Data is important, both as a tool of research and as a tool of policy that can affect funding, government priorities and program development. In Ontario, as in other jurisdictions, there are major gaps in data collection for certain groups. We need to expand the pool of available data, but we must also pay careful […]
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on people all over the world and Ontario is no exception. While some were able to shift to working from home, many people lost their jobs; the province’s unemployment rate more than doubled from 5.5% in February to 13.6% in May. As we continue to navigate life […]
Micro mania — that’s what we called the mix of excitement and uncertainty brewing around microcredentials in Ontario last Spring. Since then, HEQCO partnered with the Business + Higher Education Roundtable (BHER) to help address some of the uncertainty surrounding microcredentials. We’re building an evidence base that anyone from the college, university or government sectors can draw from […]
Researchers at HEQCO spend a lot of time thinking about the types of skills Canadians need and that postsecondary education should teach. We know that skills like literacy, numeracy, communication and critical thinking are necessary for success in work and life, and we have focused much of our work on understanding not only how to teach and assess these […]
The COVID-19 pandemic has forced postsecondary institutions, faculty, staff and students to adapt quickly and without an instruction manual. From the emergency shift from face-to-face to remote learning, to the financial vulnerability of some institutions, to concerns about mental and physical health in the face of prolonged physical distancing, this is a moment in history unlike anything we’ve seen […]
While postsecondary students have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in numerous ways, they have been hit particularly hard in their ability to find work and earn wages over the summer. Roughly two-thirds report that their income will be disrupted by the pandemic compared to just one-third of other adults in Canada. While several federal aid programs have […]
Faculty and staff at Ontario’s postsecondary institutions demonstrated Herculean dedication and diligence when they transitioned their face-to-face courses to online and remote delivery in only a matter of days this past March. Despite an impressive collective effort, the virtual learning experienced by many students did not reflect the best-case scenario of planned, intentional, universally designed […]
Adapting to the realities of remote schooling has been challenging. Since the COVID-19 pandemic sent our province into a state of emergency, many students have had to turn bedrooms into offices, kitchen tables into classrooms and parking lots into hotspots. While all Ontario learners have had to adapt to overcome barriers, those barriers have been […]
In the months since the pandemic forced all postsecondary education online, students have been concerned about getting the full value for their money. While most of the attention has focused on the challenges of delivering courses online, we should not forget that classroom learning is not the only reason people attend colleges and universities — students […]