MEMORANDUM

ATTENTION

FROM

RE:

OF

FI

CE OF

Till

:, VICE.

I'

RESIDENT,

,

\C

}

\OE

,

\I

I

C

AN

D I'lt

OVOS

T

8888

Ul1i\'cr~ily

lJrin.

1

\lIf1l~by,

Be

C:

m

:ll

b

\'5

:

\ IS6

SCIl~IC

'

1'1'

.

1

.:

778.782

.. i925

1'

,

\:\:

778.711

2.58

7

(,

Hill

Kr:II1~,

:

\

cl

in

g,

Vicc

-

l'

re"idtnt, Academic

:111.1

I'ro

"","

DATE

PAGES

,\

by 12,

201(}

I

I

I

1

':~lcrn:l

l

Rn-kw

ofS

F

U-FIC ACI<

.

kmic

Op(

:

ralion,;

(

SCU

I'

10

.

41

)

S.10-76

"I'

:l<::

ld

@"{

"

.

CI

www.~fU

.

c

l

!v

l

laca

d

... tlic

At its ["

b

y

='.

2010 IIH::ctillg

.

SCU

I'

n:ccivcd til.: reports of the

Extern

:l]

R

eview n(SFU-

\

:

I

C

t\

ca

Jl"lIlic

Operations

.

SCUI'

regarded the reports

as

positive. wd

consequently

advIsed Ihe V

I'

A

cademic

to

s

eck

authorization

from thl:

Ll

nard o(Govcrnors to <,'xp]on:

rcnc\\,;!l

of the

COlHraC(

with Navitas. taking: into

a

ccou

nt

all issues rai

s

ed ill the cxt..:rna

l

review.

Tho:

ro:pon

s

nfl

h

o: EX

l

o:ma

llt

cvio:w

nfSFU-FlC

A

cadO:lllic

Opo:ratinJlS

,lro:

att:lched

/(n

th

o: infol"lllatio

ll

of

Senate.

In

additiol1

,

sdf-s

tlldy

llI

atcri,lls

lIsed

ill

th

e

r

eview arc availahle at

hllp:

/

!\VWw"fll.nlsl

'n

:llL'/

Fl

C

end,

c:

J

lJriver

S,

Den

c

h

S

IM

ON

1'!t:\

SE

Il

UN

I

VE

I{

S

IT

Y

TH

I

NK

I

NG

OF THE

W

OR

L

D

---

OFFICE OF THE VICE. PRESIDENT,

AC\DEi\IIC

:\~D

PROVOST

8888 Umvcrslty Drivc, Burnaby,

Be

Canada V5A IS6

TEL: 778.782.3925

FAX: 778.782.5876

MEMORANDUM

ATTENTION

FROM

RE:

SCUP

Jon Driver, Vice-President, Academic and

Provosl, and ChaIr oi SCUP

DATE

PAGES

April 23, 2010

1/5

Response to External Review of SFU-FIC Academic Operations ..

SCUP 10-41

vpacad@sfu.ca

www.sfu.ca/vpacadcmic

/

c

I am very grateful to the reviewers for their comprehensive assessment of the SFUjFIC

academic relationship. They have covered all of the issues identified in the terms of

reference for their review, and have provided useful analysis and advice.

This

is, in general, a positive and constructive assessment of the relationship between SFU

and Fraser International College. There is significant agreement between my views and

those of the reviewers

over the suggestions for improvements, but there are also

differences

in interpretation concerning some issues, and secondly in how to address these.

I will reflect on

the issues with which I concur and those with which I differ, but first I wish

to provide brief responses to the recommendations made in the external review document.

Responses

to

Recommendations:

Provide appropriate training resources for FIC instructors

The recommendation to ensure that FIC instructors are provided with ongoing professional

development for teaching this specific

student population is sensible, and FIC has agreed to

undertake this.

It would be

inappropriate for SFU to be involved in any negotiations between FIC and its

instructors as to financial

arrangements regarding such training. When a new SFU unit for

support of teaching and learning is developed, there may be a possibility to offer training to

FIC on a fee-far-service basis.

SFU International and SFU Health and Counseling services should continue to

increase

their involvement with FIC students

FIC students already have access to SFU Health and Counseling Services, and FIC has

ongoing liaison with

SFU International. In addition to the information already provided to

FIC students through their Student Handbook and online student portal, means of

reminding students

about these services through regular outreach will be explored.

Materials for

FIC instructors on making referrals will also be developed.

SIMON fRASER UNIVERSITY

THINKING OF THE WORLD

---

Revamp the AAC so that it plays a greater coordinating role

A reconsideration of the role of the Academic Advisory Committee is certainly useful as we

near the end

of the current contract Ensuring clear lines of communication with Course

Coordinators and others is timely given the quick growth of FIC in the start-up phase, and

this

is a useful recommendation in that regard.

However, I do not agree

that the AAC should have involvement in oversight of

remuneration provided to academic departments; that would allow the FIC representatives

on the

AAC some authority over SFU financial matters and that would not be appropriate.

Management of

all funds provided to departments rests with Chairs, Directors and Deans

via the normal

SFU processes, and they are accountable for that fiscal management

The AAC should clearly articulate the role that the SFU-FIC agreement plays in SFU's

overall internationalization strategy

The committee makes an excellent point that internationalization means more than simply

numbers and diversity

of international students. Through SFU International, SFU commits

to internationalization using a range of strategies, including

support for international

students.

The

AAC is not well positioned nor does it have the authority or expertise to lead the

further development

ofSFU's internationalization strategy as it relates to FIe. However,

we take the point of the recommendation that SFU, through the leadership of the

responsible

Vice-Presidents, needs to continue to develop and renew SFU's

internationalization strategy, and clarify how the relationship with FIC fits within that in

order to provide an improved framework with which to appropriately evaluate the success

of the relationship.

The AAC should set specific targets for the geographical diversity of international

student intake for FIC

As the External Review Committee states, setting recruitment quotas for particular

countries

is problematic, and, in hindsight, perhaps this commitment should have been

differently stated

at the outset of the partnership with FIe. The Review raises a good point

about

SFU's overall international recruitment approach, and the issue of geographic

diversity of

SFU' s international student population should be discussed and resolved at the

appropriate Senate committees

(SCEMP, SCIA), not through the AAC. Once an overall

international recruitment strategy is determined, quotas

or areas of global emphasis can be

assigned to various bodies

(SFU Recruitment, FIC) if a worthwhile return on the investment

of time and resources can be expected.

As we are situated on the west coast of a Pacific Rim country, with a large resident Asian

population, it does not seem realistic to expect

that SFU will see much decrease in interest

from Asian students. Furthermore, when compared with

other BC research universities,

SFU appears to be a more attractive destination, as evidenced by the number of Chinese

students who apply directly to

SFU (without going through FIC). This may be because SFU

has become well- known through its long-standing relationships with a number of Chinese

universities.

Going forward, I am of the view that rather than focusing on countries of

origin or global region, which are subject to forces beyond the control of any college or

university, SFU should simply continue to focus on ensuring that we have reliable sources

for well-prepared international students.

---

The AAC's mandate should be expanded to include oversight of the SFU-Navitas joint

venture.

I will discuss with the FIC Principal a means for regularly sharing information regarding

Navitas recruitment agents.

However, it is neither legally advisable nor appropriate for

SFU to attempt to insert itself into Navitas' contractual agreements with its agents.

I will commit to an annual review

of all of FIC's foreign language recruitment materials, as

currently happens with the English versions of these materials. This review will take place

from my

office, rather than through the AAC, due to time considerations in FIC meeting

their print and distribution deadlines. I will also discuss with the

FIC Principal

participating as appropriate in the benchmarking surveys that Navitas currently conducts

across its system or,

alternatively, the development of a benchmarking process with

Navitas partner universities.

