The Diversity of Ontario’s Colleges: A Data Set to Inform the Differentiation Discussion

Research Summary: College degree granting dominates differentiation discussion While degree granting by Ontario colleges is barely a decade old and only 4% of the province’s college students are enrolled in degree programs, the topic dominates current discussions about college differentiation. A new report from the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario (HEQCO) says that moving […]

How Online Learning Affects Productivity, Cost and Quality in Higher Education: An Environmental Scan and Review of the Literature

Research Summary: Online education should bring effective learning and cost savings Online education has the potential to provide high-quality learning – for some students, in some fields of study – at significantly lower unit costs than traditional forms of instruction and those savings should help fund the cost of improving face-to-face learning, according to a […]

The Diversity of Ontario’s Universities: A Data Set to Inform the Differentiation Discussion

Research Summary: Differentiation: Toward a more coherent and sustainable university system A new report from the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario (HEQCO) finds that the province’s 20 universities could be organized into at least three distinct clusters based on a set of variables that other jurisdictions have used to differentiate their university systems, setting […]

The University of Waterloo and Work-Integrated Learning: Three Perspectives

Research Summary: Waterloo Students Benefit Academically and Professionally from Co-op Involvement The University of Waterloo operates the largest postsecondary co-op program of its kind in the world, and a new report from Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario (HEQCO) finds that Waterloo co-op graduates feel they benefit academically and professionally and are more satisfied than […]

Beyond Labs and Libraries Career Pathways for Graduate Students

Research Summary: New reports explore the stark realities of the university doctorate  Doctoral enrolments in Ontario universities have nearly doubled over the last decade, with roughly two-thirds of doctoral students hoping to become university professors. Considering that Canadian full-time professors are now the highest paid in the world – working more hours but enjoying better […]

@ Issue Paper No. 15 So You Want to Earn a PhD? The Attraction, Realities and Outcomes of Pursuing a Doctorate

Research Summary: New reports explore the stark realities of the university doctorate Doctoral enrolments in Ontario universities have nearly doubled over the last decade, with roughly two-thirds of doctoral students hoping to become university professors. Considering that Canadian full-time professors are now the highest paid in the world – working more hours but enjoying better […]

Provincial government must adopt more active role in system planning

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 […]

Work-Integrated Learning in Ontario’s Postsecondary Sector The Experience of Ontario Graduates

Research Summary: Student survey says postsecondary co-op, internships improve employability skills Internships, field placements, co-op and other forms of postsecondary work-integrated learning (WIL) help Ontario college and university students gain practical work experience, enhance their résumés, improve employability skills and determine their fit with a potential career, according to a new study from the Higher […]

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David Trick – Robarts’ Plan for Higher Education Goes Golden

Fifty years ago tomorrow, on March 21, 1963, Premier John Robarts announced the plan that shaped Ontario’s higher education system as we now know it. His statement was delivered as part of routine proceedings in the Legislature, book-ended by statements about LCBO outlets and the Ontario Food Council.  He spoke for about an hour.  One […]