Although research is the backbone of HEQCO’s work, that type of work cannot exist in a vacuum. As a provincial government agency focused on sector improvement, HEQCO recognizes the importance of cross-sector collaboration and knowledge sharing and hosting events is one way of cultivating those types of relationships.
From 2011 to 2018, HEQCO hosted an annual conference that brought together representatives from colleges and universities, the K-12 sector, different levels of government and community organizations. Through programs of interactive workshops, presentations and keynote speakers, our conferences served as a way to share knowledge and best practices while fostering connections across the sector.
HEQCO has also convened additional events to examine more specialized topics such as apprenticeship and the skilled trades, work integrated learning, student pathways to postsecondary education and the links between higher education and the labour market.
HEQCO will continue to seek out ways of fostering collaboration and connection between various stakeholders across the postsecondary and broader education spectrum.
Further details on previous HEQCO events, including presentations, can be found below.
Former BMO chief economist Tim O’Neill made national headlines this fall with the release of his controversial recommendations for restructuring Nova Scotia’s university system. Commissioned by the Nova Scotia government, the report was greeted with “cautious warmth by university administrators,” said the Globe and Mail, and “seeks to gut Nova Scotia universities,” said Maclean’s OnCampus. And that was just the beginning, as the postsecondary sector across Canada struggles with its own sustainability issues.
Ensuring that students have a worthwhile student experience while pursuing a credential and succeed in postsecondary education is a top priority for HEQCO research. That is why the topic of student success was the primary focus of a research conference hosted by the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario (HEQCO) on June 29, 2010.
On Wednesday, June 23, 2010, the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario (HEQCO) hosted a follow-up workshop on the recently published book, Taking Stock: Research on Teaching and Learning in Higher Education , edited by Julia Christensen Hughes and Joy Mighty.
On Monday, March 22, 2010, the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario (HEQCO) launched the book Taking Stock: Research on Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, which calls for better teaching practices to improve student learning outcomes at Ontario’s institutions.
Monday, November 30, 2009, marked the launch of Academic Transformation: The Forces Reshaping Higher Education in Ontario, a book questioning the sustainability of Ontario’s postsecondary system written by Ian D. Clark, Greg Moran, Michael L. Skolnik, and David Trick.
On Wednesday, March 25, 2009, the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario (HEQCO) hosted a Research Methods Workshop for seventeen community college and university research projects that were recently approved for funding as part of HEQCO-RFP-006: The Role of Student Services in Support of Access, Retention and Quality.