Matters oflnterpretation:

Maintaining Standards

The review team found that the mechanisms put in place to monitor quality and maintain

academic standards

at FIC were working well. In light of that, I disagree with the

reviewers' conclusion

that the ability to maintain standards under expansion may be an

issue. Since the opening of the college in 2006, the program at FIC has grown significantly,

and the evidence shows that during that growth phase standards were established and

maintained. Further expansion of

the college is hypothetical at this time, but growth would

only occur with a continuation

of current academic standards, access to well-qualified

instructors, and availability of appropriate space.

The Course Scheduling Pattern at FIC

As the review team indicated, students at FIC benefit from the additional instructional time

provided in the four-hour

block, and FIC instructors report finding this scheduling pattern

useful.

My office is aware that one SFU department has an ongoing concern about the four-

hour course

schedule, and there have been discussions with the Course Coordinator about

the logistics

of that. However, since FIC students and instructors benefit, and changing the

scheduling for one

department would prove disruptive to all the others, on balance it

seems that the scheduling is best left to the discretion of FIC.

Translation of FIC Brochure

Translation oflanguages is not an exact science and it is a nuanced process. FIC has

materials translated into a

number of languages from English, and to do this they use

professional translation services. With the exception of the possible omission of a

conditional statement, none

of the translations referenced in the report of the External

Review seem to be substantive

or serious differences in what prospective students are

given to expect about eligibility for transfer to SFU from FIe.

Further, in response to this issue being raised in the review report, my office engaged a

professional translation service provided through the local Vancouver agency

SUCCESS. In

the translation provided, the description in the FIC recruitment brochure of what students

seeking to transfer to

SFU may expect is accurate and contains appropriate conditional

statements. The translation is attached as Appendix

A.

I I

---

Funds Provided to Departments

Although I understand why the reviewers may question how funds provided from FIC

revenues are spent, the Vice-President, Academic made an explicit commitment to

departments that remuneration provided would be

"no strings attached". However, as a

part of the regular annual budget process, departments do include their FIC remuneration

in their accounting. Departments are advised

not to use one-time funds from a range of

sources for continuing expenses,

but regular provision of FIC revenues likely does allow

departments to redirect

other funds to ongoing expenses. It is prudent to continue to

remind departments and Faculties to be careful in the appropriate allocation of

"soft"

revenues to expenses.

Minor Factual Errors;

Agreement between Navitas and Agents (pg. 6)

At the time of signing the partnership agreement with Navitas (then IBT), due diligence

was undertaken regarding all aspects

of the company and its dealings. The Associate Vice-

President, Students and International, and the previous Vice-President, Academic both

were informed about the terms and conditions of the agreement between Navitas and

recruitment agents.

Prior to entering into an agreement with Navitas, the AVP-SI, the VPA,

and the President questioned five Australian universities regarding the nature of their

relationship with Navitas colleges on their campuses.

In telephone conversations with

vice-chancellors

at the universities, the President and the AVP-SI, in particular, were not

able to elicit any negative comments, including answers to questions regarding

"reputational capital".

Science Courses at FIC (pg. 7)

It is accurate to observe that there are limitations to the facilities available to offer lab-

based science courses for

FIC students. When the Southeast Classroom Block (SECB) was

constructed there was an opportunity to install running water, a sink and countertop, and

lockable cabinetry in one classroom,

all of which had been identified at the time by the

department

of Biological Science as the minimum requirements for an offering of BISC 100,

with the curriculum modified from the distance education version of that course. The SECB

classroom was never intended as a full laboratory, nor was the intention to mount other

science courses

in that space.

As to the provision of necessary supplies, arrangements have been made with Science

Stores to purchase and

ensure that the necessary materials can be regularly accessed as

needed, and staff

in the VPA's office facilitates this process. Although there were some

initial delays when the classroom was originally opened, things

are now working smoothly.

Business Administration (pg. 8)

Business Administration decided to hold to the courses they currently offer at the college in

order to protect their own enrollments and due to challenges in a competitive market

in

finding appropriately qualified instructors. No workload concerns have been expressed to

the

VPA's office.

English Bridge Program (pg. 8)

The English Bridge Program is not part of the department of English. A review of where

EBP should be housed is currently underway in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.

---

Information to Students (pg. 10)

The FIC Student Handbook does currently include information on health and counseling

services, as does the online

student portal.

Issues not identified

by

the review team

As part of the process for reviewing the SFU/FIC relationship, the VPA organized an open

forum

that was well attended. A list of the issues raised at the event is attached, as

Appendix

B. Three issues were raised at the open forum that were not addressed by the

review team.

Clarification was sought as to which policies applied to FIC students, SFU policies, or FIC

policies. FIC students are governed by FIC policies, and FIC patterned its policies after

those

at SFU.

A graduate student reported that in one department it appeared that assignment to teach

FIC courses was included as part of the process for allocating SI and TA positions for

graduate students.

Upon investigation it was found that, in one SFU department, in

communications to students

there was not a sufficiently clear demarcation between the

process of appointing graduate students to teach in

SFU-funded positions and the process

of referring graduate

students to FIC. We will ensure that all departments understand that

these are two separate processes, and that departments do not make appointments to

teach

FIC courses.

Lastly, a question was asked regarding academic freedom for

FIC instructors particularly as

related to freedom to determine course content.

Courses taught at FIC are based on SFU

courses, and concurrence between FIC courses and SFU courses must be maintained for

transferability.

SFU departmental course coordinators provide oversight to the content of

courses taught

at FIC, and SFU has the final authority over course content.

Conclusion:

I am pleased that the overall conclusions of the review team are positive. FIC students are

generally happy with

their programs, instructors and courses, and there is empirical

evidence

that they succeed at SFU. Instructors feel that they are treated fairly, and they

enjoy the challenge

of working with international students, especially in smaller classes.

SFU departments are satisfied that adequate quality control is being exercised, and they

welcome the opportunity to

earn revenues that can be used to improve their own

programs and student experiences. The

University also benefits from another source of

revenue.

The review team has identified a number of issues

that require closer scrutiny, and I will

attend to their suggestions if a

new contract is negotiated with Navitas. In particular, I will

pay greater attention to the potential risks associated with using agents for recruitment

purposes.

I

do not agree that the AAC should have as much responsibility as the review

team suggests, especially as the

AAC includes both SFU and Navitas personnel; however, it

would be useful to review the function

of the AAC, and to consider what other Senate

committees could exercise

the scrutiny that the review team recommends.

The one area where

the SFU/FIC relationship has clearly not produced the expected results

has been the diversification

of the international student body. Although Navitas was not

contractually required to do this,

SFU administrators suggested to Senate that FIC would be

%

---

able to recruit a more diverse set of students. FIC has made strong efforts and recruited

students from countries

that were not well represented at SFU, but the FIC student

population is even more dominated by students from

China than the international student

population

at SFU. As SFU further develops enrollment strategies for international

students, these patterns will need to be considered and

better understood.

Based on this largely positive review, I believe

that SFU should explore the renewal of the

contract with

Navitas/FIC, taking into account the recommendations of the review team.

---

Appendix A: English translation of admissions information

Fast Track to Simon Fraser University

FIG offers a pre-university program - University Transfer Program

Stage I (UTP I), upon completion of which students can begin UTP II,

namely University Transfer Program Stage II (first year university) in

Business Studies, Computing Science or Arts and Social Sciences for

specialized study.

University Transfer Program Stage

II (UTP II) programs are offered in

partnership with Simon Fraser

University as a fast track to a

university

degree. UTP II courses

are the equivalent of the first year

programs at Simon Fraser

University and are quality assured

by SFU.

Upon successful completion of the Fie UTP II

with

30

credits (maximum

60

credits). and

having met the SFU specified GPA, students

will gain entry to Year

2

of Simon Fraser

University's

bachelor

degree

programs.

