Editor’s note: The following opinion piece, by UWindsor president Alan Wildeman, appeared on the editorial pages of the Windsor Star on Saturday, October 27.
The Globe and Mail has released its annual Canadian University Report, which summarizes the results of surveys of students at Canadian universities. This year’s survey sought student opinions on each of 19 different categories, including libraries, academic counselling, co-op opportunities, residences, class sizes, buildings, food, research opportunities, and others parameters important to the university experience.
Opinions matter. They influence perceptions of reality as much as facts themselves. What people say about something does, to varying degrees, determine what that something is.
I care about opinions of our community’s University. Indeed, most people care about what others say about things that are dear to them. However, reality also matters. Evidence-based conclusions and decisions are generally the most durable.
In the report, the University of Windsor is included within a group of 13 comparable universities from across the country. A cursory glance would lead to the quick conclusion that UWindsor fared poorly, since in most of the 19 categories our university appears near the bottom of the list. A longer look shows something else.
In a large number of categories, the difference between the bottom of the list and the middle of the list is the difference between a B and a B+, or a B- and a B. The report itself states that because of differences in sample sizes and the methodology used, there may not be any statistical difference at all between different letter scores.
In addition, because the universities are listed in alphabetical order, when the University of Windsor is in a tie with other universities, it appears at the bottom of the list. This is a reality that someone with the last name of Wildeman learned as a child. For example, in the category of how well universities provide a research experience, if the University of Windsor were called “Alpha” University, we would have jumped from number 12 to number five on the list of 13 universities.
The report also provides very important and real feedback. Noticeably, and likely with some statistical significance, we scored lowest in some important categories such as the quality of buildings, food services, and co-op internships. Results like this confirm why we need to renew our facilities and develop more partnerships with employers who share our commitment to creating opportunities for our students. Reviews of food services, residences, and co-op were already announced earlier this year, and the new engineering building, renovations to the Odette School of Business, and the downtown campus are among the initiatives providing major renewal.
Every university in Canada is doing great things. That’s a fact. No university was ranked in the bottom half of the rating scale. Faculty and staff at UWindsor, like those across the country, are working very hard to provide a dynamic and rewarding learning experience, and along with our students are doing creative scholarship and research that will contribute to innovation and civil society. Over the past six years, five UWindsor faculty members have won prestigious provincial teaching awards from the Ontario Council of University Faculty Associations, more than any other university in the province that the report compares us to.
We must pay attention to what students and our community say about us. At the same time, we owe it to everyone to ensure that the feedback is carefully assessed, and put into a meaningful context that lets us learn from it. Superficial analysis carries the risk of creating impressions that miss the mark. And that serves no one in the long run.
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