Reference no: EM133421371

Issue

What are the implications of inequitable admission processes for international students and how can post-secondary institutions ensure valid and fair grade interpretation for admission purposes?

Thesis: International students play an important role in the development of Canada's economy, yet inequitable admission processes for international students have been found to limit admission of many prospective international students.

Reasons / Evidences

• International students play a vital role in Canada's current and future economy, as evidenced by the decision to lift the cap on off-campus work hours for international students due to labor shortages.
• Despite their significant contributions, the number of international students enrolled in post-secondary institutions is still relatively low, which was made worse by the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Grades are commonly used to evaluate the academic performance of students, and are often a key factor in determining admission to universities and colleges.
• Grades have significant consequences for student educational opportunities and life outcomes, such as the possibility of immigrating and settling in a new country.
• Grades are not constructed equally in all contexts, with significant variations in school curricula, grading policies, and grading practices across different countries.
• A comparative analysis of grading policies between Canada and China found that teachers in Canada primarily valued achievement of curriculum content, whereas teachers in China valued both achievement of content and the learners' personal dispositions and acquired skills.
• Admission officers and educators involved in admission decisions across a number of Canadian universities hold different values based on their personal experience and knowledge about grading practices and how grades are constructed, leading to subjective interpretation and assessment of grades in their decisions.
• Ensuring valid and fair grade interpretation is critical given the direct impact of grades on students coming to Canada to study, as well as the impact on Canada itself.
• Post-secondary institutions need to revisit admissions processes to consider multiple authentic indicators of student performance, as this will enable more valid and fair decisions about student admission to Canadian universities.