Improving the Accessibility of Remote Higher Education: Lessons from the pandemic and recommendations

New study examines how COVID-19 pandemic has amplified challenges for students with disabilities and offers recommendations for improving accessible remote learning The sudden shift to remote learning caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has important implications for accessibility in postsecondary education. A new study from the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario (HEQCO) finds that, on […]

Government’s Role in Digital Learning: Review and Recommendations for the Ontario Ministry of Colleges and Universities

Report calls for new plan and objectives for Ontario’s postsecondary online-learning initiatives…

Evaluating Lynda.com Platform Usage: An Analysis of 2018–19 User Data

80,000 postsecondary students, faculty and staff made free use of Lynda.com library in 2018–19 About 80,000 Ontario postsecondary students, faculty and staff took advantage of free access to a library of video tutorials provided by Lynda.com during the 2018–19 school year, according to a report that analyzed usage data on the online learning platform owned […]

Minding the Gap? Ontario Postsecondary Students’ Perceptions on the State of Their Skills

Ontario students perceive gap between skills learned in postsecondary and those needed in the workplace Postsecondary students perceive a gap between the skills they think they will need in their future careers and those they are developing while in university or college, according to a survey conducted by the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario […]

Integrating Pedagogy and Technology to Measure Program and Institutional Learning Outcomes at the University of Guelph

University of Guelph Evaluates Online Outcomes Assessment Tool The University of Guelph was one of the first institutions to define the skills students would learn in their programs. This evolved into a list of five institutional learning outcomes that were approved in 2012. As a next step, researchers worked in collaboration with Desire2Learn (D2L), a […]

Student Success ePortfolio: Student, Faculty and Employer Perspectives on the Value of ePortfolios in Assessing the Development of Essential Employability Skills

Students, faculty and employers see potential value in ePortfolios By assembling a digital record of a student’s skills and academic accomplishments, ePortfolios have the potential to improve educators’ assessments of students and the ability of students to clearly communicate and connect with employers. But are they effective? A new study from the Higher Education Quality […]

The Effects of the Inverted Classroom Approach: Student Behaviours, Perceptions and Learning Outcomes

Inverted classroom has positive impact on student learning experiences The inverted or flipped classroom can have a positive impact on student learning experiences including student-faculty interaction and in-class enjoyment , according to a new study from the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario (HEQCO).The innovative teaching approach introduces students to course fundamentals through pre-class activities […]

Writers in Action: Modelling and Scaffolding Second-Language Learners’ Writing Process

Video screen capture helps instructors understand students’ writing process By tracking activities that take place on a computer screen, video screen capture (VSC) technology makes students’ writing processes visible to themselves and to instructors. For students, this facilitates reflection on their writing behaviours and habits. For instructors, it opens a dialogue between them and students […]

If You Build It Will They Come An Evaluation of Whiteboard a Networked Academic Profiles Project

Engaging students academically on social networks: the Facebook dilemma Social networks have tremendous potential to connect students in large programs, who might otherwise go through a four-year program without getting to know others who share their academic interests. But to engage these students, institutions face a dilemma between being present on public platforms like Facebook, […]