more than 80% rarely or never have experiments, simulations or role-play in seminars. Those who do have them rate them highly:

• "I quite enjoy role-plays, exercises in class."
• "Best activities - role play and games."

The issue of teaching maths and stats for economics students continues to be a controversial one. About half of the respondents find the teaching of maths and stats in their course to be good, another third say 'some good, some not so good' while one in ten perceive it to be 'poor' and one in twelve to be 'generally not very good'. A typical comment is

• "The quality of teaching of maths and stats varies greatly in my course. There are lecturers from both end of the spectrum."

A majority of respondents found the content of the degree largely relevant to the real world and the workload about right. Students also agree that the assessment on their degree accurately tests the level of their knowledge and understanding of the learning outcomes. Among the different forms of assessment, essays in the students' own time are frequently used by the majority of respondents. Many students rarely or never encounter essays done in class (9 out of 10 say "rarely or never"), online assessment (7 out of 10) or group work projects (half of respondents say "rarely or never").

You can read an extended summary and a full report of this survey at: http://www.economicsnetwork.ac.uk/projects/stud_survey2006.htm

To the Student Views index