Welcome to the latest episode of ItsNotAcademic – the podcast, education conversations from HEQCO. In anticipation of our Rethinking Access conference we have explored many dimensions of access on this podcast, but one area we have not yet discussed is the skilled trades. The trades are often left out of conversations about postsecondary education, despite […]
Welcome to the latest episode of ItsNotAcademic – the podcast, education conversations from HEQCO. The importance of mentorship and positive role models is often discussed in conversations around promoting access to higher education. Obviously these concepts are important, but why? What need do mentors serve and how do you identify and connect with students who […]
In my last blog, I argued that the quality of a postsecondary education could be measured by the degree to which it met academic requirements or needs. I also argued that one non-negotiable and essential requirement or need of a postsecondary education is that students receive an education that equips them with the knowledge and […]
When I started working at the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario (HEQCO) I asked the obvious question, given the title of the organization: What is quality? I became even more invested in this question when I discovered that the legislation that created HEQCO required us to advise the government on the quality of Ontario’s […]
Without the money for a trip around the world, would you expect to go? Without the expectation of taking the trip, would you bother purchasing a guide book, packing your bags or booking flights? It’s a crude analogy, but consider the parallels for high school students and postsecondary education. If students don’t believe they have […]
The Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) is currently undergoing a number of changes aimed at increasing transparency and access for students. In the first phase of its transformation, OSAP bundled existing grants into a single Ontario Student Grant, making tuition effectively free for eligible low-income students. Phase two (2018-2019) will roll out net-tuition billing, whereby […]
It isn’t exactly news that skills matter. A centrepiece of Ontario government policy are recommendations from its Highly Skilled Workforce panel that promote the importance of skills in the province’s future economy. The federal finance minister’s Advisory Council on Economic Growth recently recommended the creation of a national, independent agency — the FutureSkills Lab —dedicated […]
In April, I will have the privilege of facilitating a panel at HEQCO’s conference, Rethinking Access: when non-traditional is the new normal. The conference topic excites me because it speaks to the priorities that students have been highlighting for some time. For the past four years I’ve worked with student governments at Ontario universities. From […]
Welcome to the latest episode of ItsNotAcademic: The podcast – education conversations from HEQCO. The Rethinking Access conference is taking place April 19 and 20 and one of the recurring themes that runs through the panel discussions is the role of early intervention programs and strategies. By the time they graduate from high school, many […]