Archive for February, 2009
Tuition fee increase debate continues
“Nobody has any idea how student aid works,” says post-secondary expert
Alex Usher, who raised a stir this week by suggesting that tuition fee increases are an acceptable means of raising additional funds for institutions hard hit by the economic downturn, has responded to his detractors in the Educational Policy Institute’s Week in Review.
Those with an interest in tuition fee and student financial aid policy should read the whole piece, but the two following passages are particularly well done and are central to Usher’s argument:
“Apparently, no amount of empirical, scientific findings about the determinants of access will change the debate about tuition fees. Over the last ten years, a lot of time, money and effort has gone into trying to figure out the effects of finances on access to PSE, and they have been very hard to find. Basically, at current levels of tuition and current levels of student financial aid, the effects of tuition as a barrier to education appear to be tiny or non-existent. I won’t bore you with the econometric data, but consider the weight of experience: BC raised tuition by 55% in two years in 03-05 – more people went to PSE after the cuts than before. Same with the 50-60% increase in tuition in Ontario in the mid-90s. Same with the 130% increase in Quebec in 90-91. As for the question of *who* goes to school – some of the worst results in terms of access from low-income youth come from Newfoundland, where tuition is quite low. Ontario does pretty well in comparison, even though tuition is around double here what it is there. But absolutely none of this matters, apparently. In the public mind, (and that of politicians, apparently), access is always and everywhere about money.
Nobody has any idea how student aid works. Many people evinced genuine concern about the less fortunate in case if a tuition rise. And of course, they’d be right…if we were to ignore the effects of student aid entirely. But the fact is that the less well-off are to a substantial extent protected by student aid. If their need rises, they don’t automatically get more debt; in many cases, grant and remission programs kick in more aid to help them. I think student aid is going to be called on to help an awful lot of new clients in the next few years – and it will be important for everyone who cares about fairness to defend these programs vigorously in the next little while, because I guarantee that the resulting explosion in program costs is going to make politicians eager to start cutting away at them. And if that means sacrificing programs which are more likely to benefit the wealthy, such as tuition tax credit programs, then so be it.”
Ontario to create 3,300 new graduate spaces
More than $50m targeted at high-demand programs, like engineering and environment
Ontario says it’s committing $51.6 million to add some 3,300 graduate spaces at its universities over the next few years.
The government says the investment will enable more students to study in high-demand sectors such as engineering and environmental studies.
The money, from the $6.2-billion Reaching Higher program, will create 1,925 new master’s spaces and 1,373 new PhD spaces.
Ontario’s seven largest research universities will receive about 75 per cent of the new spots.
The University of Toronto will get the most with 588, followed by the University of Western Ontario with 504.
According to government estimates, seven out of 10 new jobs created in Ontario over the next decade will require post-secondary education or training.
“Ontario’s highly skilled workforce is our province’s greatest asset,” Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities John Milloy said in a release.
“By helping more Ontarians pursue higher education, we can strengthen our economy and attract the kind of jobs and investment that will build prosperity for all Ontario families.”
Here is a list of universities slated to receive the spaces and the allotments:
University of Toronto – 588
University of Western Ontario – 504
University of Waterloo – 461
McMaster University – 338
University of Ottawa – 277
Ryerson University – 289
University of Guelph – 232
York University – 168
Queen’s University – 97
University of Ontario Institute of Technology – 97
Wilfrid Laurier University – 68
Carleton University – 67
Lakehead University – 49
Laurentian University – 33
Trent University – 26
Ontario College of Art and Design – 6
University of Windsor – 4
- The Canadian Press
A 12 question exam? It’s inevitable.
This Saturday is my physics midterm. There are going to be 12 questions. It’s kind of scary when two marks make the difference between an 83 % and a 67 %. The difference between an excellent mark and a crappy mark. And with only 12 multiple choice questions, all it takes is one stupid mistake.
This Saturday is my physics midterm. There are going to be 12 questions.
