Art courses ranked second best in London again for student satisfaction, while the School of Computing and Digital Media's Maths course scores 10/10 for ‘Value Added’.
Date: 19 May 2017
London Met has seen major improvements in the Guardian University Guide, with huge leaps for the Sir John Cass School of Art, Architecture and Design and the School of Computing and Digital Media.
A number of subjects at The Cass have soared through the 2018 Guardian subject league tables, with Art ranked second in London for student satisfaction.
Art at The Cass is now ranked fourth in London overall and has risen 13 places in the Guardian UK table.
Rosemarie McGoldrick, Head of Cass Fine Art and Course Leader, BA Fine Art, said: “At last! And we've zoomed from 67th out of 69 in the UK two years ago to 19th, too!
“It's time art teachers in schools, sixth forms and colleges knew what we do here, because it's quite special. These great results validate how The Cass has taught art for the last few years - masses of contact time, vertical groups (mixed years), themed art studios, holistic curriculum and hands-on workshops.
“The Cass has a well-organised team of clever, caring art tutors who provide lots and lots of feedback. That's what art students want.”
Design and Crafts biggest riser
Design and Crafts has risen a phenomenal 30 places in the Guardian’s subject tables, with significant increases in student satisfaction and graduate employment.
Architecture also rose 9 places, ranking third in London for overall course satisfaction, while Fashion and Textiles jumped 4 places from last year.
10 out of 10 for Maths
Elsewhere, there were major successes for the School of Computing and Digital Media, with Mathematics rising 13 places and scoring 10 out of 10 in the Guide’s Value Added category – which recognises the quality of teaching on the course.
Nino Folic, Course Leader for Mathematics, said: “We’re really happy to see such an impressive value added score, which I think reflects the dedication of our teaching staff on the Maths course. Our staff have an open-door policy and are always happy to help students with any issues they might have.
“We also have an academic mentor for students, as well as student success coaches, which really adds value to the course. It’s a team effort and we’re delighted with this result.”
This year also saw a fantastic leap for Music at London Met, with a rise of 17 places in the subject league table, a score of 8 out of 10 for value added and gains in all student satisfaction categories.
Media and Film up 29 places
Another big riser was Media and Film Studies, which jumped a massive 29 places.
Dr Luke Tredinnick, Course Leader for Media & Communications, said: “We're delighted with this achievement which reflects the commitment of the academic staff to constantly improve the quality of the learning experience in the Media & Film cluster.
“This improvement comes from embedding our world-leading research into the curriculum, to ensure the courses are leading debates about the media, society and culture. But the rise in the league tables also reflects the dedication of our students to their studies, the university community, and their future careers.”
‘Supportive culture’
Computer and Information Systems also moved up 15 places, something which Preeti Patel, Head of Computer Science and Applied Computing, attributed to the supportive culture in the School.
“We are delighted to see that the supportive environment we have created in the School of Computing and Digital Media is contributing to league table successes. In the School, we place emphasis on quality teaching above all else, and it’s great that our students recognise and appreciate our efforts to add value to their studies.”
Another notable riser was Economics, taught at Guildhall School of Business and Law in the heart of The City, which rose 10 places.
London Met on the up
The Guardian tables use a range of metrics to rank university courses, with a particular emphasis on the quality of teaching, student satisfaction and employability. Data is taken from the national Destination of Leavers from Higher Education (DLHE) survey, which last year saw London Met receive its highest ever score, and the National Student Survey (NSS). London Met also achieved a record NSS score last year, prompting the Vice Chancellor to declare: “We’re on the up at London Met.”
This achievement comes a few weeks after Art and Design at The Cass was named as second in London, and sixth in the UK, for student satisfaction in this year’s Complete University Guide league tables, in which it climbed 24 places overall.
