Concordia gets passing grades in Globe and Mail?s annual report card

Students at Concordia University do not feel their education prepares them well for future careers, according to The Globe and Mail’s Canada University Report Card released last week.
The annual report assigns letter grades in 19 categories. The grades are assigned based on survey answers provided by students attending a particular university.
In the category for career preparation for large universities (enrolment over 22,000), Concordia, along with the University of Ottawa and University of Toronto St. George, earned a C+.
University of Waterloo earned the highest grade in the group, with a B+.
Concordia’s director of institutional planning, Brad Tucker, said comparing grades between universities may not paint an accurate picture of student opinions.
Over 700 students at Concordia participated in the survey. In selecting them, the university employed what Tucker called a random stratified sampling, a process that ensures accurate representation of student demographics.
“We’re careful, so we can get a good snapshot of what our students think,” he said.
Other universities, however, don’t necessarily approach selection in the same manner.
“There’s no requirements as to who can or should take the survey,” Tucker said. “So another university’s grade might not accurately reflect the student body’s opinion.”
Overall, Concordia’s grades improved in 10 of the 18 categories that had data in last year’s report. The highest mark Concordia received was a B+ in six categories including quality of education, teaching and ease of course registration. Its grade only declined in one category, student-faculty interaction.
Though Tucker said the university takes into consideration the information gathered in this survey, he said there are problems with the categories. “The areas are really broad,” he said, citing the libraries category as an example. “They don’t ask questions that allow you to figure out exactly where the problems are. But we aren’t complacent about the results because we know we can always do better.”
More detailed surveys, such as the National Survey for Student involvement, are used to target specific areas for improvement, he said.
Tucker said the university is working toward better career preparation strategies for students.

Students at Concordia University do not feel their education prepares them well for future careers, according to The Globe and Mail’s Canada University Report Card released last week.
The annual report assigns letter grades in 19 categories. The grades are assigned based on survey answers provided by students attending a particular university.
In the category for career preparation for large universities (enrolment over 22,000), Concordia, along with the University of Ottawa and University of Toronto St. George, earned a C+.
University of Waterloo earned the highest grade in the group, with a B+.
Concordia’s director of institutional planning, Brad Tucker, said comparing grades between universities may not paint an accurate picture of student opinions.
Over 700 students at Concordia participated in the survey. In selecting them, the university employed what Tucker called a random stratified sampling, a process that ensures accurate representation of student demographics.
“We’re careful, so we can get a good snapshot of what our students think,” he said.
Other universities, however, don’t necessarily approach selection in the same manner.
“There’s no requirements as to who can or should take the survey,” Tucker said. “So another university’s grade might not accurately reflect the student body’s opinion.”
Overall, Concordia’s grades improved in 10 of the 18 categories that had data in last year’s report. The highest mark Concordia received was a B+ in six categories including quality of education, teaching and ease of course registration. Its grade only declined in one category, student-faculty interaction.
Though Tucker said the university takes into consideration the information gathered in this survey, he said there are problems with the categories. “The areas are really broad,” he said, citing the libraries category as an example. “They don’t ask questions that allow you to figure out exactly where the problems are. But we aren’t complacent about the results because we know we can always do better.”
More detailed surveys, such as the National Survey for Student involvement, are used to target specific areas for improvement, he said.
Tucker said the university is working toward better career preparation strategies for students.