All Posts Tagged With: "Canadian university rankings"
Networking U
How IT is helping educators engage students in new ways
She wanted to engage the “we generation” in a new way. In 2007, Jean Adams, a professor at York University’s Schulich School of Business, took two classes of almost 400 first-year business management students, divided them into groups and handed tablet PCs to those who didn’t have their own notebook computers. (That was made possible by a Hewlett-Packard Technology for Teaching grant that Adams won that year.) The students’ challenge: to work together in real time, through screen-sharing on their laptops, and create storyboards to solve the viciously difficult business cases Adams had presented to them. She then put their work on a projection screen in front of the class, where she could comment on and pull ideas from it—making the classroom experience more immediately gratifying and highly visual. “This ability to get what’s in their heads in a very practical way—it’s just really quite amazing,” Adams says.
Once upon a time—before laptops, cellphones and iPods—a professor’s only competition for attention in the classroom was her students’ wandering imagination. But at today’s leading institutions, the digital classroom is no longer a novelty. These days, high school graduates, armed with shorter attention spans but greater expectations that their teachers go beyond “chalk and talk,” pose a real challenge to educators. How to inspire students to conduct their own research or engage with course materials, when the traditional lecture no longer measures up to the eye candy and possibilities of new media?
The good news is, universities over the past decade have been adapting to meet students at the level of technology they’ve come to accept. That means not only deploying state-of-the-art hardware and software, but also embracing the concepts of social networking and virtual communities. “Learning is a social activity,” says Adams, who is now in the third year of her learning and technology project. “I’m trying to use the technology to make the face-to-face contact even richer.” There’s also the challenge of teaching students themselves how to use these new technologies productively—learning the ropes in university, Adams says, puts her students at a huge advantage.
Piggybacking on the popularity of social networking tools like Facebook and Twitter, educators see new opportunities to engage students in their studies. It’s now common for institutions to use an online learning management system, such as Blackboard or Moodle—“the academic Facebook,” as Adams’s students call it—in order to organize and distribute lecture notes, assignments and quizzes.
At the University of British Columbia, the Learning Enhancement Academic Partnership program—or LEAP—builds on the idea of multi-platform learning. It’s a portal for tools and resources that’s been online since 2005. Brian Lamb, manager of emerging technologies and digital content at UBC, says that weblogs and wikis aren’t new phenomena at UBC—in fact, the university pioneered the use of these learning tools in Canada. LEAP takes online resources even further by giving students and those managing the site the ability to aggregate their own content. On LEAP, students blog about campus life and academics; there are also helpful links and tips on various tech topics, such as how to find and use academic podcasts, or where to find and download flash card software for studying. (The portal also lets students share the tools with friends via Twitter.) “Getting students to manage their own learning experience is extremely important,” says Michelle Lamberson, director of the Office of Learning and Technology at UBC.
Our 19th Annual Rankings
Schools in Quebec, British Columbia and New Brunswick top our evaluation of university excellence
With this year’s rankings, Maclean’s continues the mandate it established in 1991: to provide essential information in a comprehensive package to help students choose the university that best suits their needs. The annual rankings assess Canadian universities on a diverse range of factors, from spending on student services, scholarships and libraries, to student/faculty ratios and faculty success in obtaining national research grants. Maclean’s surveys universities with a focus on the undergraduate experience, and an intent to offer an overview of the quality of instruction and services available to students at public universities across the country.
Maclean’s places universities in one of three categories, recognizing the differences in types of institutions, levels of research funding, the diversity of offerings, and the range of graduate and professional programs. Primarily Undergraduate universities, as the name suggests, are largely focused on undergraduate education, with relatively few graduate programs. Those in the Comprehensive category have a significant degree of research activity and a wide range of programs at the undergraduate and graduate levels, including professional degrees. Medical Doctoral universities offer a broad range of Ph.D. programs and research; as well, all universities in this category have medical schools, which sets them apart in terms of the size of research grants.
In each category, Maclean’s ranks the institutions on performance indicators in six broad areas, allocating a weight to each indicator. Primarily Undergraduate and Comprehensive universities are ranked on 13 performance measures; Medical Doctoral universities are ranked on 14. Figures include data from all federated and affiliated institutions. The magazine does not rank schools with fewer than 1,000 full-time students, those that are restrictive due to a religious or specialized mission, newly designated universities or those that are not members of the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC).
For the fifth year in a row, McGill has taken the top spot in the Medical Doctoral category. On a per capita basis, McGill’s faculty perform strongly in winning awards and research grants. A first-place finish on student awards and the reputational survey boosted the school’s overall score.
For Medical Doctoral results, click to enlarge.
In the Comprehensive category, Simon Fraser finished first for the second year in a row. Once again, an outstanding showing in winning student and faculty awards, as well as research grants, contributed to a top-notch score. In addition, SFU scored highly on library spending, particularly in spending on acquisitions.
For Comprehensive results, click to enlarge.
