Centre for the Study of Canadian & Higher Education

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/1807/124851

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Mixed-sector tertiary education: Implications for self-accrediting and other higher education institutions
(National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER), 2010) Moodie, Gavin
‘Mixed-sector’ institutions are relatively new in Australia, but numbers are likely to increase as the boundaries between vocational education and training (VET) and higher education become increasingly blurred. In 2009 the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) published research examining the nature of higher education offered by public VET providers (Higher education in TAFE by Leesa Wheelahan, Gavin Moodie, Stephen Billett and Ann Kelly). Gavin Moodie and his colleagues are continuing their research and this paper has been written with the intention of provoking discussion. It presents an initial account of mixed-sector tertiary education in Australia—separating institutions accrediting their own higher education programs, most of which are large public universities, from other tertiary education institutions, primarily smaller private providers. A range of issues about the emerging character of mixed-sector provision is flagged and will be considered as part of the research, including: - How relevant will the sector designations be if the distinctions relating to tertiary education continue to blur, and if Australian governments allocate public support for teaching by mechanisms that do not distinguish between types of institutions? - To what degree is mixed-sector provision affected by the extent to which the smaller sector is integrated with an institution’s organisational structure, the level of the organisation at which vocational and higher education are integrated and the level of autonomy granted to organisational units? - What are the implications of mixed-sector provision for the students, staff and institutional futures?
The quality of teaching in VET – evidence
(LH Martin Institute for Higher Education Leadership and Management, 2010-08) Moodie, Gavin; Curtin, Emma
The role of educational institutions in fostering vocations
(National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER), 2012) Moodie, Gavin
This working paper raises issues relevant to Strand 2: the role of educational institutions in fostering vocations. It starts by outlining briefly what is known about pathways in tertiary education. It then describes the issue that stimulated this strand: the rather loose association between vocational qualifications completed by graduates and the jobs they do. The loose fit between qualifications and jobs isn’t necessarily a problem, but it seems inconsistent with the very vocational nature of Australian vocational education, which is based on work competencies. Most studies of education, qualifications and skills matches are static: they compare a person’s current education, qualification and/or skills with their current job. This is because there are only a few limited longitudinal studies that may support a dynamic analysis of the matching of a person’s education, qualification and skills to their career. Yet this seems to be important for people, employers, governments and society as a whole. A person’s current job may not be well matched with their education, qualification and/or skills but the match may improve with more experience or time in the labour market. Alternatively, a person’s education, qualification and skills may have been well matched with their employment for a long time but may be less well matched with their current job for a short period or as a staged wind-down to semi-retirement. This is discussed in the second part of the paper, which posits a framework for relating educational and occupational progression. The working paper concludes by anticipating the future direction of the strand’s research.
Canada’s Approach to Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM): Context, Policy, Strategy, and Programs
(Australian Council of Learned Academies, 2012) Weinrib, Julian; Jones, Glen A.
The objective of this report is to collate, synthesize and analyze a variety of STEM-related educational programs, outputs and outcomes in the context of the Canadian post-secondary education sector. We begin by providing a brief introduction to the structure and political economy of PSE in Canada in order to foreground the overview and provide much needed context for the particular set of circumstances that have shaped STEM-related policies and programs in Canada, particularly over the past 10 years.
College Baccalaureate Degrees and the Diversification of Baccalaureate Production in Ontario
(2012-05-24) Skolnik, Michael, L.
Rethinking the system of credentials awarded by Ontario's colleges of applied arts and technology
(2012-06-20) Skolnik, Michael, L.
This paper examines the suitability of two of the credential titles awarded by Ontario’s colleges: the advanced, or three-year, diploma and the two-year diploma. The paper considers, in the light of recent developments and practices in other jurisdictions, how accurately these two credentials signal to employers and other educational institutions the learning achievements and qualifications of those who earn the credentials. It is noted that the Ontario advanced diploma appears to be the only three-year postsecondary credential in North America, and possibly in the whole world, that is not a degree. By contrast, in many European countries that are signatories to the Bologna Accord, institutions comparable to Ontario colleges routinely award three-year, career-focused baccalaureate degrees. And within North America, the credential awarded in fifty states and one province for completion of a two-year program in a college is an associate degree. The paper concludes that students in Ontario colleges would be better served if the present advanced diploma were replaced with a three-year baccalaureate degree, and the two-year diploma were replaced with an associate degree. These changes in credentials would enable the colleges to more effectively fulfil their mandate of helping to develop the skilled workforce that is needed to make the Ontario economy productive and competitive, and helping residents of Ontario realize their potential.