It’s kind of scary when two marks make the difference between an 83 % and a 67 %. The difference between an excellent mark and a crappy mark.
And with only 12 multiple choice questions, all it takes is one stupid mistake.
Former chair of NL college board calls for free tuition
Ex-CEO says province should use Irish model for post-secondary education
Responding the Educational Policy Institute’s recent proposal that colleges and universities increase tuition fees by up to 25 per cent, a former chairperson of the College of the North Atlantic Board of Governors is instead calling for the implementation of free tuition in Newfoundland and Labrador following the model used for post-secondary education in Ireland.
Vince Withers, former President and CEO of NewTel Communications (now part of Bell Aliant) and an honorary graduand of Memorial University, told a St. John’s talk radio show that he “can’t understand why anyone would call for a dramatic increase in tuition fees”. Withers went on to say that he doesn’t believe that Premier Danny Williams will consider lifting the province’s fee freeze, which has been in place for over a decade.
Anne Murray set to get UPEI degree
Canadian singer will receive award in May, address graduating class
Canadian singer Anne Murray is being given an honorary degree from the University of Prince Edward Island.
The Canadian icon will be among four people to receive a degree at this spring’s convocation in May. Murray is expected to address graduates at the event on May 9.
The Nova Scotia-born singer is known internationally for multiple hits that have spanned her 40-year career.
She has sold more than 50 million recordings, that have brought in Grammy Awards, Juno Awards, American Music Awards and Canadian Country Music Awards.
Three Islanders, including a businessman and foster parent, will also be honoured.
- The Canadian Press
Province won’t interview Memorial’s presidential picks
After controversy last year, university chairman says process will be “open, transparent and accountable”
The Newfoundland and Labrador government won’t interview candidates for Memorial University’s presidency, the chairman of the school’s board of regents said Thursday.
“The minister of education will not be involved in interviews,” Bob Simmonds said at a news conference. “The process we will follow in finding a new president for Memorial University – and please note these words – will be open, transparent and accountable.”
Simmonds said the independent search committee tasked with finding Memorial’s next president will decide on a preferred candidate and pass that recommendation on to the government, as was done in the past.
The controversy surrounding Memorial’s presidential search erupted last year after Education Minister Joan Burke said she personally interviewed and rejected candidates for the position.
Burke’s involvement sparked accusations from some faculty and the university administration that the government violated the school’s autonomy – an allegation she has denied.
Under provincial law, the cabinet has the authority to approve or reject an independent search committee’s selection for Memorial’s president, though approval has long been considered a formality.
In many other provinces, universities don’t need the approval of their provincial governments to select incoming presidents.
Simmonds said if the government were to reject the search committee’s recommendation for president, he would quit his post.
Memorial’s acting president Eddy Campbell was one of the two presidential candidates that the provincial government dismissed. He has been recommended for the presidency of the University of New Brunswick and is expected to take office this summer.
Memorial has been without a full-time president since December 2007, when Axel Meisen announced his resignation earlier than planned.
- The Canadian Press
My time in Doha is running out
My plan of updating my blog while in Doha as flown out the window. There just doesn’t seem to be any time. I had the opportunity of touring the American university satellite campuses of Doha’s Education City today. I spent the afternoon networking and discussing connections between Canadian higher education and Doha. I’m presently in [...]
My plan of updating my blog while in Doha as flown out the window. There just doesn’t seem to be any time. I had the opportunity of touring the American university satellite campuses of Doha’s Education City today.
I spent the afternoon networking and discussing connections between Canadian higher education and Doha. I’m presently in between those meetings and dinner. Tonight, I will be having dinner with a Canadian expat who is involved in recruiting Canadian researchers to Qatar.
Following this, I’ll be playing tourist again.
