SFU’s Task Force on Flexible Education (TFFE) held a series of focus groups last week asking students what would improve their experience at SFU.
The TFFE created these focus groups to gather data for their research on how SFU can best meet the changing needs of university students.
Students did not hold back their criticisms of the university in last Tuesday’s session on SFU’s Burnaby campus. “We don’t have the opportunity to express our thoughts,” commented Brittany Lu, a second-year physics student.
“Why isn’t there a loan program for books?” asked Prodpran Wangcherdchuwong, a second-year International Studies student, citing the high cost of university textbooks.
Based on the feedback, the Task Force team has already been able to draw some preliminary conclusions.
“SFU is a highly commuter campus. A lot of students are employed or self-employed, there is a large number of English as an additional language students, [and] technology is all around us,” said project manager David Porter.
Based on this new knowledge, he continued, “We are building a set of recommendations [and] out of those recommendations there will be initiatives that will move forward.”
In the three focus groups held on campus, each involving 10 to 20 students, participants were asked their top three concerns and were given the chance to offer written feedback throughout the session.
“Registering for courses is by far the most stressful time of the semester,” said Caden Knudson, a fourth-year business student. “Why do I have to take so many elective and WQB requirements that have nothing to do with my program?”
Porter explained that “students are asking for programs that would allow them to really consider employment as part of their reason for being at the institution, they are looking for a much more practical environment.”
Wangcherdchuwong emphasized the need for opportunities for students to engage in skill-based learning. “If the business students have it, why can’t [the social sciences] have it?” she posited.
Students also voiced concerns about campus spaces, support systems, and online resources, including SFU Canvas.
The TTFE has already released a discussion paper on textbook costs and recommended that online or open textbook options should be considered more seriously. This supports the findings of a SFU Bookstore survey in 2014, which stated that 76 per cent of students think that textbook costs are too high.
Porter said SFU is looking to ultimately find “design programs that better meet student needs, what kinds of teaching approaches could we try, [how can we] use technology effectively, how can we empower students to make better academic decisions themselves, and what kinds of learning spaces could we create around campus.”
The focus group has only engaged a small number for students thus far and has collected limited data on student concerns. “If these focus groups are successful, it is just the beginning. It is clear that we need more student input,” said Porter.