Should Ontario’s Colleges Award the Associate Degree?
(2012-08-26) Skolnik, Michael, L.
This paper examines the suitability of the associate degree for Ontario. While the goal of the paper is to consider the pros and cons of replacing the two-year diploma with an associate degree rather than formulating a recommendation, it does raise some questions about the appropriateness of the associate degree for Ontario. The questions pertain to the relationship between the associate degree and other credentials that are awarded by Ontario colleges, and to how adoption of the associate degree would fit with different visions of the college sector. Issues are raised also about the distinction between academic and applied associate degrees, and regarding the specific titles that would be used in conjunction with the associate degree.
Vocational education’s variable links to vocations
(National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER), 2013) Moodie, Gavin; Fredman, Nick; Bexley, Emmaline; Wheelahan, Leesa
This report and the accompanying support document are part of a three-year project entitled Vocations: the link between post-compulsory education and the labour market. The investigation is being conducted in three strands over three stages. This report considers the roles that tertiary education qualifications, in particular mid-level qualifications, play in assisting their graduates to gain entry to and progression in work and how they may be strengthened. Statistical data from the 2011 Student Outcomes Survey, conducted by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER), and the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) Surveys of Education and Work from 1998 to 2012 are used in this investigation. The report explores how the role of qualifications may be strengthened by examining four cases in which tertiary institutions have introduced new qualifications to meet a new or emerging work role.
College Baccalaureate Degree Approval Processes In Other Jurisdictions
(2013-09-16) Skolnik, Michael, L.
This study examined aspects of approval processes for baccalaureate degree programs in colleges in the following 11 jurisdictions: Alberta, British Columbia, Austria, Denmark, Finland, Flanders, Florida, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, and New Zealand. More detailed profiles are provided for seven of the jurisdictions. In order to make the data more relevant for the Ontario reader, some comparisons with characteristics of the baccalaureate degree approval process in Ontario are noted.
Towards a new approach to mid-level qualifications
(National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER), 2015) Moodie, Gavin; Wheelahan, Leesa; Fredman, Nick; Bexley, Emmaline
This report is part of a wider three-year program of research, Vocations: the link between post-compulsory education and the labour market, which is investigating the educational and occupational paths that people take and how their study relates to their work. Previously the authors identified three main roles for mid-level qualifications, as a labour market qualification (entry or upgrade), a transition to a higher-level qualification, and to widen access to higher-level qualifications. They also proposed a new approach to qualifications based on vocational streams and productive capabilities, which would strengthen educational pathways and occupational outcomes. In the final year of the research, the authors tested this new approach through consultations with stakeholders in four industry areas: agriculture; engineering; finance; and health and community services. This report focuses on the outcomes of those consultations and also suggests how the new approach can be progressed.
Pathways to education and work in Ontario and Canada
(2015) Wheelahan, Leesa; Moodie, Gavin; Lavigne, Eric; Yang, Jinli; Brijmohan, Amanda; Childs, Ruth
This report investigates the nature of pathways within postsecondary education and between postsecondary education and the labour market in Ontario and Canada. It explores the extent to which students stay within the same field of education when they undertake a second postsecondary education qualification, and the links between their qualifications and the labour market in different fields of education. It uses the 2013 National Graduate Survey produced by Statistics Canada which surveyed students who graduated from their program in 2009 and 2010. Graduates were surveyed in 2013, at least two years after they had graduated.
The Rae Report in Retrospect: A View From the College Sector
(2015-03-23) Lennon, Mary Catharine; Skolnik, Michael L.; Jones, Glen A.
