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 […]
Tag: Underrepresented Groups
Underrepresented Groups
Barriers to completing high school, attending college diminishing for underrepresented groups: study Coming from a low-income neighbourhood or a family where neither parent attended postsecondary education are not significant barriers to graduating from high school and attending college. However, they are still strong influences on who attends university, concludes a new report published by the […]
Ontario has seen improvement in postsecondary participation of low-income students, study finds A cross-Canada comparison of student financial aid policies over 20 years found that relative to other provinces (excluding Quebec), Ontario was one of only two provinces to have seen substantial improvements in postsecondary attendance rates of students from all income levels. Ontario also […]
Report calls for a focus on K-12 levels to improve postsecondary access for underrepresented groups Not everyone will choose to pursue a university or college education. However, for the vast majority of those who do, the first step along that pathway begins with successfully completing high school. As a result, interventions to support at-risk and […]
Time to introduce new postsecondary performance metrics, report argues Ontario’s postsecondary education system would be best served by a set of performance metrics that would measure, among other things, the skills students acquire during their studies, the link between programs and job success, and institutional financial performance, argues a new paper by the Higher Education […]
First-generation students less likely to go to postsecondary, report finds A sizeable gap exists between the PSE completion rate of first-generation students and those whose parents attained a postsecondary credential, despite years of government policies meant to improve access for these and other underrepresented students, finds a new report by the Higher Education Quality Council […]
New approach needed to achieve equitable access to PSE, report argues A dramatic rise in enrolment at Ontario’s colleges and universities over the past two decades has done little to achieve equitable access for those students who have been traditionally underrepresented in higher education, argues a new report by the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario […]
Higher PSE participation rates yield ‘substantial’ effects on underrepresented students A long-running research study looking at ways to increase access to postsecondary education of underrepresented students found that enhanced career-education programs and promises of financial support made as early as high school boosted participation rates. And higher participation rates yielded substantial economic returns to the […]
Rise of competency-based education could help bridge ‘skills gap’ With increased pressure on the postsecondary education system to prepare students for a changing workforce, competency-based education (CBE) is emerging as a promising model for preparing graduates to meet employer demands. A new report published by the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario, Competency-based Education: Driving the […]