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How Canadian
higher ed students
pick their courses
November 25, 2019 (/forum/how-canadian-higher-ed-students-pick-their-courses) ·
Academica Group (http://academica.ca)

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https://forum.academica.ca/forum/how-canadian-higher-ed-students-pick-their-courses?ut... 12/2/2019
While it might not receive a lot of attention in the higher ed media, the
question of how students research and choose their courses once enrolled at an
institution can have a significant impact on that institution, especially on
departments and individual faculty members. Whether it’s offering multiple
sections of a popular course or filling enough seats to ensure that a course will
run, departments and faculty are always engaging in a form of internal
marketing to promote their offerings.
We wanted to learn more about this key part of the student journey, so we
reached out to our StudentVu panel to find out how Canadian students choose
their courses once they are enrolled.
How do students learn about their course options?

First, we wanted to know more about how students research their course
options when preparing for a new academic year.
As you can see in the table below, the most commonly consulted sources of
information are the school’s academic calendar, friends in the same program,
and department websites.
The most common ways for learning about courses were:
Table 1. Do you do any of the following to research courses before you sign up for them?
n = 888; data are weighted to reflect postsecondary enrolments in Canada
As indicated above, the most widely used source of information was the
academic calendar (79%). This was especially true for university students
(81%), who were found to be significantly more likely to use an academic
calendar to research courses compared to college students (this category
included polytechnics and trade schools) (71%). University students were also
significantly more likely to say they went on social media to talk to others
about a course (27% vs. 16%).
First-year students were more likely than later-year students to say they read
the department website (58% vs. 45%), while those in second year or higher
were more likely to talk to friends in the same program (63% vs. 47% of first-
years).
If we look more specifically at age, we see that respondents aged 20 and older
were more likely to read past syllabi for a course (39% vs. 26%).
There is another story embedded in these same findings, however, which is the
story of how departments and individual faculty members work to promote
their classes to students already enrolled in their school. This is effectively a
form of internal marketing and promotion that takes place in academic

calendars and departmental websites, and its impact on departments and
faculty members can be considerable.
Academic calendars act as marketing materials when it comes to promoting a

certain course, so it’s important to ensure that the course description and title
are as appealing as possible. In some instances, faculty will turn to their
marketing or communications team for support, while in other instances, they
will insist on managing this content themselves. At the end of the day, though,
it’s important for these materials to position a course in a way that appeals to
would-be students.
Why do students choose the courses they do?

Next, we wanted to know more about what factors respondents considered to
be most important when choosing a course. So we asked them to rate a list of
factors on a scale from 1 to 5, with one indicating the lowest level of
importance and 5 indicating the highest level.
On average, the most important qualities when picking courses were content
covered in the course and the day/time of the course.
Table 2. How important were each of the following qualities when you were picking your courses?
Respondents identifying as women agreed more strongly than those identifying

as men that factors such as day/time of the course (4.1 vs. 3.8), format of the
course (3.8 vs. 3.6), and assignments/form of assignments (3.4 vs. 3.1) were
important to them.
Students with a self-reported disability gave higher levels of importance to

assignments/form of assignments as a factor when picking a course compared
to students without a reported disability (3.5 vs. 3.2). They were also more
likely to identify personal interest in the topics covered (94% vs. 86%) and the
amount of reading required (45% vs. 35%) as important factors when choosing
a course.
In this category, students with disabilities and those identifying as women were
also more likely to say that courses being held at a time when they felt safe on
campus was a priority for them (35% for those with a reported disability vs.
22% for this without, and 36% for women vs. 12% for men).
First-generation students were more likely to place greater importance on

course format (e.g., online, in person, blended) compared to non-first
generation students (3.9 vs. 3.6).
What’s important in an instructor?

