Nearly 80 per cent of first-year Chinese students enrolled in Canadian universities have struggled to communicate with their schools amid the pandemic, according to a survey from an international tutoring company.
The majority of survey participants expressed that their schools had not reached out to them to offer as much support as they hoped. McGill University received the most positive feedback for their communication with international students, while Western University and McMaster University tied for second.
Twenty per cent reported having no communication with their schools at all.
“Students and professors need to be checking in with each other as the semester unfolds and they need to be willing to speak up if something isn’t working and be flexible enough to make the changes needed on the fly if necessary,” said Jacky Zhang, CEO and co-founder of Easy Group, the tutoring company hosting the survey.
“But more importantly, just involving students in the process and letting them feel as if it is collaborative and that they have a say in the way they are educated in these challenging times — even if it is not what they originally signed on for.”
Easy Group received 384 survey responses over the summer, as they looked to better understand the needs of Chinese students attending Canadian universities during the pandemic.
Students who participated in the survey either enrolled or intended to enrol at a Canadian university for the fall semester, including Western among 11 others. The survey’s topics included online learning and enrolment, mental health and well-being, perceptions of Canada and communication.
“We encourage students to email their professors and to be proactive as well,” said Eva Wu, public relations director of Easy Group. “We want universities to be aware of the challenges faced by their [international Chinese students] but also want to tell Chinese students that a Canadian education encourages you to speak up.”
