Canadian Higher Education Research Articles

Building and strengthening policy research capacity: key issues in Canadian higher education

Given the importance of higher education in social and economic development, governments need to build a strong higher education data and policy research infrastructure to support informed decision-making, provide policy advice, and offer a critical assessment of key trends and issues. The author discusses the decline of higher education policy research capacity in Canada and reviews the importance of strong national data systems in addressing issues of access and student mobility, and in understanding the implications of the increasing fragmentation of academic work. An international comparative study of national arrangements could illuminate useful strategies and approaches for strengthening this important policy research infrastructure.

Feisal G. Mohamed and Mary Nyquist Milton andQuestions of History: Essays by Canadians Past and PresentMilton and Questions of History: Essays by Canadians Past and Present. Edited by Feisal G. Mohamed and Mary Nyquist. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2012. Pp. viii+426.

<i>Feisal G. Mohamed</i> and <i>Mary Nyquist</i> Milton andQuestions of History: Essays by Canadians Past and Present<i>Milton and Questions of History: Essays by Canadians Past and Present</i>. Edited by Feisal G. Mohamed and Mary Nyquist. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2012. Pp. viii+426.

Largely a matter of degrees: Quality assurance and Canadian universities

There is no national accreditation or quality assurance mechanism for Canadian higher education. This paper argues that a number of structural characteristics that emerged as a function of the transition to mass higher education have served to stymie the development of government quality assurance mechanisms, including the decentralization of higher education policy, the development of a relatively homogeneous university sector, and the limited policy capacity of provincial ministries. The development of new types of degrees, combined with an expansion of degree-authority to new institutional types have led to the emergence of new quality mechanisms in several provinces designed to assess the quality of new degrees, but it is the universities that continue to play the central role in terms of quality assurance.

2013 3M Student Fellows Feature Article - What is it “To Lead?”: A Nuanced Exploration of Leadership by 3M National Student Fellows

In Canadian higher education, students from across the world interact within tight-knit communities, sharing ideas and developing a wealth of soft and disciplinary skills. With many universities playing host to dozens if not hundreds of student groups, the word “leadership” is uttered by students and faculty in hallways, gymnasiums, outdoors areas and of course, student group meeting rooms. On June 20, 2013, five members of the 2013 3M National Student Fellowship cohort explored the term “leadership,” sharing their personal experiences and observations with Canadian faculty members as part of a Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (STLHE) workshop. This paper explores the conversations and ideas that emerged at the workshop in light of the group’s pre-STLHE online discussions and the current emphasis on leadership in Canadian higher education.

The question of access: disability, space and meaning

The Question of Access is a book which aims to convey the constructions of access in the context of higher education in Canada and which engages with deeply held (but disavowed) notions of who belo...

‘The standard remains the same’: language standardisation, race and othering in higher education

As the result of global changes, government policy and university initiatives, institutions of higher education in Canada have become increasingly linguistically and racially diverse. Traditionally – through policy, curriculum, instruction and assessment – Canadian universities have promoted a subjective, monolithic and racialised ‘Standard’ English. Efforts to limit linguistic heterogeneity in higher education, however, are increasingly at odds with the global flows and hyperdiversity of the world in which we live. Internationalisation of Canadian campuses has implications for university policies and practices around English language variation. Drawing on a review of relevant literature, policy document analysis and semi-structured interviews with academic staff and international students, this paper explores the relationship between settler colonialism, race and English language variation at a Canadian university.

Internationalization in Canadian Higher Education: Experiences of International Students in a Master’s Program

The purpose of this study was to understand the preferences and experiences of international students in a Canadian master’s degree program. We collected data from 38 students in the program through a survey questionnaire, which asked research participants these questions: Why did they leave their own countries for education? Why did they select Canada? Did they plan to stay in Canada after graduation? The questionnaire also asked participants to indicate whether they agreed with 26 positive statements about the program. In addition, participants were invited to make comments about the program. Participants thought Canada had quality education and a safe environment, and most participants believed that they had a positive experience of undertaking graduate studies in Canada. Over half of them indicated that they plan to stay in Canada upon graduation. Based on the findings, we made recommendations on how to improve the program.

Educational development for responsible graduate students in the neoliberal university

In this article, we examine how our work in educational development, specifically in graduate student training, enacts the logic of neoliberalism in higher education in Canada. We approach this examination through a collaborative autoethnographic consideration of and reflection on our practices and experiences as educational developers, the design and delivery of a graduate student survey and our own experiences of and identification with ‘self-actualizing graduate students’. Further, we illustrate how neoliberalism shapes the work of teaching and learning centres resulting in offering programming, which compels graduate students to act in ways that can be read as responsible and capable of navigating an increasingly bleak academic labour market. Throughout the article we call attention to the ways in which our role as educational developers may either reinforce or disrupt neoliberal discourses. While we urge a critical approach, we also reflect on constraints to such criticism.