Next, we wanted to know a bit more about which qualities students found
most important in a course instructor.
The most commonly identified important qualities for an instructor were:
Table 3. What qualities do you feel are important in an instructor?
Women were more likely than men to say that their instructors being
friendly/approachable (87% vs. 78%) and having clear expectations for students
(64% vs. 51%) were important to them.
Men, by contrast, were more likely than women to say that their instructor’s
level of specialization in the course material was important (61% vs. 48%).
Students with a disability were more likely than this without to say that being
passionate about the course material (89% vs. 76%) and having clear
expectations for students (67% vs. 56%) were important qualities for instructors
to have.
What types of assignments do students prefer?

Finally, we wanted to know a bit more about what types of assignments
students preferred when thinking about registering for a course.
When asked what types of assignments they found most appealing,

respondents said:
Table 4. What types of assessments do you find appealing?
Women were more likely than men to select one or two large exams as
appealing (42% vs. 33%) while men were more likely to prefer group
presentations (23% vs. 15%).
Students with a disability are more likely to prefer several small

assignments/projects (81% vs. 69%), as well as solo presentations (25% vs.
17%) compared to their peers.
Students aged 25 or older tend to prefer solo presentations compared to their

younger counterparts (24% vs. 15%)
What Next?
If you are a faculty member, marketing professional, or departmental staff,
these findings might help shape the way you think about designing and
communicating your course offerings. While much of the emphasis in higher
ed marketing might be placed on bringing new students to your school, there is
another round of internal marketing that happens when students select their
courses.
Looking back at the results of this study, consider chatting with your
colleagues about:
• How your department is getting the word out about its courses to
students (i.e., is the department website doing a good job?)
• Whether your course titles and descriptions are currently attracting

students – this includes the accurate depiction of course content
• Whether previous/current students have positive things to say about your
course
• How certain types of instructor qualities, course formats, and types of
assignments might influence students’ course selection
After discussing these types of questions, consider speaking with colleagues

about forming a departmental strategy for how you might best communicate
with students about their course selection. These steps will help your
department meet current students where they are and ensure that your courses
have a greater impact on a larger number of students.
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How Canadian higher ed students pick their courses — Academica Forum Page 1 of 11

November 25, 2019 (/forum/how-canadian-higher-ed-students-pick-their-courses) ·

Academica Group (http://academica.ca)

How do students learn about their course options?

The most common ways for learning about courses were:

n = 888; data are weighted to reflect postsecondary enrolments in Canada

form of internal marketing and promotion that takes place in academic

Academic calendars act as marketing materials when it comes to promoting a

Why do students choose the courses they do?

n = 888; data are weighted to reflect postsecondary enrolments in Canada

Respondents identifying as women agreed more strongly than those identifying

Students with a self-reported disability gave higher levels of importance to

First-generation students were more likely to place greater importance on

What’s important in an instructor?

The most commonly identified important qualities for an instructor were:

Table 3. What qualities do you feel are important in an instructor?

n = 888; data are weighted to reflect postsecondary enrolments in Canada

What types of assignments do students prefer?

When asked what types of assignments they found most appealing,

Table 4. What types of assessments do you find appealing?

n = 665; data are weighted to reflect postsecondary enrolments in Canada

Students with a disability are more likely to prefer several small

Students aged 25 or older tend to prefer solo presentations compared to their

• Whether your course titles and descriptions are currently attracting

After discussing these types of questions, consider speaking with colleagues

At Academica Group, we’re proud to work with hundreds of

Other articles you may be interested in

How Canadian higher ed students pick their

How changing its name helped a Canadian

The words postsecondary marketing

that-pse-marketing- Melissa felt her stomach drop. As a marketing professional working

0 Comments Academica Forum 

 Recommend t Tweet f Share Sort by Best

Start the discussion…

LOG IN WITH OR SIGN UP WITH DISQUS ?

✉ Subscribe d Add Disqus to your siteAdd DisqusAdd

MAKE BETTER DECISIONS

SEE HOW (HTTP://STUDENTVU.ACADEMICA.CA)

StudentVu is a trusted part of the decision making process at institutions across

COMMENTING POLICY (/COMMENTING-POLICY)

© 2015 Academica Group. Visit academica.ca (http://academica.ca) for more

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