Students Release Report on Teaching Quality and Learning at Ontario Universities

TORONTO, March 11, 2014 /CNW/ - The Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance (OUSA) is proud to announce the release of Beyond the Traditional Classroom: Teaching and Learning in Contemporary Higher Education, the first report of the 2014 What Students Want Report Series. In November 2013, OUSA launched its biennial Ontario Post-Secondary Student Survey and received approximately 9,000 responses to a series of 140 post-secondary related questions. Today's report launch looks at students' experiences with high-impact learning, their views on the balance between teaching and research, and what resources should be prioritized at their university.

"Increasingly, students are looking for greater access to high-impact learning opportunities, including co-ops, undergraduate research projects, and paid internships," said Amir Eftekarpour, OUSA President and Vice-President External of the University Students' Council at Western University (USC). "Students recognize that the hard skills acquired through high-impact learning compliment their academic instruction in the traditional classroom, while also easing their transitions into the labour market."

Beyond the Traditional Classroom: Teaching and Learning in Contemporary Higher Education also details university initiatives that students would like to see greater university resources directed towards. Overwhelmingly, students identified increased training for professors and teaching assistants as the top area for improvement.

"The findings of this report support OUSA long-standing recommendation that the Province and institutions direct funding towards the creation of greater numbers of teaching-focused faculty in Ontario," continued Eftekarpour. "Increased support for high quality teaching and instruction will not only support student success, but also better ensure that faculty are able to embrace and adapt to emerging pedagogical trends and classroom technologies."

To read Beyond the Traditional Classroom: Teaching and Learning in Contemporary Higher Education, click here.

About the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance (OUSA)

OUSA represents the interests of over 140,000 professional and undergraduate, full- and part-time university students at eight member associations across Ontario.

SOURCE: Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance

For further information or to arrange an interview, please contact Brandon Sloan, Director of Communications.

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