Trends in higher education in Canada and implications for social work education

Canada, like other countries around the globe, is facing new challenges and opportunities with respect to post-secondary education. Trends in higher education in Canada include rising enrolments and falling revenues; a focus on enhancing employability of graduates through experiential and interactive learning; increased calls for accountability through the assessment of teaching and learning; and the rise of technology-enabled teaching and learning. Social work education is, in many ways, well positioned to take advantage of the opportunities presented by these trends due to the focus on case-based learning and practicum education, the focus on assessment of practice competencies as learning outcomes, and the long-standing commitment to teaching innovation and excellence. Nevertheless, meeting fiscal challenges and finding ways to exploit new technologies will require creativity and the development of an expanded body of research on social work education.

On Higher Education in China and Canada from the Perspective of Humanity-Orientation

With the rapid development of the social economy, the ideologies, ways of thinking, psychological qualities, and values of contemporary university students have changed significantly. This poses new challenges for traditional teaching administration. Importance has been attached to the humanity issue in university teaching, which attracts wide attention both at home and abroad. This paper, based on the construction of humanity in university teaching, illustrates the essence and necessities of humanity and probes into the inevitable trend of humanity. Based on this, a vital comparison is made regarding humanity in higher education in Canada and China. An analysis concerning insufficiency of humanity in Chinese university teaching is conducted on the basis of hardware and software facilities in universities. In the meantime, reasons for the differences between Chinese and Canadian higher education are explored, thus pointing out the necessity to build a humanity-oriented university system.

The role of language in processes of internationalization: Considering linguistic heterogeneity and voices from within and out in two diverse contexts in Ontario

This multi-voiced paper considers the role of language and linguistic heterogeneity in relation to larger discourses and processes of internationalization and globalization in Canadian higher education by examining two particular educational contexts in Ontario: newly arrived adult students participating in Immigrant language training programs; and Franco-Ontarian students transitioning to post-secondary schools and gaining access to higher education. The authors argue for a multidimensional conceptual approach to theorizing internationalization; one that takes into account the significance of language from the global, transnational and local levels of the social world whereby linguistic heterogeneity is viewed as the “norm” and one that allows for a broader and deeper engagement when considering what international education might mean for citizenship, integration, and linguistic minorities in Canada.

Egalitarianism in Canadian Higher Education: Retrospect and Prospect

Canada is often cited as an exception to academic capitalism, and features the egalitarianism in conducting and managing higher education. Over the years, Canadian universities served to provide comparable university education to a population that was sparsely distributed over an immense geographical area. The increasing scarceness of resources for higher education, fuelled by a largely neoliberal process of globalization, has been causing changes in Canadian higher education towards forming a differentiated university sector. Nevertheless, the traditions die hard. With a predominant social value deeply rooted in equity and social justice, Canadian higher education and universities continue to profile many aspects of the egalitarian legacy. Drawing on the notions of liberalism (pure liberalism, compensatory liberalism and neoliberalism) and academic capitalism, this paper analyzes the data displayed in Maclean’s University Rankings and CAUT’s (Canadian Association of University Teachers) Almanac of Post-Secondary Education in Canada, and illustrates the above points.

State of HRM Education: A Canadian Context

Despite the rise of Human Resource Management (HRM) education, the extant literature suggests that the HRM education movement may be at a standstill. The purpose of this paper is to offer a commentary behind the issues pertaining to the current state of HRM higher education in Canada. Alternatives to circumvent some of these issues are also offered. It is hoped that this paper acts as a spring board for future research and encourage more dialogue in this area.

Accounting Research by Canadian Higher Education Institutions: A Retrospective Assessment

This study examines the accounting research among Canadian higher education institutions over the last two decades (1991-2010). Overall, thirty-eight Canadian universities contribute 4.1% of all publications in 28 leading accounting journals. The five most productive universities are the University of Alberta, the University of Toronto, the University of British Columbia, the University of Waterloo, and Simon Fraser University. Compared with their counterparts in Australia and the U.K., leading Canadian universities are not as productive concerning overall publication in accounting journals. However, when examining only the top six premium accounting journals, leading Canadian universities clearly outperform their counterparts in Australia and the U.K.

