NSS Results 2012
In the 2012 NSS results, the Department of German figures alongside Modern Greek under 'Others in European Languages'. We were delighted that our grouping raised its student satisfaction scores significantly. 86% of last year's finalists were satisfied overall with the quality of their course, an increase of 12% in the previous year.
These results recognise the high quality of teaching within the department, the strong relationship that exists between staff and students, the dedication of professional services support staff, and our commitment to improving standards. They also testify to the outstanding work that our student year representatives do on our staff-student liaison committee. If issues come up in the course of the year, it is the job of student reps to pass these on to staff and discuss ways forward. Last year's survey showed just how beneficial that collaboration can be. It recorded improvement in teaching (up by 9% on 2011), academic support (up by 19%), learning resources (up by 9%), and personal development (13%).
Inevitably, the survey suggested that there is room for improvement. Staff and students are working on this in the course of 2012-13. One aim is to raise our NSS scores still further for 2013. But more importantly, we want to build on this year's positive developments with initiatives that ensure a sustainable future for German at King's. This year, we have therefore not only recruited four new permanent academic staff but also appointed a Schools Liaison officer, Dr Aine McMurtry, who is working with the ‘Routes into Languages’ programme to send our students as language ambassadors into schools in the London area; and we are continuing to revise our curriculum, with a focus this year on our core language programme, and on new modules that reflect our rich mix of specialisms.
With offerings that range from medieval literature and culture, to contemporary politics, history, literature and film, we aim to address the needs of students of German from diverse backgrounds, who bring to King's an ever-expanding range of interests and educational needs. The NSS results show our success in achieving those goals for students graduating in 2012; we now wish them every success for a future that builds on the strong grounding they have gained in four years of German at King's.