What's next for Concordia? 1,000-plus students weigh in

What should the future of learning look like at Concordia?

According to a random poll of more than 1,000 Concordia students, the number-one priority for the university should be experiential learning. The poll also found that students would like to see more emphasis on workplace readiness, international opportunities, educational environments, and opportunities for entrepreneurship.

The poll was conducted as part of the university’s strategic directions initiative. The first phase of the initiative was publicly launched in mid-January with several activities, including the speaker series, The Future of the University and the Future of Learning, working groups, Idea Cafés, and other discussions with faculty, students, staff and administrators.

“The poll was conceived as a simple and straightforward way to take the pulse of students,” says Jason Ens, executive director, Academic Policy, Planning & Strategic Initiatives. “It was too informal to use as a basis for making decisions, but it does give us some interesting food for further thought and discussion.”

“As we're thinking about institutional priorities over the next five to ten years, hearing directly from students has been a crucial piece of the process,” he adds. “In addition to having strong student representation on the advisory committee that helped to steer the process, we sought ways to get many other students involved in weighing in on our priorities.”

The outcome of the first phase is a preliminary draft document that articulates strategic priorities for the university. A draft document is now available for feedback.

Student associations contribute their perspectives

Another way the strategic directions process connected with students was through their elected student officials.

Three of Concordia’s student associations—the Arts and Science Federation of Associations (ASFA), John Molson School of Business (JMSB) and the Engineering and Computer Science Association (ECA)—brought the poll questions to their council meetings for discussion.

Michael Richardson, the president of JMSB’s Commerce and Administration Students’ Association (CASA), appreciates that the university took the extra step to solicit input from students.  

"I'm a firm believer that major strategic changes must come from the top and from the bottom," he says. "Students at Concordia have been known to offer a unique perspective to all levels of strategic planning, with their input often being considered at the highest levels of the administration."

Richardson says that while it is the university's role to finalize and implement the strategy, involving students is the best way to understand the needs of those the school ultimately serves.

Emma Saboureau, president of the ECA agrees. “It’s a great time because the university has their ears wide open,” says Saboureau. “It’s a way for us to weigh in equally.”

The discussions at the Faculty association level allowed students to think in Faculty-specific ways about enhancing their learning experiences.

For example, Saboureau says the ECA would like to see better relationships and mentorships between professors and students, while Richardson says that among other things, the JMSB discussion focused on enhancing technical skills, growing co-operative education and developing leadership skills.

Ens says these Faculty-specific recommendations will be particularly useful during the second phase of the strategic directions process in the fall, which focuses action planning at the Faculty and unit levels.

Based on the input gathered during phase one activities, Concordia University has released a preliminary draft of the strategic directions plan.

Have a look at the document and submit your feedback to directions@concordia.ca before May 6, 2015.