Reflections on the evolution of higher education as a field of study in Canada

This paper provides a reflective analysis of the evolution of higher education as a field of scholarship in Canada. The first professors of higher education in Canada were appointed in the mid-1960s and, by the early-1970s, a small higher-education research community had emerged, with the creation of a national association and a scholarly journal. Several universities developed graduate programs specializing in higher education but there was little growth in these programs in the 1970s and 1980s and there were relatively few full-time faculty associated with these programs. There has been a growth in higher education programs, faculty and activity since 2000, though the field has become increasingly fragmented with the growth of professionalization and global higher education research networks. Following a review of three major higher education research initiatives, the author concludes that a greater emphasis needs to be placed on research infrastructure, especially mechanisms for storing and sharing research reports and materials emerging from increasingly diverse research communities.

Faculty Member Engagement in Canadian University Internationalization

Faculty members are key agents in the institutional internationalization process within Canadian higher education. In the growing volumes of literature on internationalization, however, few authors consider how faculty members perceive their role in this process. In this study I take a phenomenological research approach to explore the understanding and motivations of five Canadian faculty members toward their involvement in institutional internationalization strategies. Using de Wit’s (2002) internationalization rationale framework, I compare faculty motivations for engaging internationally with institutional positions on internationalization as articulated in strategic planning documents. Results indicate a range of faculty member engagement in the institutional internationalization process related to the alignment of personal motivations with institutional rationales. Recommendations are offered to assist in devising institutional internationalization strategies that are relevant and meaningful for faculty members and are therefore more likely to engage these key actors in the higher education internationalization process.

Experiences of Students with Visual Impairments in Canadian Higher Education

Introduction This article presents a study of the higher education experiences of students with visual impairments in Canada. Methods Students with visual impairments and the staff members of disability programs were surveyed and interviewed regarding the students’ experiences in entering higher education and completing their higher education requirements. Results Although the reported graduation rates were high, the students took more than four years to complete their studies. They thought that heavy reading requirements, work in groups, and an inability to participate in some activities were barriers to their full participation in higher education. Discussion The findings demonstrate that barriers exist that have a negative impact on the higher education experience of students with visual impairments. Implications for practitioners Students with visual impairments have challenges that require unique preparation for higher education.

26. Digital Storytelling and Diasporic Identities in Higher Education

The increase in global migration to Canada has changed the demographic profile of students in Canadian higher education. Colleges and universities are becoming increasingly diverse by race, ethnicity, and culture. At the same time, the process of teaching and learning is on the cusp of transformation with technology providing the tools to alter the way post-secondary educators teach and how students learn. What pedagogical approaches have emerged to maximize educational benefit from these twin forces of migration and technology? This paper explores the use of one method that has attracted global interest: digital storytelling. Specifically, the article considers student-generated digital stories as a means to authenticate the multiple perspectives of learners and create space for their diverse voices in post-secondary education.

Aspirations for Higher Education among Newcomer Refugee Youth in Toronto: Expectations, Challenges, and Strategies

A large percentage of refugees have low levels of education and official language fluency upon arrival in Canada. Thi spaper discusses educational goals of newcomer refugee youth from three communities in Toronto (Afghan, Karen, and Sudanese), and explores how these are linked to premigration and post-migration determinants. Guided by community-based research principles, we collaborated with eight refugee youth peer researchers and conducted ten focus groups and thirteen interviews with refugee youth. Results show that newcomer refugee youth develop strong aspirations for higher education in Canada as a proactive response to overcome pre-migration experiences of forced migration and educational disruptions. We then discuss how these youth negotiate educational goals in post-migration context in relation to shifts in family responsibilities and everyday encounter with multiple systemic barriers in Canada. In doing this, we examine the thin line between vulnerability and empowerment that refugee youth straddle and reveal policy gaps and contradictions in the depoliticized humanitarianism within refugee resettlement in Canada.

Structural Factors Associated with Higher Education Access for First-Generation Refugees in Canada: An Agenda for Research

Refugees are the least educated migrants upon arrival to Canada. Yet, they invest in Canadian higher education at lower rates than other newcomers. Why might this be? This paper enters this emergent conversation through a review of the Canadian-based empirical literature on the structural factors associated with refugees’ tertiary education access. Research indicates that as part of the low-income population, refugees are likely to misperceive the cost and benefits of higher education and be deterred by high tuition costs. Academic preparedness and tracking in high schools also pose additional constraints. The gap in the literature exposes a need for inquiry into the ways in which pre-arrival experiences influence refugees’ participation in Canada’s post-secondary institutions. The paper concludes by underscoring the need for qualitative research that discerns the lived experiences of refugees outside of the aggregate immigrant grouping typical in education research.