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Increasing Degree Opportunities for Ontarians

Consultation Feedback / October 2000

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Introduction

Recognizing that students and employers need new skills and expertise to compete in today's rapidly changing economy, the Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities announced in April 2000 that students seeking a postsecondary degree in Ontario would soon have an exciting new range of top-quality education opportunities.

Several new initiatives were announced, including:

• allowing Ontario's colleges of applied arts and technology to offer applied degrees,
• permitting new private, degree-granting institutions in Ontario,
• and establishing a Quality Assessment Board that would ensure the quality of new programs and protect students' investments.

During May and June, Dianne Cunningham, Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities, and Tina Molinari, Parliamentary Assistant, held province-wide discussions on how these initiatives could best be implemented.

The following information has been compiled from round table consultations, one-on-one meetings with stakeholders, and written submissions.

The Minister received advice from:

• private sector/business/industry,
• public universities and colleges of applied arts and technology,
• COU,
• ACAATO,
• faculty and staff,
• regulatory/licensing bodies,
• privately funded Ontario degree-granting institutions,
• privately-funded Ontario postsecondary educational institutions,
• student organizations,
• out-of-province degree-granting institutions,
• private vocational schools,
• government agencies,
• and volunteer education organization/individuals,
• a broad range of employers,
• public universities and colleges and their faculty and staff,
• private institutions,
• students,
• and individuals.

Round tables were held in the following locations:

• St. Catharines,
• Barrie,
• North Bay,
• Toronto,
• Thornhill,
• Kitchener-Waterloo,
• Ottawa,
• and London.

The group discussions provided an opportunity for stakeholders to discuss issues informally. The Minister or Parliamentary Assistant attended each round table to listen to advice and opinions on the issues. Approximately 150 individuals participated in the discussions. Copies of the discussion paper were sent to 400 stakeholders and 52 written submissions were received. The paper was also posted to the ministry website.

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Consultation Feedback

Quality Assessment Board

Question 1: What essential qualities or qualifications should the Quality Assessment Board Chair and membership have? How many members would be appropriate? What constituencies should be represented? How can conflict of interest be avoided?

Key points:

Size of Board	9-12
Representation	business/industry, academics and students, MTCU, professional associations sufficient Francophone presence representation from various regions of the province as well as bilingual representation no affiliation to institution applying exclude those with applications before the QAB agricultural sector, private religious colleges should be represented
Chair: qualifications/attributes	chair must be an eminent Ontarian with wide multi-disciplinary educational background chair must understand academia, finance/industry/student views demonstrated commitment to higher education in Ontario background in public and private postsecondary experience acceptable to all constituencies academic integrity, but open to innovation strategic vision chair should have international profile
Members: qualifications	experience with accreditation academic competence in assessment models, curriculum development seen to be impartial, qualified and representative experts in the field of pedagogy/curriculum design/academic delivery/standards as well as in field of study no restriction on out-of-province members
Structure	peer reviews by academic expert panels a single body 2 bodies will be required for the assessment of applied degrees and establishment of new private institutions
Conflict of interest	address conflict of interest through code of conduct board selection process can guard against conflict

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Question 2: Should there be a relationship between the Board's assessment and other accreditation or appraisal processes? If so, what should be the nature of that relationship?

Key points:

Other models	use existing accreditation bodies to advise on applications make standards compatible with existing bodies recognize other jurisdictions' accreditation undergraduate programs undergo UPRAC review OCGS comment on graduate programs
Recommendation for type of process	two-stage process: assessment from panel of academic experts and other special advisors, then reporting to QAB for decision continue to require legislation to establish new institutions

Question 3: What essential academic standards would you recommend for the Board's use?

Key Points:

Standards recommended

for new Ontario universities, use Ontario university standards for out-of-province institutions use standards from home jurisdiction established Canadian and international academic standards QAB standards: program length, Canadian content, contact hours with professor, in-person testing infrastructure, development of critical thinking skills/communication skills, mode of delivery; faculty qualifications (not necessarily a terminal degree)

Question 4: What standards are required to ensure that the name of the degree and the name of the academic institution accurately reflect the nature of the education that is being offered?

Key points:

• restrict use of "university" to institutions offering wide undergrad arts and science programs and graduate programs
• restrict use of "university college" to undergrad arts and science programs
• ensure nomenclature is compatible with existing university nomenclature
• require institutions with narrow offerings to have name reflecting that they are not a university

Question 5: What institutional standards are essential in assessing the readiness or capacity of an institution to offer a program leading to a degree?

