Four mini-reports have been published by the NUS following a 12 month, QAA commissioned, research project into the UK higher education student experience.
Below are the links to each of these reports which have the following themes: Teaching and Learning; Independent Learning and Contact Hours; Subject Differences and First Year Student Experience.
Teaching and Learning
http://www.qaa.ac.uk/Publications/InformationAndGuidance/Documents/Student-Experience-Research-2012-Part-1.pdf
Independent Learning and Contact Hours
http://www.qaa.ac.uk/Publications/InformationAndGuidance/Documents/Student-Experience-Research-2012-Part-2.pdf
Subject differences
http://www.qaa.ac.uk/Publications/InformationAndGuidance/Documents/Student-Experience-Research-2012-Part-3.pdf
First Year Student Experience
http://www.qaa.ac.uk/Publications/InformationAndGuidance/Documents/Student-Experience-Research-2012-Part-4.pdf
While Universities are judged solely by the volume of research they produce, reports like this are a waste of money. A good report is one you can take action on. The obvious action suggested by the report is to take Lecturers off research to teach more (I could have told you that without the report), which would adversely affect the rating of a department. No head of department would do that. Nor would you hire staff who were “teaching professionals” in lieu of research professionals.