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Carolyn Crosby – Pathways to career-ready math skills

Guest blogger: Carolyn Crosby About five years ago I had a student in grade 10 who told me his brother was in a college carpentry program and the first thing his college teacher said was: “Forget all the math they taught you in high school – it doesn’t apply here.”  I couldn’t refute his statement […]

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Harvey P. Weingarten – It’s time to get serious about improving Canada’s colleges and universities

A recent Globe and Mail article pointed out that Canadian universities appear to be slipping in world rankings.  This is not a good thing.  Higher education institutions — because of the students they teach, the research and discoveries they make, and the communities they support —  are some of the most critical public institutions in […]

@ Issue Paper No. 19 – Emphasizing Numeracy as an Essential Skill

Numeracy skill development, assessment in Ontario higher education doesn’t add up At a time when numeracy is an essential skill for work and life in general, the development and evaluation of numeracy skills in Ontario’s college and university students doesn’t add up, according to a new report from the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario […]

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Harvey P. Weingarten – Assessing critical skills for life and work: duelling anecdotes don’t measure up

With summer’s end, more than a half million students are back at it in Ontario’s public colleges and universities, typically investing two to five years and thousands of dollars in everything from tuition fees to technology. For its part, the Ontario government contributes more than $5.5 billion to the public postsecondary enterprise. Given the magnitude […]

Evaluating Essential Skills for Ontario’s Tradespeople (ESOT) Project

Some apprentices lack foundational math, reading, document use skills Some apprentices lack foundational math, reading and document use skills, which might contribute to low apprenticeship completion rates, according to a report from the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario (HEQCO). Amid concerns by college educators about essential skill levels required for in-school and on-the-job success, […]

Undergraduates Understanding of Skill based Learning Outcomes: Can e-portfolios Help?

Many University Undergraduates Struggle to Articulate Skills Learned in Class While students understand what many of the transferrable skills sought by employers are, a new report examining psychology students at Brock University by the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario (HEQCO) finds that university undergraduates may not have strong awareness of their skills and the […]

Tuning: Identifying and Measuring Sector-Based Learning Outcomes in Postsecondary Education

Report How to use this document Appendices Note: Appendices A, E and F are in the report. Tuning Process Creates Practical and Measurable Learning Outcomes Ontario is part of an international effort known as Tuning that brings together experts from across institutions to develop relevant and appropriate learning outcomes in postsecondary education. The Higher Education […]

Productivity Implications of a Shift to Competency-Based Education: An environmental scan and review of the relevant literature

Competency-based higher education in Ontario? Proceed with caution Competency-based education (CBE) might be a pathway to improved postsecondary quality, accountability and cost containment, but a new report from the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario (HEQCO) recommends caution in its application to Ontario’s higher education system. The borders between CBE and traditional programs are dissolving, […]

Evaluating Critical Thinking and Problem Solving in Large Classes: Model Eliciting Activities for Critical Thinking Development

Measures to assess critical thinking in the classroom should be better integrated into the curriculum There is considerable agreement that critical thinking skills are a desired learning outcome of any postsecondary credential – important in both the personal and professional lives of students and graduates – yet how to measure these skills remains unclear. A […]