National Survey: RRU First for Academic Challenge and Active Learning

Victoria, B.C. – Royal Roads University delivers the highest level of academic challenge and the most active and collaborative learning environment among Canadian universities that participated in a national student survey published in a recent edition of Maclean’s Magazine.

“We are delighted by our students’ satisfaction at the level of academic challenge and collaborative learning at Royal Roads. Both are hallmarks of a Royal Roads education, and both are made possible not only by the tremendous skill and commitment of our faculty but also by the quality and engagement of our students themselves,” said Thomas Chase, Vice-President Academic and Provost.

Undergraduate students at Royal Roads University – which offers degree completion programs  equivalent to years three and four of a baccalaureate degree – participated in the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) for assessing student experience as a measure of quality.

Of the 57 Canadian universities whose results were reported in the survey, Royal Roads was rated best in the country for its level of academic challenge. This indicator assesses intellectual demands placed on undergraduate students as measured through assigned readings, written reports, and coursework emphasizing judgment.

For the third year in a row, Royal Roads also placed first for its active and collaborative learning environment, which accounts for involvement, teamwork among students, making presentations or participating in community-based projects.

When asked to evaluate their academic experience, 84 per cent of the students characterized their Royal Roads experience as excellent or good. When asked if they would choose Royal Roads again if they were to start over, 84 per cent said they definitely or probably would.

The NSSE survey results  were reported in the Feb. 22 edition of Maclean’s Magazine.