Traditionally the bailiwick of our colleges, designing and measuring learning against a set of established competencies is gaining momentum in less familiar places. There is growing recognition that the fruits of a liberal arts education are unrecognized by graduates and unarticulated to potential employers and the broader society. Students completing a degree in history, as […]
Tag: Learning Outcomes
Learning Outcomes
Academics, policy-makers and pundits have long been using the term “soft skills” – a lot longer than they’ve been using that other labour market favourite: skills gap. But if various panels at HEQCO’s recent conference: Rethinking higher ed: Beyond {the buzzwords}, couldn’t agree on whether there is a skills gap, there was wide and vocal […]
Research Summary: Troubling Trends in Postsecondary Student Literacy Ontario students headed to college or university might not have the literacy skills they need to be successful, according to a new report from the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario (HEQCO). “The timing is especially problematic given that strong literacy skills are critical to students as […]
I have been reading and hearing a lot about the “skills gap” in Canada, particularly the suggestion of significant shortages of people with the skill set to fulfill the jobs available in today’s labour markets. This discussion is often accompanied by commentary about the misalignment between what students learn in postsecondary programs and the requirements […]
After two years of work on a series of projects to investigate the feasibility and value of a learning outcomes perspective in higher education, we have learned some important lessons about this game-changing approach. First, the most promising aspect is the identification and measurement of general learning and cognitive skills such as critical thinking, problem […]
Ontario College and University Strategic Mandate Agreements Government must play a more active, assertive and purposeful role to drive system-level planning and change, according to an Expert Panel convened by the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario (HEQCO) that reviewed Strategic Mandate Agreement submissions from Ontario’s 44 public colleges and universities. The Panel’s report, Quality: Shifting […]
Research Summary: Students Involved in On Campus Activities More Likely to Improve Key Skills Students involved with on-campus activities like student government, residence associations and peer mentoring are more likely to improve several skills valued highly by the labour market and postsecondary education, according to a new study published by the Higher Education Quality Council […]
Research Summary: No Simple Solution for Improving Students’ Research and Critical Evaluation Skills The ability to locate, evaluate and accurately utilize complex information, often referred to as information literacy, is a critical skill for success in school, work and life. A new study by the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario (HEQCO) recommends colleges and […]
At HEQCO’s November Learning to Earning Conference, UBC labour economist Craig Riddell presented the results of his research with David Green on literacy skills, recently published as “Ageing and Literacy Skills: Evidence from Canada, US and Norway.” The findings are alarming and support the concern that David Trick, Richard Van Loon and I expressed in […]