Ask almost anyone if they value accessibility at their school, and you’ll hear a resounding “yes!” But not everyone comes at accessibility issues from the same perspective, and people can have widely differing opinions on whether their schools are doing a good job of making sure that students with disabilities have the most fulfilling postsecondary experience possible.
The phrase "Industry 4.0" seems to keep popping up in trade publications, higher education news sources and in wider media circles. Conceptually this term denotes an increasingly connected and integrated world, harnessing big data, analytics, the internet of things, automation and new work patterns that seek to integrate human and automated processes in more flexible ways.
I believe one of the greatest successes of post-secondary education in Canada has been the increased access for students with disabilities. Within the last twenty years, there has been a dramatic and welcome increase in the number of students with disabilities who have been able to attain certificates, diplomas, and degrees, which are crucial mechanisms to access quality employment.
The majority of PSE students have grown up with illegal downloading, where the financial value of intellectual property and digital entertainment has been seriously eroded by consumers (look no further than the recording industry). It’s so easy to do and the urge to save a buck or two is powerful.
You’re native to the world of constant information, social media, fake news and employment instability. You’re staring down 1,000 job opportunities in a sea of what feels like none at all. The famed linear career ladders of your parents and grandparents just don’t appeal. But they still want you to find one.
As the higher ed landscape shifts away from traditional lecturing methods, teachers are in need of new resources that will complement existing course materials, and will help the modern day professor deliver concepts and curriculum in a different and unique way.
Currently, 4.5 million students in higher ed are studying outside of their home country, a number that has doubled in the last decade. Student expectations are rising. Students want to see more pathways and more global opportunities that will push them out of their comfort zone and prepare them for a successful career.
What do students say about your school when you’re not in the room?
Every PSE marketing professional knows that when it comes to a school’s reputation, it’s not what you hear students saying that counts. It’s what you overhear them saying.
With the shifting higher ed landscape and the growing demand for more hands-on experience, professors are looking for innovative teaching methods to bring lessons, theories, and concepts alive and to equip students with the tools to face the real-world head on after graduation.
Across Canada, universities and colleges are partnering to give students the opportunity to have a postsecondary education that includes experience from both types of institutions. Many of these arrangements go by different names—2+2 pathways, diploma-degree pathways, etc.—but what they all have in common is the opportunity they offer students to enjoy the unique benefits of both college and university through a clearly defined pathway.
Not that long ago, students might have decided which institution to attend and then choose which program they wanted to study at that school. Now, though, students face mounting pressure to make the right choice when selecting a program, and in many cases, this will lead students to choose their program first and later decide which school has the best reputation in their program area.
Going forward, it is essential that we see career development as an integral part of the academic mission of PSE. The most important challenge now is to develop the theoretical and pedagogical framework to guide institutional strategy and program development within this new paradigm.
As online course delivery continues to grow, these positions are becoming more common, and the occasional email to people around the academy is becoming a less reliable way of finding someone in time to run the course.
What makes for a fulfilling workplace? It all starts with feeling as though you’re having an impact, that you’re making a difference at your institution. But is it really possible to create a space where everyone—regardless of their experience, seniority, or skill set—feels like they’re making a difference?
New school. New city. New structure.
It can all feel so daunting. Especially if you're 18 years old, not really sure what program you should be in and unprepared for the demands of what your new post-secondary education reality truly is.
Do your school's entrance scholarships have any actual effect on students' enrolment choices? Ask around and you'll find many PSE professionals who aren't sure about how to answer this. And when you ask them whether they'd be willing to claw back or redistribute these awards in any way, you'll often see hesitation in their faces.
Every day, more students are hearing about how they will likely have many careers in their lifetime that span multiple sectors. Those who enter college or university expecting to train for a specific career, and then be in that career for the rest of their working lives, are part of a shrinking minority.
What capability do all our graduates need if they're going to engage effectively with innovation in the workplace? Can elements of this capability be adapted to enhance their roles as community members and global citizens as well?
Proponents of on-campus student housing have new evidence to demonstrate the benefits of living on campus in a student’s first year. That’s because a recent pilot project by five Canadian universities has shown that living in residence has a clear positive impact for students’ first-year-GPA, retention to second year, and persistence to graduation.
“Trust me. I know what kids care about these days.”
Melissa felt her stomach drop. As a marketing professional working at a higher ed institution, she dreaded hearing these words from her colleague.
We know that many students today are uncertain about what career prospects await them after graduation, yet how many of us tend to think of career preparation as a mental health issue?
Canadian PSE has seen a surge in interest toward work-integrated learning in recent years, with employers, governments, and institutional stakeholders touting the many benefits that this real-world, hands-on learning can provide. Some have even called for WIL to become a universal and mandatory part of all PSE.
We look forward to sharing many incredible stories with you in 2017, but for now, we’d like to take a look back at the year that was with our Second Annual Canadian Higher Education Year in Review.
When it comes to students’ feelings of safety, not all campus spaces are experienced the same way by everyone. Some students consistently express greater feelings of safety in some places than in others, and institutions will need to know the difference if they want to help students feel safe no matter where they go on campus.
Every year, institutions are finding clever new ways to make these platforms fun, informative, and interactive for people both inside and beyond their academic community. And their applicants, current students, and alumni are noticing their efforts.
For many higher ed professionals, this is the time of year when the reality of student rejection sets in, and conversations begin to centre on what can be done to turn things around in the next enrolment cycle.
We’ve heard the debates about if and to what extent postsecondary institutions should train students to enter specific careers. Many argue that the traditional role of postsecondary institutions—especially universities—is to equip students with the reflective and critical thinking skills they will need for a lifetime of learning.
Every postsecondary student has the right to feel safe on campus, and many do. Whether they actually are safe, though, is a question that has provoked a growing discussion across Canada.
The era of Post Secondary Education internationalization is at its apex and is not slowing down, complete with oversized down parkas bursting out of luggage and laptop bags dangling off of shoulders.
The federal government has created an opportunity to focus on filling gaps in the Canadian innovation landscape and jumpstart high-growth sectors, and it represents a significant opportunity for PSE’s who are strong in research and industry partnerships.