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 […]
Tag: Learning Outcomes
Learning Outcomes
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 […]
New strategies, rigorous evaluation needed to improve literacy skills of postsecondary students Low literacy levels are not only an impediment to success in higher education; Canadian adults with lower literacy levels have significantly lower employment rates and incomes, higher rates of unemployment and are less likely to be engaged in their community. While colleges and […]
One of the most ubiquitous and powerful arguments made by advocates of greater investment in higher education is that a postsecondary education is instrumental to economic success, for both the individual and the public. The public and governments appear to have accepted that 70-80 per cent of future jobs will require some postsecondary credential and […]
Research Summary: Colleges need system-wide approach to help students with reading and writing deficits to succeed in their studies An increasing percentage of Ontario college students enter postsecondary education with a range of reading and writing abilities and often face challenges communicating at the level that is expected of them. Ontario’s colleges are well on […]