Canadian Post-secondary Institutions Research Articles

Institutional Perspectives on Faculty Development for Digital Education in Canada

As digital education at the post-secondary level continues to grow, robust professional development that prepares faculty to teach in online and blended settings is necessary. In this study we analyze open-ended comments from the Canadian Digital Learning Research Association’s annual survey of Canadian post-secondary institutions (2017-2019) to deepen our understanding of faculty training and support for digital education as articulated by higher education institutions. We find that 1) digital education orientation or on-boarding processes for faculty vary widely; 2) institutions employ an extensive array of professional development practices for digital education; 3) institutions report culture change, work security, and unclear expectations as challenges in providing digital education training and support; and 4) institutions articulate aspirations and hopes around professional development investments in order to build digital education capacity. These findings have significant implications for research and practice and we describe these in the article.

Knowledge and Perceptions of Plant-Based Diets among Competitive and Recreational Athletes

Little is known about athletes' perceptions of emerging dietary guidance on plant-based diets (PBD). To explore knowledge and perceptions of PBD among competitive and recreational athletes, an online survey was developed, pilot tested, and sent via email to athletes recruited from 2 Canadian post-secondary institutions. Survey questions explored athletes' understanding and views of the proposed Canadian dietary guidelines emphasizing plant-based proteins. Data were analyzed using grounded theory approaches. Forty-eight athletes participated in the survey. Two major themes emerged: (i) athletes had mixed perceptions of plant-based eating (PBE) and (ii) athletes associated PBE with broader food system concerns. Athletes have the potential to be important advocates of healthy and sustainable eating among peer groups and the general public. For effective promotion of PBE, the unique nutrient requirements and performance goals of athletes should be considered. Messaging to encourage a flexible rather than strict view of PBD may be a more feasible and acceptable approach when working with athletes.

Mentoring.ca: types of mentoring programs featured on Canadian postsecondary education websites

PurposeNo research to date has explored mentoring programs on Canadian postsecondary institution websites or the kinds of mentoring programs, if any, that are present online. This study examined 96 unique Canadian postsecondary institutional websites and the online presence of 420 unique postsecondary mentoring programs.Design/methodology/approachThe researchers employed content analysis and emergent coding strategies to evaluate mentoring program information published on Canadian postsecondary websites.FindingsThe findings suggest that most mentoring programs with an online presence were peer (student-to-student or faculty-to-faculty) programs, followed by community member-to-student programs. Further, few programs (16) were student-to-faculty oriented, indicating that students could struggle to seek faculty mentorship if they desired it. However, of the 420 programs with an online presence, dozens of programs lacked enough information for the researchers to determine the stakeholders or purpose of the programs.Originality/valueAs the first study of its kind to evaluate mentoring program communication on Canadian postsecondary websites, this work informs mentoring program administrators on how to better communicate what their programs offer. Certain Canadian postsecondary institutions had an online presence for many more programs than did other institutions; for example, the University of Waterloo shared information on their website about 21 unique mentoring programs on its campus, whereas MacEwan University shared information about just two unique programs. This chasm represents a great deal of future research into the practice of how professionals communicate mentoring programs on postsecondary websites.

The Binding Force: A Practical Model for Building and Maintaining the Coach-Athlete Relationship in Canadian Intercollegiate Team Sport

The Binding Force: A Practical Model for Building and Maintaining the Coach-Athlete Relationship in Canadian Intercollegiate Team Sport Coaches at Canadian post-secondary institutions have immense responsibilities: operating a successful sport program, managing the academic and athletic success of their athletes and ultimately delivering results, in other words, winning. “When athletes first join a team, they begin to familiarize themselves with their coach, the coach-athlete relationship, the environment, and the system” (Becker, 2009 p. 97) the athlete will compete in. Successful coaches are consistent in who they are (coach attributes), and how they maintain relationships, manage the team environment, and carry out their system (Becker, 2009); they provide a stable environment in order to develop the overall person and student-athlete. To date, the coach-athlete relationship remains to be an area of further exploration within team sport. The coach–athlete relationship is currently defined as a situation shaped by coaches’ and athletes’ interconnected feelings, thoughts, and behaviors (Jowett, 2005, 2007; Jowett & Poczardowski, 2007). This study addresses the need for a more systematic qualitative understanding of the coach-athlete relationship through the eyes of champion post-secondary team sport coaches. The emergence of various themes within the relationship are discussed, demonstrating a reciprocal bond that leads to, and continually feeds the connection between the coach and athlete, even afterwards, once it has been established. The importance of the coach-athlete relationship, its impact, the development, and maintenance are discussed.

