HEQCO ANNUAL REPORT 2013-14 TABLE OF CONTENTS PROFILE 1 CHAIR’S MESSAGE 3 MEETING OUR GOALS 4 ADMINISTRATIVE UPDATES 12 OUTLOOK FOR 2014-15 13 BOARD OF DIRECTORS 14 WE ARE HEQCO 18 FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 20 APPENDIX A: PROJECTS UNDERWAY IN 2013-14, BY PRIORITY AREA 29 APPENDIX B: LIST OF HEQCO CONSULTATION MEMBERS 34 APPENDIX C: 2013-14 PUBLICATIONS, BY PRIORITY AREA 38 APPENDIX D: HEQCO EVENTS 2013-14 43 APPENDIX E: SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS BY HEQCO STAFF 44 PROFILE Established in 2005, the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario (HEQCO) is an agency of the Government of Ontario that brings evidence-based research to the continued improvement of the province’s postsecondary education (PSE) system. HEQCO seeks ½qÂbOb½}bbËYbOµµV practices and policies that will guide Ontario’s public postsecondary system to national and international leadership, while providing Ontarians with the greatest opportunities for social mobility and economic success. Three pressing questions guide HEQCO’s research activities: 1. How can we improve access to higher education for groups that are underrepresented? HEQCO informs the future 2. Are Ontario students of Ontario higher education graduating with the through evidence-based knowledge and skills they research; engaging with the need to succeed in life world’s leading postsecondary and work? research and policy organizations; convening expertise on 3. How can Ontario provide a key issues in Ontario high-quality postsecondary postsecondary education; and education in a period of mobilizing knowledge clearly, continued growth and consistently and effectively diminishing resources? with all relevant audiences. ANNUAL REPORT 2013-14 1 2 HIGHER EDUCATION QUALITY COUNCIL OF ONTARIO CHAIR’S MESSAGE Thank you for taking the time to diversify and restructure its back on solid footing, with a well- read HEQCO’s 2013-14 Annual economy to include new and educated labour force that excels Report. The Board views the Annual emerging industries and services. under rapidly changing expectations Report as an important statement of To be successful, the province will and leading research with real-world accountability and an opportunity to require a talented and highly applications. Our 20 universities and inform the community of the wise educated citizenry; enhanced 24 colleges of applied arts and stewardship of the resources with entrepreneurship, innovation and technology have demonstrable which we have been entrusted. productivity; and discoveries, insights strengths in meeting these expectations. and new knowledge. Because of I would like to introduce to you our the students they educate, the HEQCO continues to explore the newest board member, Mark Stabile. discoveries and innovations they pathways to these student and Mark’s academic leadership coupled foster and the communities they system outcomes through its with his extensive background in support, these outputs of Ontario’s evidence-based research, public policy make important colleges and universities will be knowledge mobilization and contributions to HEQCO’s dual instrumental to the future success engagement with leading thinkers. mandate of research and policy advice. and prosperity of Ontario. As the only organization of its kind in Canada, HEQCO continues to It was a busy year for HEQCO. We A high-quality postsecondary build on the vision that led to its had 81 projects underway and education system should provide creation in 2005. Confident that published 38 reports – the most Ontarians with the greatest informed decisions are better we’ve ever produced in one year. opportunities for social mobility decisions, HEQCO is proud to be Most notably, we contributed to the and economic success; act as a a unique partner in shaping the important policy discussions around magnet to recruit the best talent future of Ontario’s postsecondary differentiation of Ontario’s colleges to Ontario; create and support a education system. and universities as well as the robust economy and jobs grounded teaching loads and research outputs in an increasingly competitive We appreciate your continued of Ontario university faculty. HEQCO knowledge-based worldwide support in helping to enhance also published its performance economy; improve opportunities Ontario’s postsecondary indicators report on our evaluation for regional economic and social education system. of the sector, as well as our expert development; and foster an engaged, panel report on the Strategic socially aware and civic-minded Mandate Agreements of Ontario’s Ontario population. colleges and universities. As Ontario emerges from the recent It is a common view that Ontario’s global recession, it looks to its Elizabeth Dowdeswell future economic health may