If you are interested, I uploaded photos of my first day in Qatar to Flickr last night:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/joeycoleman_ca/sets/72157614434125902/
Education think tank calls for tuition hike
Despite middle-class backlash, group says move is necessary to preserve quality of education
On the heels of the release of the 2008 Survey on Canadian Attitudes toward Learning, which suggests that Canadians are concerned about the existing costs of post-secondary education, the Educational Policy Institute has released a report advocating that provincial governments allow post-secondary institutions to increase tuition further in order to offset declining revenues. From The Toronto Star:
Dramatic tuition hikes must be part of a recession survival plan for Canada’s ivory tower, warns an education think tank.
Colleges and universities must consider charging more, despite a middle-class backlash, if they hope to avoid diluting the quality of education during the economic crisis, says the report by the non-profit Educational Policy Institute.
The report predicts fee hikes of up to 25 per cent in the next couple of years – in line with increases during the last recession – which would generate $1 billion to $2 billion for recession-hit campuses.
The full text of the EPI report can be downloaded here in .pdf format.
Tories chose ‘spin’ over native schools: NDP
New documents suggest feds downplayed risks and hired PR firm for damage control
Internal documents suggest the Harper government downplayed health risks and hired a PR firm for damage control after halting plans for new schools on native reserves.
The papers discuss the hiring of Hill & Knowlton to help the government handle what one official described as “not a good story.”
The government stopped plans in 2007 for new schools and major renovations that weren’t considered health and safety priorities.
But internal documents obtained by the NDP suggest some of those projects were put off despite health and safety issues flagged by Indian Affairs.
New Democrat MP Charlie Angus says the government paid spin doctors while neglecting urgent education needs.
The Conservatives have announced $50 million for five new schools and seven renovation projects, but critics say much more is needed to lower native dropout rates.
- The Canadian Press
Canadian attitudes toward learning
80 percent feel students have to borrow too much to pay for post-secondary education
The Canadian Council on Learning has released the results of an analysis of the 2008 Survey on Canadian Attitudes toward Learning, which was conducted jointly with Statistics Canada.
The survey was designed to gather information about Canadians’ opinions, beliefs and experiences pertaining to four aspects of lifelong learning, including early childhood learning, structured learning (elementary, secondary and post-secondary), work-related learning, and health and learning.
The following findings are of particular interest to researchers, policy makers and activists who are interested in the state of accessibility to post-secondary education:
- Canadians generally indicate that post-secondary institutions are doing a good job, except with respect to providing access to all qualified students.
- Canadians are particularly concerned about post-secondary access for low-income students.
- Canadians believe student loans and financial aid are generally available, but over 80% feel that students have to borrow too much to pay for post-secondary education.
The full report may be downloaded here in .pdf format.
Want to be a lawyer? Go down under
If you don’t make the cut in Canada, Bond University wants you
It was 3 a.m. as Warren Beil tried to toss a garbage bag into a dumpster and it burst over his head. At that moment, the Vancouver kitchen manager decided that it was time to explore other career opportunities. “I don’t want to be a chef,” he said to himself. “I think I’m going to go to law school.” It was December 2003, and he had already missed application deadlines at every Canadian university. Yet just a week later Beil, then 23, was on his way to Bond University, a law school in Australia that actively targets and recruits Canadian students.
Five years later, Beil — now completing his articling at a Vancouver law firm — is one of a growing number of future lawyers who are going abroad for their legal education. In 2007, 562 foreign-trained graduates applied to the National Committee on Accreditation, requesting the right to practice in Canada, up from 225 in 1999. If current trends continue, that number could grow by 200 applicants in as few as three years, according to Vern Krishna, a University of Ottawa law professor and former Treasurer of the Law Society of Upper Canada.
Bond is, by far, Canada’s most popular overseas law program. Since its founding in 1987, Australia’s first private university has geared its law program to attract Canadians. More than 140 are currently enrolled—making Bond’s population of Canadian law students almost as large as that of the University of Calgary’s faculty of law. Students meet fellow Canadians through the Canadian Law Students Association and study with visiting profs from the University of Saskatchewan, the University of Manitoba, and the University of Western Ontario. They can even study Canadian constitutional law (Canadian corporate law courses are in the works, too) and get credit from the University of Manitoba. To top it off, it all takes place on a campus in the suburbs of Gold Coast, Queensland, a lush paradise that is a hybrid between Miami Beach and Waikiki.