Fast Track to a University Bachelor's Degree

University level

Pre-university level

Grade

12

(Senior

Secondary 3) or

equivalent

Grade 11 (Senior

Secondary 2) or

equivalent

Secondary school

FIe

UTP Stage II

(University Year 1)

UTP Stage I

(Pre-university

Foundation Studies)

SFU Bachelor Degree

Year

4

Year

3

Year

2

Year

1

.Please note: Upon successful completion of the UTP I program or Grade 12 (Senior Secondary 3 in China) or

the equivalent. you can begin the

UTP Stage II program.

Upon successful completion

of the UTP II program and having met the specified GPA. you will be able to take

Year 2 courses at

SFU.

---

Fast Track to Simon Fraser University

FIG Fast Track Program Admission Requirements

Name of Program

Type of Program

English Language

Requirements

Preparation

in

Academic

Skills

(PAS) - Acadcm

i

e

English

Language

Program

English

and

academic

skills training

IEL TS 4.5 (with

no band below

4.0) or

equivalent. If

your English

level is lower

than

4.5, please

consult

FIC staff

regarding other

options

UTPI Mixed

Program

UTP

II

Mixed

Program

UTPI

UTP II

Pre-University

foundation courses

+

Academic

English

First

Year

University

courses

+

academic

English

Pre-University

courses

First

Year

University

courses

IELTS 5.0 (with no

band below 4.5) or

equivalent

IEL TS 5.0 (with no

band below 4.5)

or equivalent

IEL TS 5.5 (with no

band below 5.0)

IELTS 5.5 (with no

band below 5.0)

Academic

Requirements

Academic

requirements

are the

same as those for

admission to UTI' I

or

II

Completion of

Senior Secondary 2

in China with

grades meeting the

admission

requirements

or

Completion of

Senior Secondary 3

in China with

grades below the

UTP

II

admission

requirements.

Completion

of

Senior Secondary 3

in China with

grades meeting the

admission

requirements

Completion

of

Senior Secondary

2

in China with

grades meeting the

admission

requirements

or

Completion

of

Senior Secondary 3

in China with

grades below the

UTP

II

admission

requirements.

Completion

of

Senior Secondary 3

in China with

grades meeting the

admission

requirements.

For detailed academic requirements for different countries, please refer to Pages 16-17.

Course

details

A

14-week (one term) academic English

language program designed to adequately

prepare you for starting the UTI' I or UTI' II

program.

Students must complete PAS with specified

grades before entering the UTP I or

II

program (no need to write the IEL TS or

TOEFL).

This program consists of the UTP I courses

and academic English studies.

In the first term students take two courses plus

academic English studies for 15 hours per

week.

Students must complete the 6 remaining UTP

I academic courses in the second and third

terms.

This program consists of the UTP

II

courses

and academic English studies.

In the first term students take two academic

courses plus academic English studies for

15

hours per week.

Students must complete thc 8 remaining UTP

II

academic courses in the second and third

terms.

This program is designed specifically for

students who have completed Senior

Secondary 2 in China and require additional

academic support prior

10

entry to a first year

university program (UTP

II).

Students arc required to complete 8 academic

course in two terms (eight months).

• Please note that students who have

completed Senior Secondary 3 in China with

grades below the UTP

II

admission

requirements are required to take the UTP

I

program, and will be allowed to transfer to a

UTP

II

program upon completion of the first

term of the UTP I program with a minimum

grade average of 70%.

This program is equivalent to Year

I

Bachelor

degree programs at Simon Fraser University.

Students must complete 10 academic courses

(30 credits) with the specified GPA to enter

Year 2 at Simon Fraser University. All credits

completed at FIC can be transferred to the

university (up to 60 credits).

The duration of this program is three terms

(one year).

---

English Language Preparation Program

If you do not meet the minimum English language requirements for academic programs, we

offer many options to improve your

English language competency.

English Language Programs

We recommend all students to

write a

globally recognized English

Language

Proficiency test such as the

IEl TS or TOEFL prior to coming to

Canada. In addition to the specified

academic grade,

you must also obtain an

IELTS score of 5.5 or the equivalent in

English language proficiency to enter the

UTP I or II program directly. If your English

language competency

is below the level,

FIC offers the following options for you:

UTP Stage IIStage II (Mixed Program)

This mixed program is designed

specifically for students whose

IEL TS score

is

5.0 (with no band below 4.5). Students

meeting this English proficiency level take a

specified number of units of

FIC academic

courses in the first term.

In addition to the

selected academic courses, students also

take

15 hours of academic English at FIC

each week.

Upon successful completion

of the

mixed program, students can take

academic courses

in subsequent terms.

Admission

to the Mixed Program is

concurrent with admission

to FIe.

Preparation in Academic Skills (PAS)

English

Language Program

PAS English Language Program is an SFU

program designed specifically for

international students with

an IEL TS score

of 4.5 (with no band below 4.0) or the

equivalent,

to provide them with English

language training.

PAS English Language

Program is delivered at SFU on the Burnaby

campus.

Studying at this leading Canadian

university, students study

English while

having access

to the teaching facilities.

Upon successful completion

of the

PAS Program students can gain

admission

to FIC directly and begin

either the

UTP or the UTP Mixed

program without writing the

IELTS or

TOEFL. FIC staff will offer advice

when you apply to

FIC. Admission to

the PAS English Language Program

is concurrent with admission to FIC.

Off-Campus ESL Colleges

For students whose IEL TS

score is below 4.5 at the time of

application

to

FIC,

Fraser

International

College staff can offer

advice regarding specialist

ESL

colleges

in

Vancouver.

These

specialist

ESl schools help students

improve their English language skills

through intensive English language

programs. Most specialist colleges

offer new classes every month.

Upon completion of the

ESL college

language program, students are

required

to write the IEL TS or

TOEFL and obtain a score meeting

FIC's

minimum

admission

requirements before entering either

the

PAS or FIC program.

---

University Transfer Program Stage I (UTP I):

FIe

offers a University Transfer Program Stage

I

(UTP

I)

to provide a bridge between

secondary

school and undergraduate studies.

University Transfer Program Stage 1

(UTP

I)

Required Courses

Business

Administration

Introduction

to

Economics

English

Skill~eading

English

SkillS/Writing

Introduction

to

Computing

Concepts

and

Algorithms

Introduction

to

Computing

Science

Foundations

of

Mathematics

Introduction

to

Mathematics

UTP Stage I is designed to

adequately prepare you for entry

to a university level UTP

II

program in Business Studies,

Computing Science, or Arts and

Social Sciences. UTP

I

consists

of eight courses of study. Upon

successful completion of the UTP

I

program, you will enter UTP

Stage II.

In addition to scheduled

instruction hours, FIC provides

you with extra support through

individual

consultation

with

teachers

and self access

computer laboratories.

Upon

successful

completion of

the UTP

I

program, you will be progress to

a UTP Stage

II

program in

Business Studies, Computing

Science or Arts and Social

Sciences.

Upon completion of

the

UTP II program with 30

credits, and having met the

specified OPA, you will gain

entry to Year 2 at Simon Fraser

University and proceed to

obtain an SFU bachelor's

degree.

University Transfer Program Stage II (UTP II)

• Business Administration

• Computing Science

• Arts and Social Sciences

I

t

~.

---

Business

Studies

As a first year university program toward SFU's Bachelor Degree in Business Administration, the

University Transfer Program (UTP) Stage II in Business Studies provides the foundation for further studies in

many aspects of business and commerce including Accounting, Entrepreneurship, Finance,

J

luman Resource

Management, International Business, Management Information Systems, Management and Organization Studies,

Management Science and Marketing. Introduction to these areas will enable you to choose more wisely your

preferred area

of study when you enter Year 2 of SFU's bachelor degree programs.