For the third year running, Mount Allison took the top position in the Primarily Undergraduate category. On a per capita basis, Mount A students win more awards than any of their peers at other institutions, and the faculty follow closely behind, coming in second on the awards indicator. Placing well on operating budget expenditures per student, spending on the library, number of library volumes per student and the reputational survey all contributed to a winning score.
For Primarily Undergraduate results, click to enlarge.
This year, a new university was ranked in the Primarily Undergraduate category. The University of Ontario Institute of Technology, founded in 2003 in Oshawa, made a strong debut, placing 12th out of 22 institutions. Strength in research funding—UOIT placed first in obtaining social sciences and humanities grants and fourth in medical/science grants—as well as a first-place finish on funding student services and library acquisitions contributed to a strong score.
Next: How are the rankings decided?
The best reps
Movers and shakers in education rank universities on their performance
University-bound students are keen to learn as much as possible before deciding which university to attend, quizzing those who may have an opinion worth listening to. Take those opinions and multiply them hundreds of times over and you have the idea behind Maclean’s reputational survey. What do those whose professions put them in a position to form opinions—both about how well universities are meeting the needs of students and how ready their graduates are to embark on successful careers—really think?
To find out what the professionals think about the state of post-secondary education in Canada, Maclean’s solicited the opinion of nearly 12,000 individuals across the country, asking for their views on quality, innovation and leadership at Canadian universities. Those surveyed included university officials at each ranked institution, high school principals and guidance counsellors from every province and territory, the heads of a wide variety of national and regional organizations, plus CEOs and recruiters at corporations large and small.
Respondents were asked to rate Canada’s universities in three categories: Highest Quality, Most Innovative, and Leaders of Tomorrow, the results of which can be found in our newsstand issue, available today. Best Overall (left) represents the sum of the scores for all three categories. Again this year, the University of Waterloo placed first overall among 48 universities on the national reputational ranking, a position the school has successfully captured every year but three during the past 19 years of ranking. Meanwhile, the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT)—founded in 2003 and being ranked for the first time this year—made a strong showing for a young university, placing 30th overall.
The reputational survey has a regional as well as a national component that divides the country into four key areas: the western provinces, Ontario, Quebec and the Atlantic provinces. All respondents completed a national survey; university officials, principals and guidance counsellors also completed regional ones, allowing them the opportunity to focus on the region they know best. The national and regional surveys are combined to produce the final results. The survey form reminds participants that Maclean’s does not expect them to be familiar with every university, and that we are asking them to provide their views only on those universities about which they have an informed opinion.
The reputational survey achieved an overall response rate of 7.5 per cent. Broken out by groups, the response rates were: 26.3 per cent for university officials; 4.9 per cent for high school principals and guidance counsellors; 6.1 per cent for CEOs, corporate recruiters and heads of organizations.
Need guidance? Get The Guide
It’s the encyclopedia of higher ed — Maclean’s Guide to Canadian Universities
If you’re here, you’re thinking about university or college. Or perhaps someone you know is planning on going; maybe a child or grandchild. Every year, several hundred thousand Canadians find themselves in the same place, asking the same questions. You are probably bursting with excitement at all the possibilities, while simultaneously overwhelmed by uncertainty about your journey and its destination. I can relate. I was there. So was everyone I know.
For more than a decade, Canadians have been turning to the Maclean’s Guide to Canadian Universities to help them make a higher education decision. This edition, our 14th annual, is one-third larger than last year’s, offering more advice, more insights and more information than ever. Think of it as your encyclopedia of all things university. The 256 page Guide includes:
Profiles of 68 Canadian universities: The Guide’s in-depth profiles give you a sense of the look, feel and history of each university, along with the programs offered. Each school’s Campus Confidential section reveals what students say they like—and dislike—about their university.
Student Finance 101: This section, new to the Guide in 2009, answers some essential questions: How much will school cost? How am I going to pay for it? We reveal the cost of tuition, fees, rent and residence rooms at Canada’s universities; show how the average student earns money and makes ends meet; and offer advice on navigating the student loans system.
Foreign students: Are you hoping to study in Canada? There’s a section of advice especially for you.
Scholarships: Looking for money for school? There are so many scholarships out there, often open to even average students. There Guide includes a directory of more than 2,300 university entrance scholarships, worth more than $65 million.
Rankings: Each year, we rank 47 Canadian universities according to more than a dozen criteria of excellence.
Reputational survey: As part of the annual rankings, we solicit the opinions of several thousand people in a position to know something about the quality of universities and their graduates: university officials, high school guidance counsellors and principals from every province, the heads of national and regional organizations, plus corporate recruiters and CEOs.
Student surveys: Why not ask people who know the most about the university: students? The Guide includes results from two national surveys of student satisfaction and educational quality, involving feedback from tens of thousands of Canadian university students. Where are university students most satisfied? How do universities compare in terms of educational best-practices? And how do Canada’s universities stack up against their American peers?
The Guide is available in printed or electronic form. Want to see more? Click here.