Victoria Heron, a manager with student recruitment agency AustraLearn, says there are three primary reasons students choose Bond: to get through law school faster (a law degree at Bond takes only two years, not three), to gain international experience—and because they weren’t accepted at a Canadian law school. Eric Colvin, a Bond professor and former dean who used to teach at the University of Saskatchewan, says that two-thirds of graduates return to Canada to practice law and most have no problem finding jobs and articling positions. “The students say that they are able to get employment,” he says. “The fact that they have got their law degree from somewhere like Australia makes them somewhat exotic and interesting creatures and law firms are very willing to see what they’ve got to offer.”
Beil thinks his global outlook gave him an edge when applying for articling positions. “A lot of the Canadian law grads have never worked. They have never done anything,” he says. “In this market, employers just want to see something different. I got out there and saw the world and it makes me way more interesting.” But among his peers at the University of Toronto where he later completed a second law degree, Beil had to fight Bond’s stigma as Last Chance U. “The appearance of Bond to a lot of people in Canada is that the school will let anybody under the sun in,” he says. “People say, ‘You went to Bond because you couldn’t get in anywhere else. You’re not as smart as the rest of us.’ It’s simply not true.”
Ranking the world’s universities by web presence
University rankings are admittedly controversial and their use, misuse and abuse are the source of frequent controversy in post-secondary education circles. Of the 50 or so major university rankings systems in use, the principal international rankings are prepared by Shanghai Jiao Tong University and the Times Higher Education Supplement. According to the Webometrics Ranking of [...]
University rankings are admittedly controversial and their use, misuse and abuse are the source of frequent controversy in post-secondary education circles. Of the 50 or so major university rankings systems in use, the principal international rankings are prepared by Shanghai Jiao Tong University and the Times Higher Education Supplement.
According to the Webometrics Ranking of World’s Universities, published by the Spanish National Research Council’s Cybermetrics Lab, U.S. and Canadian universities account for more than 60% of the world’s top 200 universities. These bi-annual rankings rate over 16,000 universities world-wide according to the size and quality of their Internet presence. The top ten Canadian universities amongst the Webometrics Top 4,000 are as follows (overall ranking in brackets):
- University of Toronto (24)
- University of British Columbia (38)
- University of Alberta (61)
- Simon Fraser University (62)
- Université de Montreal (63)
- University of Calgary (69)
- Mcgill University (91)
- University of Waterloo (94)
- Université Laval (110)
- York University (113)
Coleman in Qatar
I’m sitting at Pearson International Airport awaiting my boarding call. Coleman on Campus is going to Qatar. I will be touring Education City this week and will have plenty of blog posts for your enjoyment. I will be offline for the rest of the day as I’m pretty sure international flights do not have Internet [...]
I’m sitting at Pearson International Airport awaiting my boarding call. Coleman on Campus is going to Qatar.
I will be touring Education City this week and will have plenty of blog posts for your enjoyment.
I will be offline for the rest of the day as I’m pretty sure international flights do not have Internet …. yet.
Education ministers discuss post-secondary education
Canada’s ministers of education are meeting in Saskatoon for the 95th meeting of the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada (CMEC). The ministers released the following statement on post-secondary education: During their meeting, ministers acknowledged the key role of postsecondary education in maintaining Canada’s economic competitiveness. They emphasized the importance of substantial, predictable, stable, and ongoing [...]
Canada’s ministers of education are meeting in Saskatoon for the 95th meeting of the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada (CMEC). The ministers released the following statement on post-secondary education:
During their meeting, ministers acknowledged the key role of postsecondary education in maintaining Canada’s economic competitiveness. They emphasized the importance of substantial, predictable, stable, and ongoing federal funding for postsecondary education to meet current and emerging needs. Ministers are seeking a long-term increase in federal financial investments and, as the Council of the Federation has stated, “an adequate level of federal funding through the Canada Social Transfer (CST)”.