Research Summary: Carving paths of desire; and, Student mobility in Ontario A framework and decision making tool for building better pathways
(2016-02) Wheelahan, Leesa; Lennon, Mary Catharine; Moodie, Gavin; Brijmohan, Amanda; Lavigne, Eric
The Ontario government has prioritized student pathways within education and between education and the labour market. The Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities 2015–2016 strategic plan states that “the system will blend academic with applied learning and ensure that transitions are seamless whether it is from high school, between postsecondary education institutions, or between school and work” (Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities, 2015, p. 3). The government has spent years investing in research and strategy to achieve these ends. In 2011, the Ontario government set out three goals for a province wide credit transfer system to: “expand and improve pathways to respond to student demand; improve transparency and access to information about pathways and credit transfer; [and,] support student success” (Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities, 2011). At the same time, the Government established the Ontario Council for Articulation and Transfer (ONCAT), a government agency designed to support credit transfer and mobility of Ontario students. With a five-‐year mandate to improve student mobility in Ontario’s public institutions (ONCAT, 2013) the agency has supported research, partnerships and projects to further the systematic capacity for student choice and opportunity. This research was undertaken to support the government’s three goals for pathways in Ontario. Contributing to the four years of substantial research, knowledge building and reflection by ONCAT, this study synthesises current theories and research on student mobility, institutional partnerships and pathways, and presents the current patterns of student flows and institutional agreements in Ontario.
Ontario Student Mobility: Carving Paths of Desire
(2016-02) Lennon, Mary Catharine; Brijmohan, Amanda; Lavigne, Eric; Yang, Jinli; Moodie, Gavin; Wheelahan, Leesa
Contributing to the four years of substantial research, knowledge building and reflection by ONCAT, this study synthesises current theories and research on student mobility, institutional partnerships and pathways, and presents the current patterns of student flows and institutional agreements in Ontario. The analysis and findings show unexpected routes and relationships, and finds current trends in pathway agreement are not supporting students in the intended way. Based on literature, research and consultations with experts and practitioners, this study derives principles from these findings and develops a framework that supports the effective development and implementation of pathways and supports student movement and articulation between the sectors of postsecondary education (PSE). The intention of the principles and framework is to support strategic decision making that benefits all stakeholders: students, programs, institutions, government, and society at large.
Student Mobility in Ontario: A Framework and Decision-Making Tool for Building Better Pathways
(2016-03) Wheelahan, Leesa; Moodie, Gavin; Lennon, Mary Catharine; Brijmohan, Amanda; Lavigne, Eric
This document presents principles and a decision-making framework for developing new pathways and partnerships in Ontario’s post-secondary education system (PSE). The principles and framework contribute to the Ministry of Training Colleges and Universities’ goals to support lifelong learning, and to increase and broaden access to postsecondary education. The principles and framework build on: • The Ministry of Training Colleges and Universities’ Policy Statement for Ontario’s Credit Transfer System 2011 • ONCAT’s ‘Proposed Principles for Credit Transfer Policies and Procedures’ The document first outlines the goals and purposes of qualifications and pathways in supporting lifelong learning policies, then it presents principles that guide transfer of students and transfer of credit, before presenting a framework for decision making.
Public Policy and the Attraction of International Students
(2016-03-29) Sá, Creso; Sabzalieva, Emma
In this project we asked: in this competition to attract and retain high quality students, how are the major Anglophone governments responding to and shaping the international brain race? The very recent discussion paper from the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities, Developing global opportunities, demonstrates the timeliness of this study for the Ontario context (MTCU, 2016). Thus the research questions underpinning the project were: 1. What is the policy framework for attracting international students in these jurisdictions? 2. How and why has this policy framework evolved over the last fifteen years (2000-2015)? 3. How competitive is Ontario in relation to other jurisdictions? 4. What policy levers could Ontario consider moving forward to enhance its position globally as a premier destination for foreign talent? The findings of the project are divided into six categories: political climate and policy framework, government initiatives, major reports, legislation, funding, and external factors. Within each category we offer two short case studies, generally drawn from a single jurisdiction, that exemplify ‘lessons learned’ that may be relevant to the Ontario setting.
A Survey of Sessional Faculty in Ontario Publicly-Funded Universities
(2016-04) Field, Cynthia C.; Jones, Glen A.