UTP

Stage II: Business

Studies

Required

Courses

Calculus for the Social Sciences

Critical

Thinking

Financial

Accounting

Introduction

to

Fiction

and

Issues

in

Literature

and

Culture

Principles

of

Macroeconomics

Principles

of

Microeconomics

Elective

Courses

Choose four courses from the

following

list

Introduction

to

Communication

Simon Fraser University (Year 2)

Bachelor of Business Administration

Areas of Concentration:

Accounting

Entrepreneurship

Finance

Human

Resource

Management

Intemational

Business

Introduction

to

Computer

Science

and

Programming

I

Introduction

to

Computer

Science

and

Programming

II

Introduction

to

Computer

Design

Introduction

to

Criminology

Canada

Since

Confederation

Contemporruy

Health

Issues

Discrete

Mathematics

Pre-calculus.

Calculus

I

Calculusll

Introduction

to

Politics

and

Government

Brain, Mind and Society

Introduction to Statistics for the

Social Sciences

Literature across Cultures

Global Perspectives

on Health

Research

Methods in Criminology

Introduction

to International Politics

Introduction

to Psychology

I

Behaviour in Organizations

Environmental

Economics

East/West

The Social History of Canada

The Wonder

of Words

Management and Technology

Management

Information Systems

Management Science

Marketing

Upon successful completion of the UTP II program at Fie with 30 units of study. and having met the GPA 3.0 requirement, you will gain

entry to the Simon Fraser University programs

listed above. Programs offered are subjecl to change without further notice. Please visit

w\\'\\.lra\l!flC.C;I

for tho most up.to.date list of courses .

• For students who have yet to meet the pre-requisite for Calculus.

12...

---

Computing

Science

As a first year university program toward SFU's Bachelor of Science degree (Computing

Science), the University Transfer Program (UTP) Stage II in Computing Science provides the

foundations that lead to further studies

in Computing Science including AJ1ificiai Intelligence,

Computer Graphics, Programming Languages and

Software, Information Systems, Computing Systems

and Theoretical Computing. Introduction to these areas of Computing Science at this Stage will enable

you to choose more wisely your preferred area

of study when you enter Year 2 of SFU's Bachelor

degree programs.

UTP II: Computing Science

Required Courses

Elective Courses

Literature across Cultures

bttroduction

to

Computing

Science

and

Programming

I

bttroduction

to

Computing

Science

and

Programming

II

bttroduction

to

Computer

Design

Introduction

to

Fiction

and

Issues

Principles

of

Macroeconomics

Principles

of

Microeconomics

bttroduction

to

Communication

Studies

bttroduction

to

Criminology

Canada

since

Confederation

Contemporary

Health

Issues

Critical

Thinking

Introduction

to

Politics

and

Government

Global Perspectives on Health

Introduction to International Politics

Research Methods in Criminology

Introduction

to Psychology

I

Environmental

Economics

in

Literature

and

Culture

Discrete

Mathematics

Calculus I

Calculus

II

Brain, Mind and Society

East/West

The Wonder of Words

Behaviour in Organizations

The Social History of Canada

Simon Fraser University (Year 2)

Bachelor of Science (Computing Science)

Areas

of Study:

Artificial Intelligence

Computer Graphics and Multimedia

Language

and Software Programming

Information

Systems

Computing

Systems

Theoretical

Computing

Upon successful completion of the UTP II program at FIC with 30 units of study. and having met the GPA 2.5 requirement. you will

gain entry to the Simon Fraser University programs listed above. Courses offered are subject to change withoul further notice. Please

visit

wwwJra~ric.c;1

for the most up-to-date list of courses.

k-

---

University Transfer Program Stage II (UTP II):

Arts and Social Sciences

As a first year university program toward SFU's Bachelor of Arts degree, the University Transfer

Program

(UTP) Stage II in Arts and Social Sciences provides the foundations that lead to further studies in

areas including Economics, English, History, Political Science and criminology. Introduction to these areas of

Arts and Social Sciences at this stage will enable you to choose more wisely your preferred area or study

when you enter

Year 2 of SFU's Bachelor degree programs.

UTP II: Arts and Social Sciences

Required Courses

Choose 7 courses from the following list:

Introduction

to

Criminology

Introduction

to

Fiction

Principles

of Microeconomics

Principles

ofMacroeconornics

Canada

since

Confederation

Critical

Thinking

Introduction

to

Intemational

Politics

Introduction to Issues in Literature and

Culture

Introduction

to

Politics

and

Government

Brain, Mind and Society

Simon Fraser University (Year 2)

Bachelor of Arts

Areas of

Study:

Economics

English

Literature

Across

Cultures

Research

Methods

in

Criminology

Introduction

to

International

Politics

Introduction

to

Psychology

I

Environmental

Economics

EastlWest

The

Social

Histol)'

of

Canada

The Wonder of Words

Elective Courses

Choose 3 courses from the

following list:

Calculus for the Social Sciences I or

Calculus

I

Calculus

II

Anthropology

International Studies

Anthropology

Archaeology

Art&CuHure

English

Asia-Canada

Canadian

Studies

Cognitive

Science

Film and Video Studies

Labour Party Studies

First Nations Studies

Languages

French

Latin American

Geography

Development Studies

History

Linguistics

Criminology

Conternporruy

Health

Issues

Introduction

to

Statistics

for

the

Social

Sciences

Discrete

Mathematics

Financial

Accounting

Global

Perspectives

on

Health

Introduction

to

Communication

Studies

Introduction

to

Computing

Science

and

Programming

I

Introduction

to

Computing

Science

and

Programming

n

Introduction

to

Computer

Design

Pre-calculus*

Behaviour

in

Organizations

MathemaUcs

Philosophy

Politics

Psychology

Social Sciences

Statistics

Women's

Studies

Upon successful completion of Ihe UTP II program at FIC with 30 units of study, and having mel the GPA 2.5 requirement, you will gain

entry 10 the Simon Fraser University programs listed above. Courses offered are subjecllo change without further notice. Please visit

\\\'1\.

rras-:ric ca

for the most up-Io-dale list of courses.

14

---

Simon Fraser University List of Programs

Simon Fraser University has eight faculties that

offer more than

100 programs of study while

consistently pushing for academic innovation.

FIe can assist in your fast-track entry to SFU

Bachelor degree programs in Business Studies)

Computing Science and Arts and Social

Sciences.

Upon successful completion of the

UTP II program and transfer to Year 2 at SFU,

you will have an opportunity to apply for

transfer to other faculties or programs within

SFU.

The following list of programs are available at SFU

Faculty of Education

Programs

Art Education

Counselling

and

Iluman Development

Counselling

Psychology

Curriculum

and

Instruction

Early Childhood

Education

Education

Education

Leadership

Environmental

Education

Lcarning Disabilities

Faculty of Health Sciences

Programs

French Education

Mathematics

Education

Physical

Education

Social Health Science

Environmental

Infectious Diseases

Health

Faculty of Communication,

Art and Technology

Programs

Media Studies

Contempol"dl)'

Art

Interactive Art and

Technology

Faculty of Science

Programs

Actuarial

Science

Applied

Physics

Bioinformatics

Biological

Physics

Biology

Chemical

Physics

Chemistry

Earth Sciences

Engineering

Science

Environmental

Science

Industrial

Mathematics

• Management and Systems

Science

• Mathematics

• Mathematics and Computer

Science

• Molecular Biology and

Biochemistry

• Physics

• Physical Geography

• Statistics

• Biomedical Physiology and

Kinesiology

Faculty of Applied Sciences

Programs

Engineering

Science

Faculty of Environmental Science

Programs

Environmental

Science

Geography

Please note: The faculties and programs listed above are subjecllo SFU admission regulations.

.