Key points:

• infrastructure
• mode of delivery
• require a permanent physical presence - do not allow new institutions to be dependent on other institutions' resources (e.g. library), require at least 8 undergraduate programs in traditional liberal arts majors (natural sciences, social sciences, humanities)
• Standards: quality faculty with terminal degrees; academic freedom; standards similar to public universities for admission, promotion, etc.; appropriate curriculum; appropriate resources; recognition by other institutions (e.g. accept graduates); appropriate governance; clear mission statement showing distinctive goals; societal need; student financial support; ethical fundraising.

Question 6: Should the Government establish an appeals mechanism to allow for appeals about the Board's process or findings?

Key points:

• provide applicants with written rationale and opportunity to reapply
• appeals/Review: renewable 5-7 year term with review; allow applicants to reapply after correcting deficiencies; distinguish between deficient proposals and inappropriate programs
• appeals should be handled within 30 days
• process: consider provisional status; no appeal; reconsideration period of 90 days for unsuccessful applicants

Question 7: Should the QAB recommendations include a time limit for approvals, requiring follow-up reviews (e.g., every 5 years)?

Key points:

• 5-7 year approvals

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Applied Degree Pilot Project

Question 1: What academic standards should be used by the QAB to assess applied degree pilot projects?

Key points of response:

Relationship to university degrees

an applied degree program should not duplicate what is offered at universities there needs to be a clear distinction between a college applied degree and a university degree, particularly in the same field of study normal college admission standards should be used an applied degree program should not be driven by research applied degree should have greater rigour than a college diploma program either quality standards should be consistent for all programs or applied degrees should have distinct quality if an applied degree must meet the same standard as a university degree, then universities should be offering them if an applied degree is different than a university degree, the process for determining quality should be the same but the standard may not necessarily be the same, e.g., what is measured may be different applied degrees should have different standards than college diplomas but the standards for faculty and academic rigour should be the same as Ontario university standards differentiate from diploma with higher entry requirements such as higher marks, evidence of specific skills, portfolio

Quality Assurance

should not invent a new process if existing ones can be used/adapted existing models for determining quality should be used or adapted, such as UPRAC/OCGS formal internal reviews and peer reviews from outside jurisdiction should be required proven track record on employment of graduates there should be mandatory faculty evaluation by students

Question 2: What institutional standards should be used by the QAB to assess the readiness or capacity of a college to offer a program leading to an applied degree? Should the standards be the same as those applied to new privately funded institutions?

Key points:

Faculty Qualifications	credentials should be higher than program taught faculty credentials are important for international recognition teaching by expert who has a degree in the field, practical experience is not enough need to have professional requires different skills to teach theory and practice faculty needs to keep up to date clarify research expectations, if any standards for faculty should be the same as Ontario university faculty
Links to Employers	strong employment focus demonstrated labour market demand industry support in the provision of work placements verifiable job placement prospects cross-sectoral advisory committees
Other Essential Resources	library holdings, access to university libraries, technological support, staff development track record in advanced programming/post diplomas and collaboration with universities appropriate space, student resources, financing, facilities ability of institution to market programs and get students need not just for library resources, but for resources relevant to the program applied degree program should reflect a niche and fit within the overall mission/strategic direction of the college the same standard should apply to college applied degrees and new private universities different, stricter standards for private universities (e.g. Ontario university standard) should apply private universities should meet standards used in Alberta (PCAB) same standards should apply at colleges, universities, and private universities

Question 3: What standards should be used to assess economic need for an applied degree program?

Key points:

Demand for program/graduates	employability of graduates will be determined by the quality of the program student demand, demonstrated labour market demand, industry support verifiable job placement prospects focus on long-term as well as short-term needs with consideration of program's long-term sustainability concern about how to predict long-term HR needs
Regional Differences	require special consideration for the North Put pilots in the north, francophone colleges, and colleges without a nearby university

Question 4: How should applied degrees be strucured? Should a work component be required? Should there be a diploma exit option? What should the admission standards for college applied degreed be? What should degrees from colleges be called?

