Educated Solutions article by Sam Andrey
Republished from Educated Solutions: The Student Success Issue (Issue 7, November 2010)
By Sam Andrey
MORE THAN $6 BILLION is spent annually on operating Ontario’s universities, of which students contribute over $2.7 billion. With such a substantial public and private investment in higher education, it is of paramount importance that this money is spent in an accountable manner. Asking students—the principal stakeholder of universities—what they want from their education should be a primary component of this exercise.
As part of the Canadian Student Survey, a bilingual survey conducted on 18 university campuses across Canada in the fall of 2009, over 10,000 full-time undergraduate students at seven Ontario universities provided insight into students’ conception of what is required for their success. The survey assessed student priorities for institutional spending, teaching quality and support services, and one thing was abundantly clear: students desire a supportive environment inside and outside the classroom.
Students were asked to rate their satisfaction with teaching quality and, in a separate question, were asked the degree to which they agreed that the academic staff at their institution were generally available and helpful. The relationship between the two answers was astounding.
For instance, 98 per cent of students who strongly agreed that academic staff were generally available and helpful said that they were either very satisfied (55%) or satisfied (43%) with the quality of teaching at their institution. In contrast, only 2 per cent of students who strongly disagreed that academic staff were generally available were very satisfied with the quality of teaching and 54 per cent were very unsatisfied. This clearly demonstrates the connection between one-on-one help and guidance between students and faculty and a student’s overall satisfaction with teaching quality.
Students were also asked to identify the three factors that are most important in determining whether a professor is a quality teacher. The three answers given by a majority of students were: delivering interesting, well prepared and organized lectures; enthusiastic, entertaining or motivating presence in the classroom; and the ability to communicate the subject in multiple ways. The ability to meet regularly with students was selected by a smaller but still substantial number of students.
It is interesting to see that all of the factors chosen by students were either related to teaching pedagogy or support outside the classroom. Other factors, such as being a prominent researcher and the integration of technology into the learning environment, were answered by less than 15 per cent of students. Furthermore, those students that were dissatisfied with the teaching quality on campus were even less likely to select research and technology as important considerations.
Student support services were also a high priority for Ontario students, according to the survey. Students selected support services as the second highest spending priority for institutions, after financial aid and before academic staff, libraries and physical infrastructure. This is likely due in part to the fact that most students make significant use of campus services and infrastructure. More than 70 per cent of students indicated regular usage of study space, local public transit, athletic facilities, academic advising, university residences, health services and student union facilities. Use of career counselling also rose to nearly 70 per cent once students reached their final year.
The majority of students indicated satisfaction with most campus services, though career counselling and financial aid services did not receive such flattering reviews. Every institution had at least one or two campus services where dissatisfaction was high, and it is obvious that students put a premium on a supportive campus environment and believe it should receive adequate investment.
It is undeniable that students consider helpful faculty, quality teaching pedagogy, and support services as key elements to student success. This reinforces research that has indicated that a supportive learning environment is critical for high student retention and satisfaction. Based on these results, it remains crucial that the Ontario government and its universities continue to prioritize funding and support for these important pursuits. Dedicated funding for campus support services, mandatory pedagogy training for PhD students and instructors, and new financial and promotional incentives for quality teaching should all be implemented to ensure that our campuses are providing students with the support they need to maximize their success in both the classroom and the broader learning environment.
Sam Andrey is currently the Director of Research & Policy Analysis at OUSA, and has been an active volunteer of the organization for nearly his entire university education. Sam joined OUSA after completing his degree in biochemistry at the University of Waterloo, where he also worked extensively with the student association.