depend public postsecondary education Chair upon the province’s ability to system to help put the province ANNUAL REPORT 2013-14 3 MEETING OUR GOALS 4 HIGHER EDUCATION QUALITY COUNCIL OF ONTARIO Goal 1: Inform Debate, Influence Decisions Our research activities form the of particular interest to the Ontario We influence foundation of our mandate. Our government, and the supports and credibility is founded on the validity services available to these students practice and policy and authority of our research and in institutions. discussion with it is from this position that HEQCO informs and influences decision- As concerns turned to issues strong research that making by government, and of cost, sustainability and provides direction motivates best practice by Ontario’s accountability – and in particular colleges and universities. From quality – so too did HEQCO’s and clarity about effective teaching to experiential research. While sustaining our the future. learning, from sustainable funding focus on accessibility (including to learning outcomes, HEQCO’s improving access for groups who work is aligned with the policy are underrepresented), our work directions, interests and needs is also exploring critical issues of the postsecondary sector. We in learning outcomes (including influence practice and policy research into teaching and learning, discussion with strong research that online learning and assessment provides direction and clarity about of student core competencies) the future. and system design (including credit transfer, outcomes-based HEQCO’s research focus has funding and differentiation), evolved over time to reflect because addressing these the interests and concerns of pressing problems will contribute the Ontario government and to a strong and vibrant Ontario the broader postsecondary postsecondary education system. sector. In the first five years of HEQCO’s mandate, access was of primary concern to the Ontario government. Identifying how the Ontario sector was performing on access, and in particular in relation to underrepresented groups, was a core part of our business. HEQCO developed a full body of research in this area, focusing on the access and completion of underrepresented groups that were ANNUAL REPORT 2013-14 5 ACCESSIBILITY Government’s dominant policy priority over the past three decades has been access, driven by enrolment- based funding mechanisms and a strong commitment to o8O88Y¢µ½½Â½µ}8Èb responded. Overall enrolments have grown by over 200,000 additional students in the past decade alone. As a result of this and immigration policies that favour highly educated LEARNING candidates, Ontario has the highest adult postsecondary OUTCOMES/QUALITY attainment rates in the OECD. While the access agenda has Unique in the world, Ontario been a success for Ontario, (and Canada) has achieved this with more work to be done for through a strong and successful those who are disenfranchised commitment to a balance at the margin, the record SYSTEM DESIGN between university and college on quality is less certain. Ontario universities are education. The ratio of Ontario Ontario – its government, the ²b8½ÈbËbnoOb½V½b8O}u adults with a college credential media, the sector itself – is more students per full-time to those with a university increasingly worried about faculty member with less credential is nearly one to one. the quality outcomes of money per student than those Across the OECD it is one to postsecondary education. in all other Canadian provinces. ½É¢½}b-½bY+½8½bµ½µ Regrettably, comparative data one to three. There are also concerns about are not available for colleges, skills matches and skills gaps and HEQCO is addressing Achieving these rates of in the province’s graduates. this and other fundamental access and attainment has Direct measurement of pan-Canadian data gaps also required attentiveness to learning outcomes that are through its data symposia and ensuring access and success labour market-relevant has data collaborations. for non-traditional and been elusive. Consequently, it underrepresented students. µYnoO½½8µµbµµ½}b½²Âb At the system level, Ontario HEQCO has contributed value of teaching innovations features comparatively little µuoO8½Ë½½}8½8ubY8FË such as MOOCs – variously formalized or incentivized making access-related research seen as saviors or sideshows differentiation, a tool 8²8²ËnOµ½µo²µ½ in the quest for a marriage of used elsewhere to drive oÈbËb8²µ¢ bnoObOËj8OObµµ8Y§Â8½Ë¢ sustainable excellence. 6 HIGHER EDUCATION QUALITY COUNCIL OF ONTARIO Busy Year for HEQCO HEQCO Contributed to Policy Discussions on the Sustainability of Ontario’s Postsecondary System In 2013-14, HEQCO had 81 projects underway (51 were longitudinal Constrained resources and increased sector. One of initiatives asked each projects initiated