4. MINISTRY OF TRAINING, COLLEGES
AND UNIVERSITIES
• Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities Act, R.S.O. 1990, c.M.19
• Colleges Collective Bargaining Act, R.S.O. 1990. c.C. 15
• Higher Education Quality Council Act, 2005, S.O. 2005, c.28, Sched G
• Ontario College of Art & Design Act, 2002, S.O. 2002, c. 8, Sched. E
• Ontario College of Applied Arts and Technology Act, 2002, S.O. 2002, c. 8, Sched. F
• Ontario College of Trades and Apprenticeship Act, 2009, S.O. 2009, c. 22
• Post-secondary Education Choice and Excellence Act, 2000, S.O. 2000, c. 36
• Private Career Colleges Act, R.S.O. 2005, c. P. 28
• University Expropriation Powers Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. U.3.
• University Foundations Act, 1992, S.O. 1992, c.22.
• University of Ontario Institute of Technology Act, 2002, S.O. 2002, c. 8, Sched.
11. E XT E RNAL R E VI EWS
• Universities
–Program Accreditation &
Reaccreditation through external
committee of assessors
–Cyclical reviews
–Audit
• Colleges and institutes
–Government appointed council
12. I NT E RNAL R E V I EWS
• Self assessment for program
quality and internal audit
• Program advisory committee
with industry representatives
• Cyclical review
Hi Everyone, thanks for tuning into to the micro lesson on Quality Assurance Mechanisms in Post Secondary Education
Quality-assurance mechanisms in postsecondary-education system vary by type of institution and by program. The Canadian Information Centre for International Credentials states that the mechanisms include:
legislation (statutes and regulations)
key performance indicators (KPI)
affiliation
external and internal review
professional accreditation
other organizations related to quality assurance
In our micro lesson we are going to explore each of these mechanisms taking a closer look at Ontario
Starting with Legislation
The Canadian constitution provides provinces and territories with the responsible for establishing legislation to govern, recognize and ensure quality in post secondary education programs. There is no national federal ministry. In Ontario, post secondary education is the responsibility of the ministry of training, colleges and universities.
For Example:
Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario Act, 2005, established the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario as an agency of the Government of Ontario that brings evidence-based research to the continued improvement of the postsecondary education system in Ontario. As part of its mandate, the council evaluates the postsecondary sector and provides policy recommendations to the Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities to enhance the access, quality and accountability of Ontario’s colleges and universities.
The Post-secondary Education Choice and Excellence Act, 2000, requires organizations wishing to advertise and/or offer a program or part of a program leading to a degree, or to be known as a university, to have either
the consent of the Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities or
an Act of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario.
The Act establishes the composition and authority of the Postsecondary Education Quality Assessment Board. The board is responsible for reviewing applications for consent and making recommendations to the Minister on the quality of programs and organizational soundness.
The Key performance system was introduced as a means of measuring the quality of post secondary programs by their outcomes.
For universities The Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities requires information on three indicators:
graduate employment rates
graduations rates
and OSAP loan default rates
The Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities also requires that universities have a portion of their operating grant determined by their performance in three areas: graduate employment rates six months after graduation, graduate employment rates two years after graduation, and graduation rates. The purpose of these indicators is to reward those institutions that do the best job of helping graduates complete their studies and secure employment upon graduation.
For Colleges, Five KPI areas are being studied: graduate employment; graduate satisfaction; employer satisfaction; student satisfaction; and graduation rate. Results from the first three KPI, are used to determine performance-based funding from the province.
This key performace system is widely critized. In a 2006 research paper published by The Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations notes that the KPI system fail to monitor quality and quality improvements within postsecondary education. By using graduate employment rates, the emphasis shifts away from evaluating the development and dissemination of knowledge – pedagogy – and focuses instead on simple market outputs that are more contingent on general economic conditions than they are on what happens during a student’s time in university.
Ontario has 16 affiliated and federated universities that historically were church-governed and that became associated with one of the publicly supported universities.
Ontario has 16 affiliated and federated universities that historically were church-governed and that became associated with one of the publicly supported universities. Each of them offers primarily secular academic programs today.
The Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario published a paper which concluded that Federated and affiliated universities are artifacts of Ontario’s history, yet their current role is highly relevant to the challenge of how to offer high-quality undergraduate teaching and learning in a near-universal system of higher education whose primary institutional type is the large multiversity. The affiliates carry out worthwhile missions in their own right, and they suggest how semi-autonomous faculties and campuses at publicly supported universities might play a role as innovative sites for the improvement of undergraduate education.
External and internal review system forms the basis for reporting for quality assurance purposes
For Universities, committee of experts including peers from other academic institutions and or industry experts review quality along with site visits.
For colleges, the government appointed council conducts the external review.
These review form the basis for any government funding like grants, revenue from government based student loans etc
Institutions are responsible for developing an Institutional Quality Assurance Process (IQAP)
Self assessment and audits are conducted by institutions for cyclical reviews in line with Institutional Quality Assurance Process
Professional accreditation refers to a procedure to accredit specific degree programs at universities and colleges and validation of private sector education
Provincial, national or international agencies may review institutional program quality to grant accreditation.
Accreditation is not institution specific but program specific e.g. business programs may be accredited by AACSB of USA
Through the accreditation process, institutions are able to establish their credibility and program quality standards
Though Canada may not have a national level quality assurance system, different non government organizations contribute towards ensuring quality standards in post secondary education institutions. These include:
Universities Canada
Colleges and institutes Canada
And Association of accrediting Agencies of Canada
Universities Canada is a non governmental non profit organization promoting higher education through advocacy, research and international cooperation
whereas Colleges & Institutes Canada represents publically funded colleges and champions research, innovation, international development
Association of Accrediting Agencies of Canada composed of professional organizations provides a forum for exchange of ideas and methods, monitoring trends and promoting accreditation