Our 18th Annual Rankings
Maclean’s evaluation of overall academic excellence at universities across the country
Now in its 18th year of ranking, Maclean’s continues its mandate to provide basic, essential information in a comprehensive package to help students choose the university that best suits their needs. The annual rankings assess Canadian universities on a diverse range of factors, from spending on student services and scholarships and bursaries, to funding for libraries and faculty success in obtaining national research grants. Maclean’s surveys universities with a focus on the undergraduate experience, and an intent to offer an overview of the quality of instruction and services available to students at public universities across the country.
Maclean’s places universities in one of three categories, recognizing the differences in types of institutions, levels of research funding, the diversity of offerings, and the range of graduate and professional programs. Primarily Undergraduate universities are largely focused on undergraduate education, with relatively few graduate programs. Those in the Comprehensive category have a significant amount of research activity and a wide range of programs at the undergraduate and graduate levels, including professional degrees. Medical Doctoral universities offer a broad range of Ph.D. programs and research. In addition, all universities in this category have medical schools, which sets them apart in terms of the size of research grants.
In each category, Maclean’s ranks the institutions on a range of factors—or performance indicators—in six broad areas (weightings are in parentheses). Primarily Undergraduate and Comprehensive universities are ranked on 13 performance measures; Medical Doctoral universities are ranked on 14. Figures include data from all federated and affiliated institutions. The magazine does not rank schools with fewer than 1,000 full-time students or those that are restrictive due to a religious or specialized mission.
The ranking process begins in the spring when thousands of reputational surveys are sent to university officials, high-school principals and guidance counsellors, heads of organizations, CEOs and corporate recruiters across the country, asking for their views on quality and innovation at Canadian universities. During the course of the summer, Maclean’s collects information on dozens of student and faculty awards from 44 administering agencies.
The Maclean’s rankings are based on the most recent and publicly available data. Student and faculty numbers are obtained from Statistics Canada, as are data for all five financial indicators—operating budget, spending on student services, scholarships and bursaries, library expenses and acquisitions—as well as total research income. For the social sciences and humanities research grants indicator and the medical/science research grants indicator, data for fiscal year 2007-2008 are received directly from the three major federal granting agencies: the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, the Natural Sc Canada, and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. The Canadian Association of Research Libraries and its regional counterparts provide figures used for the library holdings indicators. Financial and library figures are for the fiscal year 2006-2007; student and faculty numbers are for 2005-2006.
Our 17th Annual University Rankings
Maclean’s evaluation of overall academic excellence at universities across the country
With this year’s ranking, Maclean’s continues the mandate it established 16 years ago: to provide basic, essential information in a comprehensive package to help students choose the university that best suits their needs. The annual rankings assess Canadian universities on a diverse range of factors, from spending on student services and scholarships and bursaries, to funding for libraries and faculty success in obtaining national research grants. Maclean’s surveys universities with a focus on the undergraduate experience, and an intent to offer an overview of the quality of instruction and services available to students at public universities across the country.
For Medical Doctoral university rankings, right-click here, and open in new tab.
For Comprehensive university rankings, right-click here, and open in new tab.
For Primarily Undergraduate university rankings, right-click here, and open in new tab.
Maclean’s places universities in one of three categories, recognizing the differences in types of institutions, levels of research funding, the diversity of offerings, and the range of graduate and professional programs. Primarily Undergraduate universities are largely focused on undergraduate education, with relatively few graduate programs. Those in the Comprehensive category have a significant amount of research activity and a wide range of programs at the undergraduate and graduate levels, including professional degrees. Medical Doctoral universities offer a broad range of Ph.D. programs and research. In addition, all universities in this category have medical schools, which sets them apart in terms of the size of research grants.
In each category, Maclean’s ranks the institutions on a range of factors—or performance indicators—in six broad areas (weightings are in parentheses). Primarily Undergraduate and Comprehensive universities are ranked on 13 performance measures; Medical Doctoral universities are ranked on 14. Figures include data from all federated and affiliated institutions. The magazine does not rank schools with fewer than 1,000 full-time students or those that are restrictive due to a religious or specialized mission.
The ranking process begins in the spring when thousands of reputational surveys are sent to university officials, high-school principals and guidance counsellors, heads of organizations, CEOs and corporate recruiters across the country, asking for their views on quality and innovation at Canadian universities. During the course of the summer, Maclean’s collects information on dozens of student and faculty awards from 45 administering agencies.
This year, Maclean’s revised its methodology, and the rankings are now based entirely on publicly available data. Student and faculty numbers were obtained from Statistics Canada, as was data for all five financial indicators— operating budget, spending on student services, scholarships and bursaries, library expenses and acquisitions—as well as total research income. For the social sciences and humanities research grants indicator and the medical/science research grants indicator, data for fiscal year 2006-2007 was received directly from the three major federal granting agencies: the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. The Canadian Association of Research Libraries and its regional counterparts provided figures used for the library holdings indicators. All financial and library figures are for the fiscal year 2005-2006; student and faculty numbers are for 2004-2005.
