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Joe Henry — Experiential Learning: It’s been happening for years

There has been much discussion in the postsecondary education community about the importance of experiential learning as an innovative pedagogy and key path to smoothing the transition to the job market for graduates. Research indicates that when students can connect their experiences in the classroom to outside the classroom, engagement increases and the transition to […]

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Harvey P. Weingarten – FutureSkills Lab: A Step in the Right Direction

Recently, the federal finance minister’s Advisory Council on Economic Growth recommended the creation of a national organization — the FutureSkills Lab — to serve as a laboratory for the development and measurement of skills. This proposed laboratory represents a significant and progressive advance that can increase Canada’s global competitiveness and offer its citizens the economic […]

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EduData: Students’ perspectives on work-integrated learning

Almost half of Ontario’s postsecondary students take part in a co-op, internship, field placement or some other form of work-integrated learning (WIL) by the time they graduate. HEQCO’s research focus is on the quality of students’ WIL experiences. We asked Academica Group to survey college and university students on their perceptions about WIL. Among students […]

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Lisa Philipps, Joseph Turcotte and Leslie Nichols – The downsides of postsecondary co-op work placements

Canadian higher education is entering a new age of “work-integrated” learning. More and more students are seeking a co-op placements, internships or other hands-on work experience as part of their postsecondary program. Long present at community colleges, universities are now also moving into this space, and policy makers are urging them to do more. The […]

Maximizing Opportunity, Mitigating Risk: Aligning Law, Policy and Practice to Strengthen Work-integrated Learning in Ontario

Legal confusion presents challenges for expanding work-integrated learning opportunities As experiential education and work-integrated learning (WIL) opportunities expand across Ontario and the rest of Canada, a new paper by the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario (HEQCO) cautions that a lack of clarity on a number of WIL legal issues is becoming increasingly challenging for […]

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HEQCO – Hunting for Good WIL: Put quality before quantity

Work-integrated learning (WIL) and experiential education (EE) are hot topics.  This focus has been amplified by recent recommendations from the Business Council of Canada and the Ontario Premier’s Highly Skilled Workforce Expert Panel, as well as reinforced by comments from the Premier, that 100% of postsecondary students should have at least one WIL or EE […]

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Harvey P. Weingarten – Experiential education: Let there be evidence

The Business Council of Canada has added its voice to the now ubiquitous call for the expansion of postsecondary experiential education. The general direction and intent of the recommendations are sound, although we worry about the capacity to find meaningful experiential education opportunities for all students.  HEQCO and others have long argued the benefits of […]

A Practical Guide for Work-integrated Learning: Effective Practices to Enhance the Educational Quality of Structured Work Experiences Offered through Colleges and Universities

New guide helps practitioners enhance the quality of work-integrated learning opportunities Work-integrated learning (WIL) is becoming increasingly popular in higher education; almost half of Ontario’s postsecondary education students will take part in some form of co-op, placement or internship by the time they graduate. A new guide from the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario […]

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David Trick – Taking Apprenticeship Seriously

David Trick, Guest blogger Having occasionally chided my friends at universities and colleges for not knowing enough about each other’s systems, I should confess to one of my own blind spots: I have not paid enough attention to apprenticeship.  For historical and institutional reasons, apprenticeship in Ontario is often seen as being outside the realm […]