. nits to complete the degree

'~

---

Community Forum on SFU-FIC Relationship

January 21, 2010

Approx. 45 attendees

Brief presentation

by J. Driver

Issues/questions raised in discussion:

• Retention of FIC transfers at SFU

• Plans for space and future growth

• Diversity of students (countries of origin)

Appendix B

• Readiness of FIC students for learning at FIC, and preparedness for SFU

classes (do FIC students require greater levels of assistance? Does this vary

by subject?)

• Admissions guarantees and transfer GPAs

• Policies applying to FIC students (SFU or FIc?)

•

Bookstore ordering and timelines

• FIC students living in SFU Residences

• FIC students are more involved in the community once they transfer to SFU

• FIC student records and access by SFU Health and Counselling in case of

emergency

• Course Coordinators; FIC respectful ofSFU standards and seek to provide

excellent

support to students

• Navitas recruitment approach and materials, including clarification of use of

agents by

FIC and SFU

Instructor-related issues:

• Levels of compensation and equivalency to SFU

• Benefits for FIC instructors

• Posting procedures in depts. for positions at FIC

• Equivalency of workload to teaching at SFU

• Compensation in relation to level of assistance required by FIe students

• Lab science course and compensation equivalency

• Academic freedom for FIC instructors; will there be "discrimination" ifthere

is disagreement or an issue over course content

---

External

Committee Report

17

---

External Review Committee Report

Committee

Composition

The External Review Committee (ERC) is comprised of:

Chair:

Dr. Paul Bowles, Professor of Economics, University of Northern British Columbia

Committee Members:

Ms. Stephanie Oldford, Canadian Council on Learning

Dr. Natalee Popadiuk, RPsych., Assistant Professor, Counselling Psychology, Faculty of

Education, Simon Fraser University

Dr. David C. Thomas, Professor of International Management, Simon Fraser University

Mandate

The Terms of Reference for the External Review, provided by the Vice President

Academic (memorandum dated December

14,2009), were set out as follows:

"The purpose of the external review process is to determine the extent to which"

•

The quality of FIC's teaching is high and there are measures in place to ensure

standards

are maintained at SFU levels or better;

• The quality of the student experience at FIC is high, and students leave FIC well

prepared for study at SFU;

•

FIC is meeting the recruitment objectives agreed to with SFU in the affiliation

agreement;

• The qualifications and working conditions ofFIC instructors are comparable to

those of SFU sessional instructors;

• There are adequate resources and facilities provided to support teaching,

including laboratory equipment, computing, and preparation space;

• The involvement of SFU instructors in quality assurance processes is reasonable

in terms of work load;

• SFU academic units involved with FIC are satisfied with the relationship, the

processes, and the funds provided

to the department by the VP A office.

The Review Committee will address the specific questions required

by Senate, assess

the academic

and administrative linkages between SFU and FIC, and comment on

strengths and weaknesses, on opportunities for change and/or improvement, and on

quality and effectiveness including safeguards

for academic standards.

---

The Review Committee should make essential, formal, prioritized recommendations

that address major issues, with reference to the resources available and to the

objectives described in the

SFU-FIC partnership agreement."

Process

The ERC was provided with an extensive set of information in early January consisting

of a Self-Study Report and the Minutes of the Senate Meeting of March 6, 2006 at which

the SFU-FIC agreement was discllssed and approved.

The ERC convened by teleconference call on January

11 tho As a result of this meeting,

the ERC developed a list

of further information requests. This list was provided to Ms.

Sarah Dench and all requests were met by email on January

21

st

•

The ERC conducted a one-day series of on-site interviews on January 27

th

• The itinerary

and the individuals and groups met were discussed with the ERC and our requests for

changes accommodated. The list

of those interviewed is attached as Appendix

I.

This

included the

Vice President Academic, the Academic Advisory Committee (AAC) at

SFU, the FIC College Director and Principal, the FIe Academic Director, 9 departmental

course coordinators, 4 FIC faculty and 8

FIe students. The ERe appreciated the

willingness

of all to meet and the frankness of the answers that were provided.

Subsequent

to the site visit the Chair of the ERe arranged a telephone interview with the

President

of the SFU Faculty Association.

The

ERe is fully satisfied with the level of cooperation that it received from all units in

preparing its report and believes that it was provided with all of the information required

for the purposes

of the review.

Assessment

The ERC's assessments of the specific questions set out in its Terms of Reference are

presented in below.

1. The quality of FIe's teaching is high and there arc measures in place to

ensure standards are maintained at S};U levels or better.

The structure put in place in the affiliation agreement for the appointment of

departmental course coordinators has ensured that academic standards are maintained at

SFU levels or beUer. The instmctors appointed at FIe are typically made on the

recommendation

of the departmental coordinators, and are generally drawn from SFU's

pool of sessional instructors. This process appears to be working well for both SFU and

FIC

at present and we heard of no instances where SFU's recommendations had not been

followed. The courses taught at FIC are equivalent, indeed typically identical, to those

taught at

SFU. Course coordinators reviewed syllabi, exams and grading for all courses

taught at SFU and are satisfied that academic standards are being maintained. The FIC

instructors that we met all have teaching experience at

SFU and other lower mainland

/9

---

institutions and were enthusiastic about their teaching. They all indicated that they did not

compromise on standards and felt under no pressure to

do so.

The ability to maintain standards

if programs are expanded is a potential issue. We were

given the impression that there is a significant pool

of instructors willing to teach at FIC

but, as any expansion is only hypothetical at this point,

we are unable to verify if this is

indeed the case.

2.

The qmllity of the student experience at FIe is high, and students leave FIC

wcll preparcd for study at SFU

As noted above, the content of courses at SFU is comparable to, and typically identical

to, those offered at

SFU. The significant differences are FIC's smaller class sizes, all

students are international students, and courses are offered in four hour blocks, once a

week as opposed to the traditional three-credit hour course, typically offered two or three

times per week. The additional instructional time seems to increase the quality

of the

student learning experience

at FIC.

Class sizes average 35 and are capped at this level, although on

some occasions this cap

has been exceeded. Students indicated to us that they found the smaller class sizes a more

comfortable learning environment in which they were able to build their confidence in

speaking to the class,

of particular importance to students for whom English was not their

first language.

The additional hour

of tutorial time was also welcomed by students and instructors. The

use

of the tutorial time did seem to vary between instructors - for some it meant more

examples being given

in class, for others a slower delivery of the regular material and for

others it was assigned as

'reading time'. This is an area in which greater pedagogical

training for instructors would be useful, a point to which return in more detail

in our

recommendations.

A second concern is that

maximum use may not be being made of the 4 hour course style

by scheduling the course in one 4 hour weekly time block. This is the timetabling model

lIsed by FIC and, while some instructors found this useful, some departmental course

coordinators at SFU expressed strong reservations about this approach. In particular,

a 4

hour block

f'Or math and statistics classes was felt to be undesirable givcn thc cumulative

nature

of the subject matter. Students missing one class are in danger of falling behind

when courses are delivered in this manner.

At SFU, these courses are taught in three 1

hour blocks per week. These concerns have been raised with the FIC Director and

Principal but no changes to course scheduling have resulted. This is an example, we

believe,

of a wider problem of governance to which we also return in more detail in our

recommendations.

One metric to gauge the extent to which FIC students are well prepared academically for

study at

SFU is their performance once they have transitioned to SFU. This data has been

collected by SFU for 2007-2009 and the results indicate that FIe students perform at least

20

---

as well, if not better, than other international students (admitted either directly to SFU or

transferring from a BC College). For example, the latest data, for the end

of the summer

semester

2009, shows that international students transferring from FIC had an average

GPA of2.54 and had an average credit load of9.9. For all international students,

excluding FIC students, these figures were 2.54 and 9.2 respectively. For international

students transferring from a BC College the figures were 2.32 and 9.3 respectively. (All

data from the

Self-Study Report).

