Canadian students have turned the tables on their GPA overlords, in an outpouring of exasperation—and in some cases, contentment—with their university experience. U of T got a B for “overall satisfaction,” according to the Globe & Mail’s sixth annual University Report Card.

Not bad—although the average marks for 53 universities ranged from B- to A+.

U of T is one of 11 schools in the report card feature that declined to ask their students to participate. For these schools, said Simon Beck, the Globe’s URC editor, students were invited to complete the questionnaire on studentawards. com, a scholarship and financial aid web site.

Small and medium-sized universities earned better marks in general. “Larger universities like U of T, McGill, UBC, and York have similar problems. The thing that’s lacking is campus spirit, a sense of belonging,” said Beck, adding that grades for certain areas, such as quality of life, are slowly improving.

The biggest issue for U of T, said Beck, is large classes. “That clearly is something that hurts the overall education quality for a lot of students, and they don’t feel they can get interaction with their professor,” he said.

Carried out by the Strategic Counsel, an independent research company, the URC surveyed over 43,000 students. According to SC founding partner Tim Woolstencroft, the organization surveyed 500 students from each of the 11 schools that opted out.

The Globe’s URC graded the three U of T campuses as an aggregate. “We have in the past made a distinction between different campuses, but given the sample from U of T, it wouldn’t be statistically accurate,” Woolstencroft said.

Are U of T campuses one and the same?

Beck said he sees the smaller-happier correlation at U of T: “Satellite campuses in Scarborough and Mississauga—students there seem to be happier, more content—but that’s probably not surprising, given that they are smaller campuses with people who live nearby.”

Misak, who served as dean of UTM from 2003-06 and vice-president and principal in the 2006-07 school year, said she has not seen that association.

“The St. George campus is very complex. Some people are thrilled with their colleges, and others aren’t,” she said. “It could be interesting to see if the NSSE data does show a trend there.”

Each school was given a letter grade in around 80 categories. Numerical rankings were scrapped after the first two years. “The statistical difference between a number one and number eight can be tiny. So when the universities complained, there was some truth to it,” Beck said.

Concerns about aggregate rankings and other aspects of research methodology prompted U of T and 10 other schools pull out of Maclean’s annual university rankings in 2006.

According to deputy provost Cheryl Misak, U of T is sticking with the National Survey of Student Engagement. “U of T is fully committed to NSSE,” she said. “We’re collecting data and we don’t participate in third-party initiatives like the Globe initiative.

The Indiana-based NSSE, first administered at U of T in 2005, began in 1999. The survey is conducted in the U.S. and Canada, and samples first- and fourthyear students.

Misak acknowledged that U of T’s size presents challenges and said that some large classes—lectures by profs like Atom Egoyan, for example—aren’t necessarily negative experiences.

“But you want to make sure students get a mix of small seminars and large classes,” she added. “Next week, the Faculty of Arts & Science is reporting on its initiatives to reduce class sizes. So we are working away at it.”

Beneath all the mania over university report cards, how useful are they?

“That would require another survey [to answer],” said Misak.

Remedial study: The 500 students surveyed by the Strategic Counsel for the Globe & Mail’s report found U of T well below the curve in a few areas, and were quick to dish out a heap of embarrassing marks:

Ds

  • Bursaries and scholarships (need-based and merit-based)
  • Food services (quality, healthiness, variety, organic, value)

Cs

  • Class scheduling (convenience, space)
  • Work opportunities (on-campus employment, co-op/internships, assistance for findingpart-

    • time jobs) and career placement services

  • Quality of academic advising and usefulness of feedback from faculty
  • School spirit and sense of community
  • Overall commitment to environmental sustainability
  • On-campus pubs/bars
  • Off-campus housing (quality and affordability)
  • Services for international students