Will new research clarify Ontario’s higher education policy?

Coordinating research efforts between diverse stakeholders in a decentralised higher education system is challenging in most disciplines. But when the subject of the research is the system itself the complexity increases.

In Canada’s largest province, Ontario, research on post-secondary education occurs simultaneously in diverse spheres – faculties of education, university administration-research offices, government ministries and provincial quality assurance bodies, to name a few.

Alhough new studies are constantly emerging on a range of crucial topics, from student support to research funding, there has been no central place or venue to disseminate research to interested parties.

However, on 16 May researchers and administrators from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities and the Higher Education Quality Council held a joint research symposium at the University of Toronto to disseminate research findings from across the province.

The researchers were a diverse group, drawn into higher education scholarship from a variety of fields. Brian Frank, engineering education chair at Queen’s University, Deanne Fisher, vice-president of OCAD University, and University of Toronto financial director Pierre Piche were among the presenters.

Research topics examined improvements to student registration systems, the need for system differentiation, and strategies for the assessment of learning outcomes. Most importantly, the day’s events launched Ontario’s new policy research network, a venue for research sharing that promises to coordinate the province’s large, diverse post-secondary system.

Student enrolment and transfer

The symposium began with a presentation by Chris Monahan, director of research and planning in the ministry, discussing the need for effective research tools. He outlined the importance of Ontario Education Numbers, individual student identifiers that allow for system-wide tracking of enrolment.

This is an essential administrative tool that has thus far been limited to elementary and secondary students, but will now follow individuals through their post-secondary degree. Expanded use of these numbers will exponentially increase the amount of data available on student enrolment, attrition and completion.

Of course, tracking students is only one component of understanding what fosters success in post-secondary education.

Programme evaluations for student support were also presented during the research symposium, exploring what barriers students face as they apply to university or college and what possibilities exist for transfer between institutions.

Some unique and helpful programmes were showcased, such as the three-step programme Life After High School, which walks students through the application process, and the portfolio-based admission system at OCAD university.

One particularly interesting finding from the transfer research was that some second-language and second-career students are enrolling in Ontario’s college system, and succeeding, although with little interest in their chosen programme.

For the second-language students, enrolment in college fulfils the university requirement of English instruction, while the second-career students are often counselled into certain programmes as part of a re-training process after job loss.

New forms of institutions

Institutional differentiation was a third important research area at the symposium. Ontario has been faced with a stark divide between the college and university sectors for decades.

Too often, the mandates of colleges drift towards research with several transitioning to become universities, possibly at the expense of undergraduate teaching.

Pierre Piche and Michael Skolnik from the University of Toronto explored the lack of system diversity that exists as all universities aspire to do both research and teaching, and Skolnick reiterated his call for new institutions that focus solely on instruction.

Assessing learning outcomes

The assessment of learning outcomes was the final theme explored at the symposium.

Researchers from the Higher Education Quality Council advocated for harmonisation across programmes when evaluating what students have gained academically. Focus-group results with faculty revealed that it is possible to develop universal outcomes – such as critical and creative thinking or communication skills – across diverse disciplines.

Researchers from the OECD’s AHELO – Assessment of Higher Education Learning Outcomes – and TUNING projects stressed the importance of developing standardised instruments that assess students’ competencies and clearly articulate the expectations for degree qualifications across the province.

Lessons learned

Although the specific findings of each of these research studies are particular to Ontario, the larger themes and experiences of the province are widely applicable to any diverse post-secondary system. Too often, higher education policy decisions are made by leaders for political or financial reasons.

While it has taken effort and cross-sector communication, Ontario’s commitment to research sharing is essential for evidence-informed policy decisions. Fortunately, new tools for networking are making research coordination easier.

Ontario’s policy network is using a combination of webcasting, social media and live presentations to bring stakeholders together. As the system continues to expand, Ontario’s growing body of research is making a visible contribution to policy decisions.

* Webcasts and research findings from the symposium are available here.

* Grace Karram Stephenson is a higher and international education specialist with the Comparative, International and Development Education Centre in the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto in Canada.