Work integrated learning resources for students with disabilities: are post-secondary institutions in Canada supporting this demographic to be career ready?

PurposeThe Government of Canada is adopting the pedagogical practice of Work Integrated Learning (WIL) to help youth develop the career ready skills needed to transition from school to work. As a result, colleges and universities are receiving funding to grow academic programs that link theoretical learning with practical work experience. However, there is limited research about the resources available to students with disabilities who engage in WIL. From an environmental scan of disability supports for WIL on 55 Canadian post-secondary institutions’ websites and survey results from WIL professionals we ask: Do post-secondary institutions in Canada help students with disabilities become career ready? The data reveals that 40% of schools have no reference to disability services for any career related activities and only 18% refer to disability supports for WIL. Survey respondents report they are not being trained nor have access to resources to support students with disabilities in WIL. The authors therefore recommend changes to public policy and resource allocation to ensure colleges and universities provide disability services for all WIL programs, train practitioners about career related disability management, and hire professionals who specialize in supporting students with disabilities in WIL.Design/methodology/approachThe authors conducted an environmental scan of 55 Canadian post-secondary schools with a student population of 10,000 or more and identified services and resources publicly advertised online for students with disabilities in relation to employment and/or WIL activities. From this broad search, codes were developed based on general themes found in the recorded information, such as the location of information and the type of resources and services advertised for students with disabilities. During the environmental scan, the authors also collected names and emails of people listed as working in career and/or WIL departments who received an anonymous survey about their experiences working with students with disabilities.FindingsAs the Government of Canada expands WIL to improve labour market outcomes for youth, the research findings of the authors provide valuable evidence that post-secondary institutions are not supporting youth with disabilities to become career ready. Surprisingly, 40% of post-secondary institutions have no reference to disability supports for career related activities and only 18% reference supports available for engaging in WIL on their websites. In addition, WIL practitioners are not receiving the resources nor training to support this demographic to transition from school to work. This research can provide direction on resource allocation; specifically, the need for disability related supports and dedicated professionals for students who engage in WIL programs in higher education.Research limitations/implicationsA limitation of the methodology in scanning public sites is that universities and colleges could have services or supports advertised on sites that can only be viewed by the faculty, staff and students from that school. Thus, it is possible that employment information for students with disabilities is available for those with login privileges. The authors attempted to mitigate this limitation by collecting survey responses about programs and services from WIL practitioners who work at the schools. The authors also did not measure marketing of services on social media platforms (e.g. Facebook, Instagram). Another limitation is that the WIL practitioner survey results are based on their perceptions. The sample size was not randomized, nor can the authors confirm it is a representative sample of all WIL practitioners in Canada.Practical implicationsAs countries continue to grapple with how to deal with the intersectionality of disability on an already disadvantaged demographic in the labour market, they must ensure that students with disabilities have access to career ready activities while in school. The authors therefore recommend public policy and resource allocation, not only in Canada but at a global level, that ensures post-secondary institutions: (1) create disability management programs and resources for all WIL and career activities; (2) hire dedicated professionals who specialize in working with students with disabilities in WIL; and (3) provide mandatory training for WIL practitioners on how to support students with disabilities in programs that develop their career ready skills.Social implicationsPreparing students with disabilities to be career ready when they graduate will benefit the Canadian economy. This wasted human capital not only negatively impacts a labour market with an aging demographic, it affects social service programs as Canadians with disabilities are one-third times more likely to live in poverty compared to Canadians without disabilities (Canadian Survey on Disability, 2017). The G20 report also stated that if employment rates for people with disabilities who are able to work were the same as for people without disabilities, economies around the world could increase their GDP by 3–7% (ILO and OECD, 2018).Originality/valueThere is no research in Canada to date that provides a national overview of the services in higher education advertised to support students with disabilities in WIL.