Ministers acknowledged the up to $2 billion recently announced in the federal budget for repairs, renovations, and expansion of postsecondary institutions. Ministers noted the federal government’s recognition of the need to provide short-term labour market stimulus and to generate long-term, structural economic benefits associated with the knowledge economy. Ministers urged the federal government to respect provincial/territorial responsibility for education and their priorities, when allocating infrastructure funding.
“Federal investment addresses urgent needs in postsecondary education, but provinces and territories reiterate the importance of a permanent increase to the Canada Social Transfer to fund their priorities and operating costs on an ongoing basis,” said the Honourable Kelly Lamrock, Chair of CMEC and Minister of Education for New Brunswick.
CMEC considers that today’s postsecondary students form an important part of the future of Canada. Offering them the support of strong postsecondary systems is a key element for Canada’s economic competitiveness.
Ministers further noted that the federal government needs to consider the special circumstances of territorial governments in Canada in meeting their postsecondary requirements.
Ryerson admits privacy breach
Personal data of 588 students, including social insurance numbers, exposed online
Ryerson University has disclosed a privacy breach which resulted in the personal data of 588 students being exposed.
The university, in a news release this morning, says the breach has been corrected and they do not believe any harm will come to the affected students. The breach resulted in the exposure of personal data including, in many cases, social insurance numbers.
Last year, Carleton and Memorial also had breaches that exposed private data.
Questions about Grenfell autonomy delay
Memorial campus was supposed to be independent by fall 2008, but isn’t yet
In April 2007, the Newfoundland and Labrador government announced that Sir Wilfred Grenfell College, a campus of Memorial University of Newfoundland in Corner Brook, would become an autonomous university by the Fall 2008 semester.
In April 2008, the provincial government announced that it was setting aside $500,000 for the implementation of a new governing structure for the college. Otherwise, it appears that little headway has been made toward fulfilling the pledge of full university status. Last summer, the minister of education announced that Grenfell’s planned autonomy would have to be delayed to a later date.
This issue has been the subject of some debate in the province, along with questions about Memorial University’s autonomy to govern its own affairs and the minister of education’s involvement in Memorial’s stalled presidential search process. As the CBC reports, faculty and students at Grenfell are raising questions about their delayed independence.
The overturned elections: UBC
Presidential victor disqualified for “slate” behaviour
The victors of student union elections at the University of British Columbia and Carleton University will not, pending appeals, be taking office despite winning the majority of votes in their elections.
Both candidates have been disqualified by their student unions respective elections committees. The similarities end there.
In this post, I’m going to discuss the situation at UBC.
The winner of Alma Mater Society – University of British Columbia election, Blake Frederick, was disqualified for “exhibiting ‘slate’ behaviour,” according to an email sent by AMS elections administrator.
The AMS banned slates in 2004 in the hope that it would create a more non-partisan environment at the student union. A good write-up on the factors leading to the banning of slates is available from The Ubyssey here.
UBC student politics is extensively covered by great student bloggers who have great insight and analysis of the decision. Instead of repeating what they’ve already said, I’m telling you to click the following hyperlinks (in no particular order):
- thoughts on the gathering shitstorm…, The Radical Beer Tribune (former AMS VPX Matthew Naylor)
- The Recent Disqualification and why it hurts the AMS, Maria Jogova, UBC Insiders
- The Perfect Storm, Justin Yang, The UBC Spectator
At the present time, there has not been a full airing of the evidence against or defense for Frederick in this manner. I’m not in a position to assess the validity or lack thereof in the decision by the Elections Committee to disqualify Frederick.
Based upon my experience watching AMS student politics over the past couple of years, and my knowledge of the current players, I can state there does not seem to be any partisanship in the disqualification.