Students from FIC appear, therefore, to receive an acceptable level of academic

preparation and to perform at least as well as their international student peers admitted

through other pathways to

SFU.

The quality of the student experience at FIC goes beyond classroom experience. FIC

offers a series

of support services ranging from visa assistance, career counseling and

support for social activities. There do appear to be some gaps, however, which arise

because a lack

of clarity of which services are being provided by FIC and by SFU. We

learned, for example, that a significant portion

of students at FIC do not write their final

exams. This may be explicable in terms

of a student strategy to avoid having an F on their

transcript (since not writing the final exam results in a grade

ofN - non-completion-

being recorded).

It

is also possible that some students may not be writing their final

exams because

of stress but, if this is the case, it is unclear which services are available to

them to deal with stress management issues. This

is again part of a wider governance

issue

to which we return later.

FIC does organize social activities for students but there is relatively little interaction

between FIC and

SFU students. This certainly detracts from the FIC student experience

and impinges on their preparation for transition to

SFU. This lack of connection between

SFU and FIC students appears to undermine SFU's mandate to internationalize the

university, the campus, and the curriculum. We understand that a student 'buddy system'

is currently being developed, specifically to build connections between FIC and

SFU

student groups, but a greater integration ofFIC students into SFU student activities

would be beneficial to both domestic and international students. FIC students informed

us

that they felt as though there could be greater awareness ofFIC in the wider SFU

community, and they were eager to know and interact with SFU students. In particular,

those who are potential service providers

to FIC students (e.g., stafTin SFlJ libraries,

especially the Learning Commons or Back on Track program, or medical and counselling

personnel at

SFU Health and Counselling Services) should be fully aware of the FIC -

SFU partnership and the services offered to FIC students. We return to this point in our

recommendations.

3. FIe is meeting the recruitment objectives agreed to with SFU in the affiliation

Agreement

One of the main motivations for SFU having an agreement with Navitas, FIC's parent

company, is

to take advantage of the latter's global recruiting networks. The recruitment

objectives have both a quantitative and geographic dimension. The quantitative objective

---

was to reach an intake of 1000 students within the five year period of the agreement. The

data provided to us in the

Self-Study document, indicates that this target has been reached

during the fourth year

of operation with 1062 students enrolled in 2009-03, ahead of the

five year horizon.

In our review, we examined documents used to recruit students with a view toward

understanding the expectations these documents might create. The English language

documents were generally consistent with other documents and our observations and

conversations with students. There is, however, one important exception. The marketing

documents were clear about the requirements to advance to programs such as Business

Administration except that they did not reflect the actual probability

of successfully

entering these programs. In response to questions regarding the likelihood that most

students would not get their first choice

of programs we were advised that students were

being counseled to choose other programs.

Somewhat more worrying was our

examination

of the Chinese language documents. We had these documents reviewed by a

bilingual

PhD student whose impression was that the Chinese version promised a good

deal more than the English version. The following are some examples:

On the page of "Why choose FIG', Flexible start dates

English: Whenever your results are released, there is an intake for you.

Chinese: Whenever you apply, there is an intake for you.

On the same page

English: university-designed program

Chinese: university first-year courses

At the bottom of the same page

English: Entry into second year at

SFU is dependent on .... "and being formally admitted

to the

SFU program (subject to changes in SFU's Admissions policy)."

The Chinese version does not have the quoted part on the page of

II

Your pathway to

SFU"

English: UTP Stage II programs are offered in association with SFU as an alternative

pathway

to a degree at SFU.

Chinese: UTP Stage II programs arc offered in association with SFlJ as a shortclIt to a

Bachelor degree

On the same page

English: you will be eligible to apply for transfer

to selected SFU Dachelor degree

programs

Chinese: you will transfer to the second year

of Bachelor degree programs at SFU

This is clearly an area where further investigation is required. This also points to an issue

that is very common in international

joint ventures such as the relationship between

Navitas and

SFU. This is the need for very stringent oversight by SFU over FIC and its

agents.

Our review did not indicate a level of oversight sufficient to ensure that FIC and

22-

---

its agents were carrying out their duties in a manner consistent with the goals ofSFU. For

example, senior SFU officials were unaware of the terms and enforcement conditions of

the agreement between Navitas and its recruitment agents.

The recruitment objectives also include the desire to diversify the country

of origin for

international students going to

SFU. This objective is derived from the university's wider

internationalization goal designed to increase diversity and provide the basis for greater

inter-cultural exchange (International

Student Recruitment document dated Januaryl3,

2006).

The International Student Recruitment document (January 13, 2006) further noted that

"China and Hong Kong, which accounted for just 27 percent of undergraduate

international students in the fall

of 1997, accounted for 45 percent in the fall of 2005" (p.

6). Data from the AAC report of 2008-2009 indicates that international students from

China and Hong Kong accounted for 75.7 percent ofFIC students. This suggests that the

diversity

of international student recruitment is actually lower at FIC. On the other hand,

FIC does draw students from 40 countries and to some that we interviewed this is

evidence of the success in meeting the diversity objective.

The annual reports to

Senate of the AAC comment on the diversity of international

student intake

at FIC. The 2006-07 Report noted that "it is expected that over time the

geographic distribution of students admitted to FIC will diversifY and, in particular, a

greater number

of students from African countries and India will attend FIC". The 2007-

08 Report noted that "the geographic distribution is broadening over time" but went on to

note that further diversity is expected to occur with more students admitted from "African

and Middle Eastern countries and India". The same statements were made verbatim in

the 2008-09 Report.

At this point,

it is a matter of judgment whether the geographical dimension is bcing

adequately mct. We found evidence

of differences in opinion in this regard. This is

perhaps understandable in the absence of quantitative targets for the geographic

dimension but does indicate to us that the criterion for success in diversifying

SFU's

international student recruitment has not been adequately specified. We return to this

point

in our recommendations.

A final consideration is the extent to which co-branding with Navitas is bencficial to SFU

and its broader internationalization strategy. As a private for-profit provider which works

with mostly international students in a college setting and employs a causalized teaching

staff with no research mandate,

it is clear that Navitas operates in a different educational

market segment than

SFU. The reputation ofNavitas is enhanced by its affiliation with

SFU but it is not clear that the reverse is also true. The extent to which SFU's brand

equity (reputational capital) is affected both domestically and internationally

by co-

branding with Navitas needs to be evaluated on a continuing basis.

Our recommendations

speak further to this point.

IT

23

---

4. The qualifications and working conditions of FIe instructors are comparable

to

SFU sessional instructors

As noted above, the instructors at FIe have all, as far as we know, been appointed upon

by

FIe upon the referral of the departmental course coordinators at SFU and have been

appointed because

of their experience and teaching expertise. A large number of FIe

instructors are doctoral level graduate students or new Ph.D. graduates who also teach on

a sessional basis at

SFU. The ERe concludes, therefore, that the qualifications of FIC

instructors arc comparable to those

ofSFU sessional instructors.

In terms

of working conditions, instructors are paid for 4 standard credit hours at FIC

when teaching a course for which they would only paid 3 standard credit hours if

delivered at SFU. Their higher course stipend is therefore commensurate with the higher

number

of contact hours. The FIC faculty that we spoke to aU regarded the financial

compensation at

FIe to be superior to that at SFU when teaching the same course.

The

FIC instructors also indicated that teaching the smaller class sizes enabled them to

engage better with students and provided them with greater levels of job satisfaction.

Again, working conditions compare favourably with

SFU working conditions in this

respect.

Working conditions also include a voice for instructors in the workplace.

We found that

instructors were able to discuss any individual concerns with the

FIe Director. However,

there is no provision for collective representation through an association or union.

