Chapter 3 – What we heard from students and system stakeholders

Table of Contents

Section II – New Ontario labour market related credential proposals

Introduction

We also reviewed recent credential-related proposals, based on an analysis of the 2013 draft strategic mandate agreement (SMA) submissions, as well as other proposals put forth by Colleges Ontario and the Council of Ontario Universities. To initiate the development of the SMAs, the government asked colleges and universities to submit drafts to gain a better understanding of key priorities and innovation activities at institutions.

The purpose of our review was to develop our understanding of where Ontario institutions see opportunities/future directions to enhance the existing credential mix. Note that proposals included in SMA submissions are considered preliminary in nature and would require deeper analysis to determine their feasibility and desirability.

Analyses of credential proposals in SMA draft submissions and final SMAs, as well as other proposals put forth by Colleges Ontario and Council of Ontario Universities, suggest that institutions are focused on the following four key themes:

  • Innovation in credential offerings
  • College-university collaborations
  • Facilitating transitions between school and work
  • Improving educational quality and student/employer outcomes

These themes are consistent with the trends we have observed in other jurisdictions, such as the shift towards an emphasis on educational quality and outcomes, expansion of credential offerings and mandates, and a desire to improve student transitions between school and work. The SMA process itself is exemplary of the trend towards a focus on institutional differentiation and maximizing system effectiveness through system coordination.

Innovation in credential offerings

Proposals to expand degree offerings were a common theme among the college draft SMAs; several universities also proposed new applied programs for consideration in their draft submissions, including a number of professional masters programs tightly aligned to current labour market needs and aimed at mid-career professionals. Proposals also included 2+2 and 3+2 models to accelerate diploma to bachelor's and bachelor's to master's pathways, and new forms of applied credentials at the master's level.

College-university collaborations

Most colleges and universities proposed or highlighted existing collaborations with other institutions, including an expansion of 2+2 models to ladder two-year diplomas into four-year degrees, as well as commitments to expand collaborative programming in various areas.

Facilitating transitions between school and work

Many colleges proposed sectoral strategies for engaging with employers from particular industries, or entrepreneurship programs targeted to specific industries. Nearly all universities mentioned experiential or work-integrated learning as an existing strength; a smaller number made specific commitments to increase these opportunities for students. Several universities mentioned the development of co-curricular records or other strategies for communicating the skills acquired by graduates.

Improving educational quality and outcomes

Colleges emphasized initiatives they are taking to support student success, frequently including in their submissions the establishment of centres for academic and employment success, including coaching for at-risk students and the co-location of support services. A small number of colleges made specific commitments to measure labour market outcomes in the context of program review standards and student outcomes.

Universities frequently mentioned efforts to increase technologically enhanced learning. For example, several universities committed to develop a significant number of online courses each year for the next three years while others emphasized initiatives that would define and measure learning outcomes.

Colleges Ontario proposal for 3-year College degrees in Applied areas of study

Independent of the SMA process, Colleges Ontario has proposed “Government [should] authorize colleges to award three-year degrees in areas of study in demand by students, industry, communities and the economy” (Colleges Ontario, 2012). CO's rationale is that students in many advanced diploma programs are already meeting degree-level outcomes, and so should receive recognition of this through the appropriate credential. As previously mentioned, 16 of Ontario's 24 public colleges expressed support for this proposal in their draft SMA submissions. Key features of this proposal include:

  1. Development of three-year degrees: Advanced diploma programs that are meeting or close to meeting degree-level outcomes articulated in column 10 on the OQF would be converted to three-year degree programs. Programs that are not suitable for conversion would be restructured into two-year diploma programs or eliminated. Colleges would also have authority to develop new three-year degree programs.
  2. Admissions requirements: Colleges would have the authority to establish specific U/M course requirements for admission to specific programs based on an analysis of prerequisite knowledge and skills to enable students to be successful in the programs. Specifically, they would not recommend a standard of at least 6 U/M courses for entry to three-year baccalaureate programs.
  3. Program Outcomes: Program outcomes would reflect learning outcome standards as articulated on the OQF (Column 10) and meet degree level requirements for research and breadth of knowledge. Work-integrated learning would continue to be a component of the programs.
  4. Pathways: The college system and individual colleges would develop a model to guide the development of pathways, including those between the two-year diploma and three-year baccalaureate programs and between the three- and four-year baccalaureate programs.
  5. Transition and timeline: A maximum transition period of ten years would be allowed in which colleges could continue to offer advanced diplomas. However, during the transition timeframe, Advanced Diploma programs converted to three-year baccalaureate degree programs would only be offered at the degree level; i.e., Advanced Diploma and Baccalaureate degree programs in the same field of study could not be simultaneously offered in the college system.
  6. Quality assurance: Degree quality standards and benchmarks would be developed by OCQAS, and colleges wishing to transition to or develop new three-year degrees would have their applications reviewed by OCQAS. OCQAS would also have the authority to assess the capacity of individual colleges to deliver specific degree programs against specified standards.
  7. Funding and Fees: Colleges would not seek improvements in the grant funding for the three-year degrees, provided that the funding for these programs is not reduced. Subject to further market analysis and consultations within the system, fees for the three-year baccalaureate degree program would be set at a level above the average advanced diploma fee, to a maximum of $2500 above the average advanced diploma fees (over the three years of the program).


COU proposal for University Graduate Diplomas

Some universities are already offering new graduate diplomas, which are not reflected on the OQF. The Council of Ontario Universities is proposing the inclusion of three levels of Graduate Diploma (I, II and III). The proposed elements of these graduate diplomas include the following:

Focus: These graduate diplomas would be either profession or discipline oriented credentials that could be pursued independently by baccalaureate graduates, or as a laddered component of a master's or doctoral program.