Within the past decade, the unprecedented growth in non-tenure/tenure track faculty has led to speculation as to the learning environment and learning outcomes for students. Both national media and researchers have raised concerns about the growth in short-term contract faculty, yet there is little evidentiary data to support policy development. Our study of sessional faculty in Ontario’s publicly funded universities provides much needed data and insight into the current pressures, challenges, and adaptations of the rapidly rising number of university instructors who work on short-term contracts, also known as sessional faculty. From 2015 to 2016, our team of researchers reached out to 17 universities in Ontario and were able to conduct this study at 12 institutions across the province. Our team approached each institution or union/faculty association representing sessional instructors and asked them to distribute the survey instrument to all part-time, non-full-time, non-tenure-track instructors by email. The response rates ranged from 16% to 48% by institution, though notably we were sometimes only able to obtain estimates of the total number of questionnaires that were distributed because of email list issues. We reached out to roughly 7814 instructors and achieved an overall response rate of 21.5%. However, due to the lack of demographic data available on the whole population we are unable to determine the representativeness of the respondent population. For example, because this sample represents only those who have worked within the previous few years at the institution and where there is current contact information available to the institution or union/ association representatives, our email invitation may not have reached the full population of contract faculty at each institution. In order to provide clarity and context, qualitative data were obtained through interviews with 52 instructors who volunteered to participate selected from six institutions. The interview data is still being analyzed and will be presented in a subsequent reports and publications.
Caat Baccalaureates: What Has Been Their Impact on Students and Colleges?
(2017-04) Wheelahan, Leesa; Moodie, Gavin; Skolnik, Michael L.; Liu, Qin; Adam, Edmund G.; Simpson, Diane
This report is the culmination of a research project that explored the impact of college degrees on colleges and on students. We conclude that college degrees are largely fulfilling their intended purposes. The labour market outcomes for college degrees are strong, stronger than for lower level credentials. Degree programs are career‐focused and applied. College degrees are providing opportunities for students who otherwise may not be able to attain that level of education. Pedagogy is strongly student focused, classes are small and experiential learning is a prominent feature. Students are able to access degrees using their diploma as the entry credential, and receive credit for their diploma in their degree. Students enjoy the applied, hands-on, practical educational experience. They enjoy their work placements and internships. They love their teachers and say their teachers are accessible and knowledgeable in their field. Many students value the geographic proximity of their college because it means that they don’t have to leave home to study. This is important for all students, but particularly for older students whose jobs and families tie them to a location. Colleges are able to meet the educational needs as well as the labour market needs of their regions and communities, particularly in regions where there is no university and students have limited opportunities for degree studies. Government funding for college degrees is similar to that for diplomas which means they are cheaper to fund than university degrees (a cause of much concern for institutional leaders in colleges), and fees are mostly lower than in universities.
Responding to Change, Assessing Difference: A Review of the Literature on Professors at Canadian Universities
(2017-05) Karram Stephenson, Grace; Jones, Glen A.; Bégin-Caouette, Olivier; Metcalfe, Amy; Toor, Arif
The following literature review examines the current state of scholarly research on university faculty in Canada, or the Canadian professoriate. Since the 1970’s more than 300 publications have been produced by faculty, government agencies and professional associations, examining the experiences and perceptions of Canadian faculty. This review highlights the exponential growth in research on Canadian within the following themes: • Equity and Diversity • Employment Policy • Ongoing Changes There is substantial research on the experiences of women academics, as well as the working conditions and political opinions of Canadian faculty. The research indicates that significant changes have occurred in the prestige of academic work, the political actions and attitudes of faculty and number of academics available in Canada. This review concludes by highlighting several areas where further research is needed as Canadian faculty face the pressures global competition and the ascendency of the knowledge economy.
Factors Contributing to Canada’s Number One International Ranking in the Proportion of Adults Who Have Attained a Community College Credential
(2018-07) Skolnik, Michael L.
Canada ranks first among OECD countries in the proportion of the adult population whose highest level of education is a credential from a community college or similar type of educational institution. Canada’s rate of attainment of this type of educational credential is more than three times the average for OECD member countries, and only three member countries have rates that are more than half Canada’s rate. This paper explores the factors that contribute to Canada’s high rate of short-cycle tertiary education attainment relative to other countries. The factors examined include: the role and prevalence of short-cycle postsecondary institutions in different countries; the proportions of students who begin postsecondary education in a college rather than a university; college graduation and transfer rates; and different approaches to workforce preparation. The paper concludes with a brief discussion of some of the implications of the international differences that were explored.

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