The Faculty of Applied Sciences (FAS) presently provides five distinct sets of admission requirements for entry into its programs from BC Grade 12. While each of the four Schools of Communication, Computing Science, Engineering Science and Kinesiology do require five Grade 12 courses acceptable for overall SFU admission, the permissible sets of courses vary considerably. The Program in Information Technology and Interactive Arts brings yet another distinct admission model into the picture, as a carryover from the former Technical University of British Columbia.
This document proposes the development of a common framework for direct admission to FAS programs from BC Grade 12. The framework emphasizes breadth and foundational skills in writing and mathematics. Within the framework, programs may have varying requirements with respect to disciplinary preparation.
A common framework for requirements with respect to breadth, writing and mathematics is expected to have several advantages. First and foremost, admitted students should be better prepared to take on and succeed in their intended program of study. Indeed, the subsequent analysis will argue that each FAS program can benefit from improved preparation of students along at least one of the dimensions of breadth, writing, or mathematics. Second, a common framework should provide students with more options to switch to an alternative program of study in the event their initial program choice turns out not to match their interests or aptitudes. Third, multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary opportunities should be enhanced by ensuring that more students have the broad background to consider these options. Fourth, the framework should also ensure that students are well prepared to take on the anticipated university-wide requirements for breadth, writing-intensive and quantitative-intensive courses as proposed by the university curriculum task force. Fifth and finally, the framework should have benefits for advising high school students with respect to Grade 12 course selection, both because it is simpler to communication and because it encourages breadth while discouraging premature specialization.
Admission requirements for FAS programs must also be consistent with overall SFU requirements. The primary requirements are for five recognized Grade 12 courses including English 12. A large selection of Grade 12 courses is recognized for admission, with a small amount of structure imposed to provide some breadth.
In imposing additional structure beyond the minimum SFU requirements, it is also important to ensure that the additional requirements do not unduly limit the number of admissible applicants. If the applicant pool is limited in size it may be impossible to meet admission targets without lowering the admission average substantially.
Finally, this document also proposes a calibration process that accounts for differences with respect to grading and reporting standards of individual high schools (lower mainland) and school districts (elsewhere in B.C.). SFU data comparing admission GPA by source with subsequent SFU GPA shows that there substantial differences between various sources and that these differences have long term stability.
The essential concept underlying the notion of breadth in this proposal is that every FAS program should require English 12, Math 12 and at least one course course each in arts 12 and science 12 groups. This adds an arts 12 requirement for some programs and a math 12/science 12 requirement for others. The table below gives suggested social science and fine and performing arts groups for the arts 12 requirement as well as a suggested science 12 group.
| Science Group |
Biology 12 Chemistry 12 Geology 12 Principles of Physics 12 AP Computer Science A/AB 12 IB Computer Science/Studies 12 |
|---|---|
| Social Sciences Group |
Economics 12 Geography 12 History 12 Journalism/Media 12 Law 12 AP Comparative Government and Politics 12 AP Psychology 12 AP US Government and Politics 12 IB Business and Organization 12 IB Psychology 12 IB Social Anthropology 12 |
| Fine and Performing Arts Group |
Acting 12 Art 12 Dance Choreography 12 Dance Performance 12 Directing and Scriptwriting 12 Drama: Film and TV 12 English Literature 12 Music Composition 12 Music Composition and Technology 12 Stagecraft 12 Visual Arts 2D 12 Visual Arts 3D 12 Visual Arts: Media Arts 12 Writing 12 |
Possible applications of this breadth model to each of the FAS program are discussed below.
Engineering Science presently requires four specified courses (English 12, Math 12, Physics 12 and Chemistry 12), leaving the fifth grade 12 course free to be chosen from the list of courses generally recognized for SFU admission.
In reviewing courses taken by Engineering Science applicants for 2002-3 admission, it was found that approximately 40% had a grade 12 course within the social sciences group and an additional 20% or so had a course within the fine and performing arts group. Ideally, a requirement for a course within the social sciences group would prepare students for appreciation of the social context of engineering technology as well as giving them additional preparation in writing. On the other hand, allowing a course from the fine and performing arts group might select for creativity and also avoid overreduction of the applicant pool.
An additional change that might provide a compensating increase in the size of the applicant pool would be to allow Biology 12 as an alternative to Chemistry 12, or perhaps to allow any course in the science group to be used. Hypothetically, this might allow consideration of applicants such as a young woman who achieves a 92% average on English 12, Math 12, Physics 12, Biology 12 and Music Composition and Technology 12, for example. With the expressed interest in creating a biomedical engineering program and perhaps broadening engineering to include other options, increased flexibility with respect to science 12 requirements seems reasonable.
For 2002 admission, Kinesiology requires all of English 12, Math 12, Biology 12, Chemistry 12, and Physics 12. Although this would appear to set high standards, recent experience has shown that admission quotas cannot be met without unduly lowering the admission average. In essence, the pool of applicants having all five of these courses is too small to allow admission targets to be met with a reasonable admission average.
The School of Kinesiology has recently approved a change that would require only two (instead of all three) of Biology 12, Chemistry 12, and Physics 12. The fifth course for admission was correspondingly modified to be any additional course acceptable for university admission. A slight narrowing would bring this in line with the arts 12 requirement of the FAS breadth model proposed here.
The School of Communication presently uses the Faculty of Arts admission model. Bringing the School under the proposed Faculty of Applied Sciences breadth model is a significant change with the notable additions of Math 12 and at least one science 12 as requirements. Because the School relies on internal transfer rather than direct admission for the bulk of its students, the overall effect of the change on the numbers of admitted students should be small.
One possible statement of grade 12 course requirements for Communication is: English 12, Math 12, one science 12, one social sciences 12 and at least one other grade 12 course chosen from the science, social sciences and fine and performing arts groups.
The current requirements of the School of Computing Science are largely consistent with the FAS breadth model. However, some changes might be contemplated to reflect a more interdisciplinary orientation and to broaden the applicant pool. In addition to English 12 and Math 12, it may be reasonable to allow a broader selection: one science 12, one social sciences 12 and at least one other grade 12 course chosen from the science, social sciences and fine and performing arts groups.
The existing admission requirements for the Program in Information Technology and Interactive Arts are based on Math 11 and four Grade 12 courses including English 12, a science 12 and two grade 12 electives. The FAS breadth model would add Math 12 and arts 12 requirements.
A reasonable option as a combined model for both programs would be to use the broadened requirements as proposed above for Computing Science: English 12, Math 12, one science 12, one social sciences 12 and at least one other grade 12 course chosen from the science, social sciences and fine and performing arts groups.
However, it would also be reasonable to consider a separate admission category for the Interactive Arts program alone. In that case, there might be merit in requiring at least one of the courses to be chosen from the fine and performing arts group.
For each lower mainland high school, each school district outside of the lower mainland, and for other geopolitical divisions outside of B.C., it is proposed that an admission average calibration figure be computed annually and used to make adjustments to admission averages. The admission average calibration factor would be based on historical SFU data for average (pre-calibration) admission GPA by source versus average SFU CGPA subsequently achieved. In order to recognize and/or encourage assessment practices that more closely align with subsequent success at SFU, the adjustment factors should use an appropriate scheme for weighting recent data over older data.