The Impact of Mental Health Problems in the Community College Student Population

Student mental health in higher education a campus-wide challenge From depression to psychotic disorders, mental health issues among young people are a reality, and postsecondary education is feeling the impact.  The challenge for Ontario’s colleges and universities is how to ensure that these students are given the support that they need to successfully complete their […]

An Evaluation of the Impact of Learning Skill Services on Student Academic Success at Brock University

Research Summary: Learning Skills Programs Improve Grades and Retention When Delivered Early When delivered to students early in their university experience, workshops, tutoring and training programs in areas such as writing support, study and exam preparation can have positive impacts on both student performance and retention. However, as these types of programs tend to demand […]

An Evaluation of the Online Writing Skills: Workshop/Essay-Zone at Brock University

Research Summary: Learning Skills Programs Improve Grades and Retention When Delivered Early When delivered to students early in their university experience, workshops, tutoring and training programs in areas such as writing support, study and exam preparation can have positive impacts on both student performance and retention. However, as these types of programs tend to demand […]

The “Opportunity Knocks” Supplemental Merit Scholarships Project

Research Summary: Rewarding higher marks with money doesn’t make the grade Offering cold, hard cash to students in an effort to improve their marks in college or university may be more expensive than it is effective. While many an enterprising parent has at least considered rewarding good grades with money, a new study commissioned by […]

Assessing the Validity of CCSSE in an Ontario College

Research Summary: U.S. measure of student engagement promising for Ontario’s colleges The Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE), developed and used in the U.S., can be an effective tool to measure student engagement in Ontario’s colleges.  Student engagement has been a major focus of HEQCO research since the more actively engaged students are, the […]

Discovering the Benefits of a First Year Experience Program for Under-represented Students: A Preliminary Assessment of Lakehead University’s Gateway Program

Discovering the Benefits of a First Year Experience Program for Under-represented Students: A Preliminary Assessment of Lakehead University’s Gateway Program  Prepared by Sarah Browne and Heather Doyle, Lakehead University Research indicates that non-traditional students –  including first generation students, students with disabilities, visible minorities, and mature students – are becoming the majority on many campuses.  […]

First Year Transitions: An Evaluation of Nipissing University’s Univ1011

Research Summary: As early as 1998, it was clear that some students entering Nipissing University were not fully prepared for the academic demands or the life transitions of university.  As a result, the student services department and the faculty of arts and science developed a program to help first year students adjust to university life.   […]

Promising Practices Increasing and Supporting Participation for Aboriginal Students in Ontario

Research Summary: This paper is the result of a review of over 40 programs in Ontario colleges and universities that were designed to increase recruitment, participation and retention of Aboriginal students in postsecondary education. It involved a literature review, site visits to 6 postsecondary institutions and qualitative interviews with program administrators and coordinators at 28 […]

Identifying Trends and Supports for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder Transitioning into Postsecondary

Research Summary: This paper has two goals: 1) to identify the numbers of students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) who will be graduating with an Ontario Secondary School Diploma and entering postsecondary studies in 2009, 2010 and 2011, and 2) to perform a gap analysis comparing the services provided in secondary schools with those currently […]