Purpose: The purpose of these diplomas would be to prepare students for employment requiring sound judgment, personal responsibility and individual initiative, in complex and unpredictable professional environments.

Admissions requirements: The Ontario Council on Graduate Studies (OCGS) has proposed that the diploma be situated between the Master's degree and PhD on the OQF, suggesting that applicants would need a Master's degree to be admitted. However, the admission requirements proposed by OCGS were stated to be either an Honours baccalaureate or another undergraduate degree (with possible bridging requirement).

Duration: Between one and four semesters.
We were advised by the Ontario Universities Council on Quality Assurance that, in response to a request from the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities, they have developed language to be incorporated into the OQF for each of the three levels of Graduate Diploma.


Summary

Student views

A growing literature indicates that students are concerned about their transition to employment and lack reliable labour market information and career guidance. Three broad concerns were identified:

  • Lack of LMI and career guidance – Graduates frequently express frustration when their labour outcomes do not align with what they had expected from their credentials. They also report difficulty finding reliable career advice (Sandell, 2011). Some student groups we consulted expressed a need for increased awareness of the nuances that distinguish credentials in terms of their expected learning outcomes and the career opportunities associated with their attainment. Interestingly, trends in PSE application data show that in terms of field of study selection, students do respond to changes in labour market demand. There have been significant changes in field of study choices over time (Usher, 2014).
  • Value of work-integrated learning – Students who participate in work-integrated learning at colleges and universities report that the experience helped them clarify career interests and goals, develop their employability skills, and increased their overall PSE satisfaction (Sattler & Peters, 2013). KPI data indicate that students who participate in work-integrated-learning have better employment and earnings outcomes. Student groups we consulted expressed strong support for increasing WIL opportunities that are of high quality and directly related to what is learned in the classroom, including opportunities for students in graduate level studies. While students perceived that employers often have unrealistic expectations of recent graduates in terms of their level of workplace-specific skills, WIL was viewed as having the potential to help students better meet employers' needs.
  • Transition from school to work – Students are taking longer to transition to the labour market than before. A recent Statistics Canada study (Galarneau, Morissette & Usalcas, 2013) indicates that while in 1971, the maximum full-time employment rate was reached by age 25, by 2012, the maximum employment rate was not reached until age 31. This may be due to a combination of an increase in the average duration that students spend in school and an increase in time between graduation and full time work. Student groups we consulted emphasized the importance of educational pathways that accelerate transitions from school to work. They also underscored the importance of workforce oriented learning, including WIL and in-class applied learning such as that taught in graduate certificate and diploma programs, to increase their employment prospects upon graduation.

College and University perspectives

There is a growing consensus among postsecondary commentators that government, institutions and employers will need to adapt and collaborate to improve the efficiency of the labour market (e.g., see: Canadian Chamber of Commerce, 2014; Maclean's, 2013; Globe and Mail 2012a, 2012b, 2014; HEQCO, 2013). Among stakeholders we consulted, there was mixed sentiment related to existence and severity of system gaps.

Some stakeholders, specifically the Council of Ontario Universities, emphasized how well the system is working, and that postsecondary education is already providing the skills that graduates and employers need. Colleges Ontario identified significant gaps such as a lack of efficient educational pathways and the need to accelerate transitions between credentials, and from school to work. They also noted a gap in degree-level applied education, which they attribute to regulatory factors inhibiting colleges from expanding degree-level programming. Other gaps identified focused on more specific areas including: colleges' lack of authority to offer three-year degrees (which colleges argued has negative implications for student equity and labour market outcomes); lack of formal recognition on the OQF of university graduate diplomas (which some student groups argued may compromise consistency in programming and quality across institutions); and a need to better support students in articulating their skills and knowledge to employers.

Recent trends related to labour market focused credentials in Ontario

Analyses of credential proposals in SMA draft submissions and final Strategic Mandate Agreements (SMAs), as well as other proposals put forth by Colleges Ontario and Council of Ontario Universities, suggest that institutions are focused on the following three key themes:

  • Improving educational quality and student/employer outcomes – Colleges broadly emphasized initiatives they are taking towards student success, frequently including the development of dedicated centres for academic and employment success. Universities frequently mentioned efforts to increase technologically enhanced learning. Several universities also emphasized initiatives that would measure and/or improve learning outcomes.
  • Innovation in credential offerings – Proposals to expand degree offerings were a common theme among the college SMAs. Draft submissions included mention of expanding four-year degrees, introducing three-year degrees, expanding 2+2 diploma-degree models, among other models. Independent of the SMA process, the college sector, through Colleges Ontario, has proposed that colleges be authorized to deliver three-year labour market focused degrees. Universities had a more diverse set of aspirations. Several universities proposed new applied programs for consideration in their draft submissions. Independent of the SMA process, the Ontario Council on Graduate Studies (OCGS) has proposed the inclusion of new graduate diplomas on the OQF (some universities are already offering such diplomas, but they are not reflected on the OQF). Most colleges and universities proposed new or highlighted existing collaborations with other institutions.
  • Facilitating transitions between school and work – Many colleges proposed sectoral strategies for engaging with employers from particular industries, or entrepreneurship programs targeted to specific industries. Nearly all universities mentioned experiential or work-integrated learning as an existing strength; a smaller number made specific commitments to increase these opportunities for students. Several universities mentioned the development of co-curricular records, or other strategies for communicating the skills acquired by graduates.

As we will see in Chapter 4, these themes are consistent with the trends we have observed in other jurisdictions, such as the shift towards an emphasis on educational quality and outcomes, expansion of credential offerings and mandates, and an increasingly close relationship between PSE and the world of work. The SMA process itself is exemplary of the trend towards a focus on institutional differentiation and maximizing system efficiency through system design.