Toronto, July 25, 2008 – The Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario (HEQCO) is pleased to announce the release of three new research papers. Dealing with the topics of (a) polytechnic education; (b) postsecondary participation and accessibility; and (c) the data needs of Ontario’s higher education sector, these papers delineate issues relevant to HEQCO’s mandate to conduct research and provide evidence-based policy advice to improve all aspects of higher education in Ontario.
“Today’s release provides vital foundation research on key areas of higher education policy,” said Dr. Ken Norrie, vice president of research for HEQCO. “The Council will use these papers and other work underway to guide our ongoing research into the quality, accountability, accessibility and design of Ontario’s higher education system.”
The papers released today are:
- Accessibility in Ontario’s Postsecondary Education System: An Interprovincial Comparative Analysis by Dr. Torben Drewes of Trent University. This paper reviews the accessibility of Ontario’s higher education system using statistical measures of access by socioeconomic status.
- “Polytechnics” in Higher Education Systems: A Comparative Review and Policy Implications for Ontario by Dr. Bruce Doern of Carleton University. Through an analysis of polytechnic education in select international and Canadian jurisdictions, this paper examines policy implications of expanded polytechnic education in Ontario. Dr. Doern also highlights important areas for further research into the polytechnic question.
- Producing Indicators of Institutional Quality in Ontario Universities and Colleges: Options for Producing, Managing and Displaying Comparative Data by the Educational Policy Institute (EPI). Drawing upon EPI’s experience in postsecondary data environment, this paper assesses the data needs of Ontario’s higher education stakeholders, the types of information currently available, and how best to structure Ontario’s data environment to ensure effective monitoring of system performance in the areas of learning quality and accessibility.
As part of its research mandate, HEQCO is currently managing over 40 research projects. Additional papers will be released regularly in the coming months.
“The Council has embarked on an ambitious research program, and today’s release reflects the breadth of our mandate” said Dr. James Downey, president and CEO of HEQCO. “In the months to come, we will continue to publish high quality and insightful research aimed at enhancing higher education in Ontario.”
About the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario
The Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario is an arm’s length agency of the Government of Ontario dedicated to ensuring the continued improvement of the postsecondary education system in Ontario. The Council was created through the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario Act, 2005. It is mandated to conduct research, evaluate the postsecondary education system and provide policy recommendations to the Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities with a view to enhance the quality, access and accountability of Ontario’s higher education system.
For further information, please contact:
Ainsley Matthews
Events and Communications Coordinator
Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario
(416) 212 5248
amatthews@heqco.ca
www.heqco.ca