The

ERe does have one major concern with instructor working conditions at FIC. This

concerns the lack

of support and training that they receive in teaching the different

student population at FIC. We return to this in our recommendations.

5. There are adequate resources nod facilities provided

(0

support teaching,

including laboratory equipment, computing, and preparation space

This is an area of concern. The portakabin building is well endowed with classroom

space, has a few offices which faculty can use for preparation and meetings with students,

and a small social area. Howevcr, wc were made aware

of issues with the availability of

functioning projectors for classroom presentations, sOl11dhing that can probably bc

overcome with better monitoring of equipment andlor the purchase of additional

projectors.

More serious

is the severe constraint placed on science courses. The "lab" at present

consists

of a classroom with a single sink. This would be totally inadequate in a high

school, let alone, university setting. This places a strict limit

on the types of science

courses which can be offered at

FIe and the types of course experiments which can be

undertaken. We understand that some materials and equipment are brought in from SFU

from time to time but this seemed to be a somewhat ad hoc arrangement and it was

unclear to us how successful this is. We were also unclear

of the financial arrangements

---

associated with these services and, indeed, it is our understanding that lab technicians

were not paid for any set up at FIC.

6. The involvement of SFU instructors in quality assurance processes is

reasonable in terms of work load

The written submissions and meetings with department course coordinators all indicated

that there were no major issues with respect to workload. This is in large part attributable

to FIC instructors' familiarity with SFU's standards and policies. The manageable

workload for departmental course coordinators is a function

of the experience of the FI C

instructors hired to date.

Each department rewards its course coordinator differently and according to its

own

degree of involvement with FIC and assessment of the time required to oversee this. As

such, there is

no standard model for recognizing and remunerating the work load of

coordinators. However, we heard no concerns and the schemes which each department

has put in place seem to working well.

When we asked coordinators with whom we met during our site visit

if they could

envision problems

if the FIC student body expanded by a factor of two or three, none

thought that this would create workload problems for them or their departments.

However, it is also clear that this may be not be the full story as we understand that some

faculties and departments, e.g. Business Administration, have not been willing to offer

additional sections

of courses because of concerns over workload.

7. SFU academic units involved with FIe are satisfied with the relationship, the

processes, and the funds provided to the department by the VP A office

The written submissions and meetings with academic unit heads indicated that the units

are very satisfied with the funds flowing from their provision

of courses to FIC. The VPA

office has established a formula for the distribution of funds coming from the FIC

relationship and departments seem satisfied with the resulting distribution. Indeed, we

heard impassioned support for the SFU-FIC relationship to continue and expand precisely

because

of the financial benefit that all units at SFU saw from the relationship. The

English dcpartmcnt

is in a somewhat different position, however, because of its

additional involvement in providing English bridge courses

to FIC students. A revision of

the funding arrangement may be necessary in this particular case.

There does not appear to be any reporting arrangement to support a central accounting

of

how departments are making use of the funds they receive through the FIC relationship.

Course coordinators indicated that some departments are creating endowments with the

funds. Some departments used their funds to support faculty conference travel and bring

in guest speakers, activities which are essential for the operation

of a research university

but which have been increasingly comprised by recent budgetary constraints. However, at

least one department suggested that the funds were being used to support continuing

activities such as salary supplements. The ERC is more concerned with the reliance on

---

the funds flowing to participating departments from the SFU-FIC relationship than on the

adequacy

of such funding. We discuss this further in our recommendations.

Recommendations

1. Provide appropriate training resources for FIe instructors

The success of the FIC program to date has been due in no small measure to the

enthusiasm and talents

of its instructors. FIC, and by extension SFlJ, has been fortunate

to be able to draw upon a pool

of instructors willing to accept the challenge of teaching a

student population with an atypical profile: these are all international students who

would not be admitted into

SFU directly for various academic related issues (typically as

a result of too low language test scores and/or academic grades).

It

is a testament to the

instructors and students that so many from this background go on to successfully study at

SFU.

However, there is very little, if any, pedagogical training given to instructors on how to

effectively teach students with this particular set of characteristics. There are some

resources available at SFU which could be utilized for this purpose, such as specific

workshops on interactive and experiential teaching and learning activities through the

Learning and Instructional Development Centre in the Faculty of Education, as well as

courses on how to teach English as an Additional Language (EAL) available at other

higher education institutions. Despite the enthusiasm that instructors may possess at FIC,

EAL students are a specialized population that requires specific training in teaching EAL

effectively. Onc SFU professor, for example, noted that he had to develop simple

language-based exercises that the FIC instructor could use in the tutorial to help students

gain proficiency with the language and concepts. This professor noted he should not have

to create these kinds

of activities, given that it is outside his area of expertise, and that

FIe

instructors needed support of experts who can help them implement evidence-based

teaching and learning strategies from the field.

Given that the success

of the program depends critically on the instruction provided at

FIC, we strongly recommend that the instructors employed are provided with appropriate

levels

of training, through short workshops or participation in professional development

courses, to enable them

to effectively carry out their duties. Thcy may all have been

selected because

of their previous experience teaching international students, but this

cannot be used as a reason for not providing adequate professional guidance and

resources for working with English as an Additional Language learners. Instructors

should be paid for attending such courses and the financial arrangements for

this program

will need

to be negotiated between SFU and FIC.

2. SFU International and SFU Health and Counselling services should continue to

increase theh. involvement with FIC students

FIC students are typically new arrivals to Canada, and thus, may be struggling with

transition and adjustment issues that can be especially difficult throughout the first year

---

of studies in a new country. I t is normal, foreseeable, and expected that many

international students will deal with a wide variety

of psychological, emotional, and

physical problems often associated with this transition, such as homesickness, anxiety,

and depression. Although FIC students are eligible for medical and counselling services

through SFU's Health and Counselling Centre,

it

appears that there is a lack of

information about what is available and how it can help. Additionally, there may be an

assumption that students will access these resources on their own. Research in this area

suggests this is not the case.

Therefore, based on the extant literature on international student transition and

adjustment, we recommend that counselling and international student services be

proactive in conducting outreach activities with students at FIC.

One such initiative

already underway, the International Buddy Program, is being expanded to specifically

target FIC students. However, other initiatives should be considered.

One possibility is

that counselling staff connect with FIC students on a regular basis as part of their

outreach activities, including health promotion and prevention programs held in the FIC

buildings aimed at this particular population, but open to all. Educating FIC students

about the role and purpose

of counselling services and how counselling can be a

proactive and helpful step in their adjustment may help to destigmatize these services and

to increase personal connections to counsellors, which increase help-seeking behaviours

during difficult times.

FIC instructors should additionally receive training on common international student

transition and adjustment issues, early identification

of possible problems, and specific

instructions on how to handle referrals to medical and counselling services. We also

noted that although materials suggested that students could access counselling services,

this is not mentioned in the document prepared by FIC on

"Student Support Services"

(found in Section 3 of the ERC binder). FIC student support workshops that are listed are

only academically oriented, which ignores other facets

of the student's lives (e.g.,

psychological functioning, relationship problems, loneliness and homesickness) that

significantly impact student retention. Furthermore, there does not appear

to be anything

related

to international student transition and adjustment issues, nor counselling services

in the FIC Student Handbook.

3. Revamp the AAC so that

it

plays a greater coordinating l'ole

In a partnership relation of this kind, it is often difficult to establish clear lines of

responsibility. We find this to be the case ofSFU-FIC.

It

is not clear to whom FIC

instructors, course coordinators, or depmiments hcads should address requcsts or

complaints and on what issues. To whom, for example, should the request to change the 4

teaching block for math classes be addressed? Who has the ultimate responsibility for

making that decision?

