Most of the changes in the ways that student feedback is collected, analysed and reported have come about as a result of external pressure. Data on student experience were traditionally used to review courses, teaching, various support services and facilities and infrastructure. It was only used internally as part of university quality assurance and improvement. The development of national quality assurance frameworks as part of higher-education reforms has resulted in changes in the way that student experience is measured and reported. The changes have not necessarily improved student experience at a national level; rather, they have forced universities to meet the needs of the government through the annual reporting of data, linking results with performance funding, using data in academic staff performance reviews and making the data available in the public domain. They have also pressured academics to gain high ratings for their own sake rather than to raise the standards for teaching, assessment and student achievement.