Key points:

• an applied degree program will require more than just a name change and a 1-year co-op added to an existing 3-year program
• content requires more breadth, depth of learning, strong outcome standards
• the program will emphasize balance between theoretical and practical knowledge, including more math, IT, communication/ research skills
• "applied" aspect should be measurable: lab time, placement, projects, teamwork, real-world problem solving
• will require rigor/relevance to meet international demand for qualified workers
• applied degree program should reflect a niche and fit within the overall mission/strategic direction of the college
• concern that an applied degree program not be too narrowly focussed
• 8 academic semesters with work experience
• direct relevance to labour market and strong industry support
• diploma exit option
• active program advisory committees for each program
• competency based
• there should be no work component; have applied content in every course and there should not be a diploma exit option
• use current college admission standards
• the credential should be titled "applied degree" or "degree", nomenclature should use "Bachelors" or "Baccalaureate"
• the credential should not be titled "applied degree" or "degree", nomenclature should not use "Bachelors" or "Baccalaureate"
• these degrees should be terminal to reflect the practical, career- oriented nature of the education
• credits should be transferable to university and need transferability from college to college/university to university/college to university, etc.

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Privately-funded Degree Granting Institutions

Question 1: Should there be any restrictions on the range of programs that private institutions can offer?

Key points:

Programs/Research

there should be restrictions and they should be barred from offering applied degrees private universities should fill the gaps in programs currently unavailable and not be permitted to offer programs there should be no restrictions

Question 2: What tests of institutional capacity are most important to assess the ability of new degree-granting institutions to offer degree programs, e.g., faculty, library resources?

Key points:

Program Delivery	look for creative methods of delivery, scheduling such as part-time, four quarters, 24/7, etc.
Quality Assurance	institutions must meet the quality standards of publicly-funded institutions set standards for student outcomes, industry acceptance, recognized quality standards, mission, governance, faculty, programs, finances
Transfer of Credits	ensure transferability of credits
Alternatives to Private Institutions	permit public universities to offer program "privately", provided there is complete separation from public part of the university
Financial Capacity	bar from accessing public system's infrastructure and any public funds require 4 years worth of operational funding or equivalent commitment from private sector suggestion to start with financially sound current institutions financial standards should be established, e.g. regular audits monitor and report on indirect public subsidies
Physical Resources	the type of physical resources required should be the same as for publicly-funded universities, e.g. research activity and facilities, computer and lab supports, etc. new methods should be allowed for program delivery that do not rely on traditional resources students, particularly graduate students, should have access to research facilities and funds bar from accessing any public infrastructure
Faculty Qualifications	faculty credentials should be the same as for publicly-funded universities faculty credentials do not need to reflect current university standards
Quality Assurance	governance structures should be the same as for publicly-funded universities governance structures can reflect unique mission/corporate organization QAB to assess institution as well as programs require a credible academic decision-making process like the public university's Senate
Non-Academic Opportunities	private institutions should have student supports: financial aid office, placement services, student union, recreational/athletic facilities

Question 3: What academic standards should be used by the QAB to assess new degree programs offered by private institutions?

Key points:

Standard	private institutions should meet the same quality standards as public universities
Post Graduate Studies	same standards as Ontario public universities - use OCGS to assess
Credential	nomenclature should be consistent with current university usage the degrees should be consistent with the mission of the institution leave applied degrees to colleges

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Student Protection

Question 1: What is the best mechanism for ensuring protection for students in the event that a private institution ceases operations?

Key points:

• keep out short-lived ventures by establishing a transparent process up front requiring quality programming, asset assessment and accountability
• public release of enrolment and financial documents annually
• appropriate governance structures
• 4 years worth of operational funding for new privates or commitment from private sector for 4 years of funding
• taxpayer protection: monitor and report on indirect public subsidies.

Question 2: Should the government establish a sector-funded compensation pool? Should that pool include private vocational schools?

Key points:

• substantial bond with claims allowed within 6 months
• no public funds should be used
• financial instrument to secure tuition repayment and guarantee enough funding to allow student to complete elsewhere; minimum mechanisms similar to PVS system (money, retention of records)

Question 3: Should the government require a teach-out provision for all new degree-granting institutions? Are there measures of operational soundness which the government could apply to distinguish which institutions may require a teach-out provision and which may not?

Key points:

Teach out requirements	mandatory teach-out arrangements articulation agreements with college or university if the quality screen is rigorous, don't need formal arrangements; credits will be transferrable
Transfer of credits	greater transferability of credits; consider outcomes, not delivery mode government encourage generous transfer arrangements between public/private system mandatory transfer arrangements require credit transfer arrangements with chartered Ontario institutions

Question 4: How should student records be protected in the event of closure?

Key points:

• central databank for student records
• file records with third party electronically
• filed with government
• protect academic records within the privacy act
• for first 10 years provide government with student records for safekeeping