The AAC seems to have been content to take a back seat and only become involved

if it

hears of problems. But since it does not meet with department coordinators (most of

whom did not know of the existence of the AAC),

it

is not surprising that

it

does not act

---

often. This is not to suggest negligence in this instance; the Terms of Reference of the

AAC do

not, surprisingly, include any reference to seeking feedback from course

coordinators (except

in the case of workload). The Terms of Reference do require that the

AAC track and report on

"any concerns that FIC instructors have regarding working

conditions" but we found no evidence

of any mechanisms in place to allow this to be

done.

The ERC recommends that the AAC become more proactive in its management

of the

SFU side of agrccment and draw up clear policies and guidelines which set out the

reporting structures and responsibilities

of all involved. This is partly done by the SFU-

FIC affiliation agreement but, after four years in operation,

it

is clear that greater

operational detail is needed.

While the degree

of decentralization and devolution of decision-making to departments is

to be commended, nevertheless, the ERC believes that it would be useful for the AAC to

also draw up policies and guidelines on the uses to which funds generated by

departments' involvement with FIC are used. In particular, the VPA Office indicated

to

us that it only spends revenues accruing to it through the FIC agreement for non-

continuing purposes. It is not clear to us, however, that the same is always the case for

departmental spending and

at least one example was provided to us which was clearly

problematic in this regard. While the revenues accruing to departments are clearly

beneficial to them, there

is a danger if departments become unnecessarily reliant on these

funds for line expenditures which are not discretionary. A more active role by the AAC

is

called for here.

While this points to potential problems

of over-reliance on FIC revenues for departments,

the ERC has a different set

of concerns stemming from over-reliance on FIC revenue for

the central administration. We discuss these below.

4. The AAC should clearly articulate the role that the SFU-FIC agreement plays in

SFU's overall internationalization strategy

The danger that the ERC sees is that the SFU-FIC relationship is sufficiently attractive

financially to

SFU that expanding the program will be seen as a low cost-high revenue

method

of pursuing internationalization at SFU.

It

was stressed to us scvcral times during

our site visit that FIC was one

of the pathways for international students into SfU but we

question whether its benefits are such that it will increasingly become the major pathway

without a full discussion

of whether this desirable. Any decision regarding expansion of

the program needs to be made consciously for stratcgic reasons focusing on

internationalization and extend beyond financial expediency.

Internationalization means far more than increasing the number and diversity

of

international students.

It

also means ensuring that international students feel welcome on

our campuses and in our classrooms, that teaching pedagogics are sensitive

to a variety of

learning styles and backgrounds and that all students are schooled in the values of

tolerance and empathy. These are not issues which can be addressed simply by increasing

---

the number of international students. The ERC recommends that these other aspects of

internationalization receive as much attention as the focus on increasing numbers and that

a coherent strategy

of internationalization be enunciated for and/or by the AAC so that it

can more effectively judge how the relationship with

FIC can contribute to a wider

internationalization strategy.

The agreement with

FIC is clearly one important part of SFU's internationalization

strategy. Indeed, SFU might learn from how the experience of international students at

FIC could inform

it~

own policies

Clnd

programs given the evident academic success and

retention rates that

Fie

have achieved. Our caution is that the SFFU-FIC agreement

should be integrated into a broader internationalization strategy.

The materials provided to

us also state that SFU's aim is "to recruit and retain the best

possible international undergraduate

students" (International Student Recruitment

document, dated January

13,2006, p.4). The FIC recruitment process is aimed at a

different group; that is, those who, for whatever reason, would not be admitted directly

into

SFU at that point in their careers. This again suggests that any expansion of the FIC

program should be judged on how it fits with SFU's wider internationalization goals.

5. The AAC should set specific targets for the geographical diversity of

international student intake for

Fie

The ERC understands that it is not possible to set quotas for particular countries. The

vagaries

of the visa process and economic and political shocks in sending countries

preclude such a strategy. Furthermore, the dominance

of sending countries such as China

cannot realistically be changed. Nevertheless, SFU should be more stringent in ensuring

that the agreement with FIe effectively contributes to the goal of having a diversity of

international students, i.e., that the agreement does genuinely bring students to SFU from

sending countries which

SFU's own recruiters have been unable to reach.

The data for May

2009 show that the majority (75.7%) ofFIC students come from China

and Hong Kong and that the majority

of students register in the UTP II Business

Administration program (65%); this is a student pool which

SFU's own recruiters can

and does already reach. Ensuring that the relationship with FIC results

in a more diverse

international student intake could be achieved, for example, by negotiating with Navitas

that some percentage, say

20 per cent, of students at FI C should comc from "undcr-

represented countries or areas". A list of "under-represented countries or areas" could be

generated by the AAC based on data

of SFU's own international student population and

an identification

of which countries and areas it felt needed additional recruitment efforts

in order for the university's international diversity goals to

be met.

6. The AAC's mandate should be expanded to include oversight of the SFU-Navitas

joint venture.

As in

any

agency agreement, explicit steps need to be taken to oversee the activities that

Navitas and its agents engage in on the behalf

of SFU in order to mitigate the risks of co-

---

branding. This includes the AAC being responsible for (a) reviewing and monitoring the

recruitment materials, including foreign language materials, used by Navitas an area in

which the

ERC

does, on the basis of a translation undertaken at its request, have explicit

concerns over the information being distributed; (b) reviewing and monitoring the

agreements between Navitas and its recruiting agents; and (c) benchmarking with other

universities which have agreements with Navitas.

Conclusion

Throughout the review process, the

ERe

heard many positive stories about the SFU-FIC

relationship from instructors, administrators, departmental course coordinators and

students alike. A high level

of satisfaction with the first five years of operation is evident

for all

of the stakeholders.

While a number

of recommendations are made in this report to strengthen the

relationship and the management, that there are relatively few recommendations for this

new arrangement bodes well for the partnership's continued development and future

success. Nevertheless, the

ERC

believes that its recommendations require serious

consideration before there is any expansion to the program

in

its next phase.

The

ERC

also believes that it is prudent and useful to conduct reviews such as the present

one on an ongoing, cyclical basis, every five years in accordance with the

SFU

departmental self-study policies and procedures already in place

W 30

---

8:30

9:15

9:15

10:00

10:00

10 :45

11:00

12:00

12:00

13:00

13:00

14:00

14:00

15:00

15:00

16:00

16:00

17:00

SFU-FIC Review

Wednesday, January 27

Opening

Meeting

Jon Driver, Vice President, Academic

Nello Angerilli, A VP Students and International

Sarah Dench, Director, University Curriculum

&

Institutional

Liaison

Bev Hudson, FIC College Director and Principal

Barbara

Davis-Leigh,

Academic

Director,

FIC

Bill Radford, Director, SFU International

Sarah Dench, Director, UCIL

Meet with available SFU Course Coordinators (5 faculty

attending)

Lunch

William Krane, A VP Academic

SFU AAC members:

•

Colleen Collins, Assoc. Dean, Business

•

Tom Grieve, English

•

Nancy Johnston, Student Services

•

Susan Rhodes, Coordinator, UCIL

Faculty

reps:

•

Alison Beal, Assoc. Dean, Communication, Art

&

Tech

•

Paul Budra, Assoc. Dean, Arts and Social Sciences

•

Craig Janes, Assoc. Dean, Health Sciences

•

RolfMathewes. Assoc. Dean, Science

•

Nimal Rajapakse, Dean, Applied Science

Meet with available SFU Course Coordinators (4 attending)

Tour ofFIC facilities with Bev Hudson, Victoria Heron (FIC).

Susan Rhodes (SFU). 3: IS meet available FIC instructors, and

3:45 students

Closing

Meeting

Jon Driver, VP A

Bev Hudson, FIC College Director

Sarah Dench, Director, UCIL

Bi

II Krane, A V P A

J4" 31

President's

Conference

Room,

Strand Hall

PCR

PCR

PCR

Cornerstone

Building

PCR

peR

SECB

PCR