Quality of Education
6. Academic Experience and Quality of Education
As students, we are united by a shared pursuit of academic opportunities and educational experiences. This year, the USC is committed to advocating for improvements to academic support services, such as career and academic counselling, and building the capacity of our students to navigate appeals and engage with academic policy. As we transition back to in-person education after a year of primarily online learning, we will prioritize the accessibility of education, work to ensure our students receive a high-quality education, and advocate for lecture-capture technology to be utilized by the university. We will continue to explore how high-impact learning practices, experiential learning opportunities, and open educational resources can be leveraged to enhance students’ academic experience and position students for success throughout their undergraduate career.
Executive Lead: Ziyana Kotadia, Vice-President University Affairs
Initiative | Executive Lead | Updates | Status |
Academic Counselling Improvements | Ziyana Kotadia | VPUA established regular meetings with the Chair and Vice-Chair of the Academic Counselling Task Force as well as the Vice-Provost Academic Programs. | Ongoing |
University Affairs on Senate | Zamir Fakirani | VPUA attending both of the Senate’s subcommittees. VPUA consistently meets with Chair of Western Student Senators. VPUA and President have advocated on Senate floor for the extension of winter break. | Complete |
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Additional Executive Initiatives
The Executive Roadmap plans out how the executive will structure their programs, plans, and portfolios for the year under organized priority areas. However, when new opportunities or issues arise, they may implement additional programs. See below for updates on these additional initiatives.
Academic Support Policy Paper
- VPUA Portfolio working on research and putting together consultation plans for the development of an Academic Support Policy Paper.
- VPUA released an Academic Support Services survey to collect student feedback on academic counselling, student appeals, self-reported absences, and more.
- VPUA portfolio completed draft PCRS with body text writing to come.
- Portfolio has paused the body text writing for this paper while ongoing hiring takes place.
Paperless Assignment Submissions
- VPUA meeting regularly with the Vice-Provost Academic Programs to discuss the viability of exploring digital assignment submissions.
Remote Proctoring
- VPUA attending biweekly Remote Proctoring Student Protection Subcommittee meetings to ensure Proctorio, the primary remote proctoring vendor for the fall, is set up to meet student needs.
- VPUA monitoring and advocating for a student-facing approach to the pivot back to the use of ProctorTrack for classes in the fall semester due to delays with Proctorio’s integration.
- VPUA meeting with the Remote Proctoring Student Protection Subcommittee as well as the Remote Proctoring Vendor selection committee to re-evaluate Procotrio as a remote proctoring solution and determine next steps for the institution.
- VPUA continues to meet with the Remote Proctoring Student Protection Subcommittee to stay up to date on the file and elevate student facing recommendations.
Student Appeals Support
- VPUA building a new Student Appeals Support Coordinator position, hiring is ongoing.
- VPUA Portfolio meeting regularly with the Office of the Ombudsperon to collaborate on training for the Student Appeals Support Centre volunteers.