Today HEQCO is releasing the latest in our continuing series of papers examining the differentiation of the Ontario university sector. Our first analysis emphasized the dimension used most frequently to describe university differentiation – research intensity. On the basis of the data underlying that analysis, we proposed that Ontario universities cluster into four groups – […]
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EduData – Ontario’s 20 Unique Universities
There’s good reason that Ontario is promoting differentiation in its higher education system. Differentiation – where institutions build on their specific strengths, mandates and missions – delivers real choice for students, better quality, and a system we can all afford to sustain and grow. Our visualization showcases the existing state of differentiation between Ontario’s 20 […]
One of HEQCO’s keynotes from the recent Transitions conference, Paul Tough, has a great piece in the June issue of The Atlantic on how kids learn resilience. This is familiar ground for him—Tough’s bestselling book, How Children Succeed, explains how qualities like perseverance, curiosity and self-control are just as crucial to a child’s success as […]
The Business Council of Canada has added its voice to the now ubiquitous call for the expansion of postsecondary experiential education. The general direction and intent of the recommendations are sound, although we worry about the capacity to find meaningful experiential education opportunities for all students. HEQCO and others have long argued the benefits of […]
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Nicholas Dion – Numeracy is not math
While the terms math and numeracy are often used interchangeably, they refer to quite different things, and the distinction plays an important – if often implicit – role in defining the scope of the conversations we have about numeracy skills. In brief, while math is conceptual and abstract, numeracy is the practical application of mathematical […]
Ontario’s PhD Graduates from 2009 Where are they now? You might have heard that getting a PhD isn’t worth it, that job opportunities for graduates are scarce – even after 23+ total years in school. Is it true? We checked in on the 2009 class of PhDs from Ontario universities. There were 2,310 graduates. They […]
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Nicholas Dion – An ode to options
After months of planning, HEQCO’s annual conference has come and gone once again. This year’s event set out with a particularly ambitious mission: to bring together individuals with stakes in different parts of the lifelong learning process. The target: to discuss issues of common concern, to break down the invisible barriers that all too often […]
Learning outcomes assessment is no longer a sad substitute standing on the sidelines hoping for a chance to play when the game is out of reach. It is now a key member of the starting line up. Today, you can see its footprint in virtually every space of the education sector, from the rarefied heights […]
Free tuition is not a political slogan. It is an important new program that will increase access to higher education for low-income and marginalized Ontarians. Now that we are finally ready to deploy it, let’s please not immediately politicize it away. A long time ago, back before 1991, Ontario’s student assistance program, OSAP, was pretty […]