The elections committee and the AMS elections administrator appear to be clean of any partisan agenda. This is important to note since Frederick is seen to be part of the vocal UBC activist community; a community which has often been seen to clash with the more centralist student body and government at UBC.
Let me be clear, Frederick is not “let’s stick it to the man and burn down society” activist. He is more pragmatic and works within the system to effect change. Frankly, if I were a student at UBC, I would have likely voted for him.
While I understand and sympathize with the motivation behind the slate ban at UBC, I do not agree with it. The slate ban attempts to address two issues that plague student politics: partisanship and the overwhelming advantage of running in a slate.
Fixing partisanship in politics? Good luck, as long as there are limited resources (and power) to be allocated in the political process, there will be partisanship. Partisanship wasn’t created by party politics and it cannot be ended by removing parties from the process.
Correcting the imbalance caused by slates in student politics is an admirable goal, but does not require a draconian ban on slates.
Instead of banning slates, the AMS should limit the amount that individual members of a slate can spend. Giving them less resources than independent candidates will help balance the playing field. The name recognition and mutual support of a slate will be counter-balanced by a lower spending limit (less posters, buttons, and other items.) for each slate candidate.
Barring that, the AMS must clarify what constitutes “slate-like” behaviour.
Abstracted: Can podcasts replace professors?
Students learning via podcast scored “significantly higher” on exam than those in the classroom
An article in the current issue of the journal Computers & Education reports on the results of a study designed to investigate how podcasted university lectures affect student achievement. Here is the abstract of the article which is titled iTunes University and the Classroom: Can Podcasts Replace Professors?:
iTunes University, a website with downloadable educational podcasts, can provide students the opportunity to obtain professors’ lectures when students are unable to attend class. To determine the effectiveness of audio lectures in higher education, undergraduate general psychology students participated in one of two conditions. In the lecture condition, participants listened to a 25-min lecture given in person by a professor using PowerPoint slides. Copies of the slides were given to aid note-taking. In the podcast condition, participants received a podcast of the same lecture along with the PowerPoint handouts. Participants in both conditions were instructed to keep a running log of study time and activities used in preparing for an exam. One week from the initial session students returned to take an exam on lecture content. Results indicated that students in the podcast condition who took notes while listening to the podcast scored significantly higher than the lecture condition. The impact of mobile learning on classroom performance is discussed.
Reference: McKinney, D., Dycka, J. L., & Lubera, E. S. (2009). iTunes University and the classroom: Can podcasts replace professors? Computers & Education, 52(3), 617-623.
Canada’s largest school board finds new director
The Toronto District School Board has finally found a new Director of Education. Dr. Chris Spence, who is presently the director of the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board, has been hired for a four-year term starting at the end of this school year. Having seen his work first hand in Hamilton, I can say loudly that [...]
The Toronto District School Board has finally found a new Director of Education. Dr. Chris Spence, who is presently the director of the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board, has been hired for a four-year term starting at the end of this school year.
Having seen his work first hand in Hamilton, I can say loudly that Toronto has made a great choice to lead their board.
That said, the Trustees of the TDSB must give Spence the leeway he needs to be success and not continue to micromanage the system.
Foreign student numbers to “substantially increase”
Foreign students can also apply for residency when their student visas expire
The federal government plans to “substantially increase” the number of foreign students it allows into the country this year.
Immigration Minister Jason Kenney made the announcement Friday. He didn’t say how many more students will be lured here, but noted Australia allows 10 times more students from India than Canada does.
Kenney said Canadian universities are pressing for more foreign students because they pay the highest tuition fees, making them “a source of revenue.”
He said foreign students would have a chance to understand Canada’s labour market and languages, and put themselves on a “much faster pathway” to immigration.
Under a program launched last year, foreign students are eligible to apply to become permanent residents when their visas expire.
Kenney also said he expects a major reduction in the number of temporary foreign workers allowed into Canada because of the slowing economy and rising unemployment.
- The Canadian Press
