(This feedback was gathered by ECSU at two sessions that included ECSU board directors, student representatives on University Committees, Graduate students, and Foundation year and other students. Including it here verbatim.) KL
"Students are concerned about the channels of communication in the University. Two main issues stood out: 1) how their feedback is processed through the University (course feedback and feedback delivered for the Strategic Plan), and 2) how the University plans to engage with students during consultations.
1) How does student feedback get processed through the University?
- What happens to the course reviews after students fill them out? Do the instructors and Deans read every single form?
- Is there a pathway for student feedback given to instructors to reach their Deans?
Students feel as if they are asked for feedback on many issues, yet see no evidence of their input being acted upon. They also came up with suggestions to combat this sentiment:
- Share successes of students working with the University
- University shares changes to the courses, programs, etc. that were initiated by students
2) The University must develop best practices surrounding consultations and engagement with students. Students would like to see clear expectations and commitments when they are being invited in to consultations with the University. Some questions for the University to consider: “How will we reach out to students? How will we engage with students in a meaningful way? What are we able to commit to? What will happen after this consultation?”
We would like to see ECU keep a record of public meetings/consultations with students so that there is accountability and transparency after the meetings. Students would like to be invited to pre-emptive conversations about changes that will affect them so that they are not hearing about it after it is finalized. For example, new curriculum changes need to be shown to students (with wide advertisement) before it reaches committees where there is a ‘point of no return’ and little chance of being reviewed for feedback and changes. There needs to be a procedure and mechanism for this type of review and feedback with students.
Students are stakeholders who will be directly impacted by most, if not all, of the changes done at the curricular level. There should be more effective channels for information sharing and consultation before decisions are made. They would also like to see better support in understanding how laddering works in their degrees so that they are empowered to make informed decisions about their classes.
In terms of University-wide communication, the ecuad.ca site is one avenue to post curricular changes and visibly important information. The students would like to see the blogs, department webpages, and calendars, be on one main domain rather than scattered about and difficult to find. Students would also like to see an increase in direct communication from their departmental area whether this is through blog updates or email."