Exploring Top Hat’s Impact on Undergraduate Students’ Belongingness, Engagement, and Self-Confidence: A Mixed Methods Study

Evidence suggests that the use of educational technologies may promote positive learning environments and contribute to students’ success. The following mixed methods study examined the impact of Top Hat in a blended learning environment on undergraduate students’ sense of belongingness, engagement, and self-confidence in a Canadian post-secondary institution. A survey study measured students’ sense of belongingness, engagement, and self-confidence before and after the course, which used Top Hat. The results show a significant increase in belongingness and self-confidence, but a decrease in engagement. Contrarily, focus groups revealed that using Top Hat may improve the overall learning experience. Limitations and future recommendations are discussed.

Getting to Open at a Closed Institution: A Case Study of Evolving and Sustaining Open Education Practices

This study examined a Canadian post-secondary institution in the period between 2010 and 2014, with a follow-up assessment in 2018 in order to understand its evolution with open educational resources (OER) and open educational practices (OEP). In the first timeline, the study looked at drivers that contributed to the uptake of OER in relation to the type of OER and factors contributing to the diffusion of OER. In the second timeline, the study looked at whether OEPs are being sustained and how they evolved at the institution. Results show that within the institution there are both benefits and tensions to being open, and an institutional approach that considers openness on a case-by-case basis is appropriate. In looking at these two time periods, the study fills a gap in OER research by providing a more longitudinal view of an institutional shift towards initiating and sustaining openness.

Fostering Better Integration Through Youth-Led Refugee Sponsorship

World University Service of Canada (WUSC) participates in private sponsorship as a sponsorship agreement holder through its Student Refugee Program. More than ninety campus-based constituent groups known as WUSC Local Committees resettle approximately 130 refugee students to Canadian post-secondary institutions each year. This article seeks to assess the effectiveness of the Student Refugee Program’s youth-to-youth sponsorship model in integrating former refugees into their receiving communities. We outline the impact of the Student Refugee Program upon its beneficiaries, the important role youth volunteers play in supporting their integration and building more welcoming communities for newcomers in Canada, and the effect of the program on receiving societies. We conclude with recommendations for scaling up the program in Canada and sharing the model internationally.

The prevalence of distress, depression, anxiety, and substance use issues among Indigenous post-secondary students in Canada.

This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of mental illness and substance use among Indigenous students attending Canadian post-secondary institutions. We obtained data from the National College Health Assessment - American College Health Association Spring 2013 survey, which includes 34,039 participants in 32 post-secondary institutions across Canada. We calculated prevalence estimates with 95% confidence intervals (CI). We compared Indigenous and non-Indigenous students using age- and sex-adjusted prevalence ratios (PR) obtained from Poisson regression models. Of the total sample, 1,110 (3.3%) post-secondary students self-identified as Indigenous. Within the past 12 months, Indigenous students had higher odds of intentionally injuring themselves (PR = 1.53, 95% CI = 1.27-1.84), seriously considering suicide (PR = 1.32, 95% CI = 1.12-1.56), attempting suicide (PR = 1.74, 95% CI = 1.16-2.62), or having been diagnosed with depression (PR = 1.26, 95% CI = 1.08-1.47) or anxiety (PR = 1.18, 95% CI = 1.02-1.35) when compared with non-Indigenous students. Indigenous students also had higher odds of having a lifetime diagnosis of depression (PR = 1.31, 95% CI = 1.17-1.47) when compared with non-Indigenous students. Indigenous students were more likely to report binging on alcohol (PR = 1.10, 95% CI = 1.02-1.19), using marijuana (PR = 1.21, 95% CI = 1.06-1.37), and using other recreational drugs (PR = 1.32, 95% CI = 1.06-1.63) compared to non-Indigenous students. This study demonstrates that Indigenous students at post-secondary institutions across Canada experience higher prevalence of mental health and related issues compared to the non-Indigenous student population. This information highlights the need to assess the utilization and ensure the appropriate provision of mental health and wellness resources to support Indigenous students attending post-secondary institutions.

Challenges in Gendering Indigenous Legal Education: Insights from Professors Teaching about Indigenous Laws

AbstractIn the past decade there has been a distinct increase in literature on Indigenous laws. Calls to teach about Indigenous laws in postsecondary institutions in Canada have also intensified. This growth and these calls are significant, yet as with all fields of inquiry and teaching, there are also gaps. Gender continues to be under-addressed in work on Indigenous legal education. Drawing on interviews with twenty-three professors who teach about Indigenous law at postsecondary institutions in Canada, I examine the challenges in gendering Indigenous legal education. The professors all expressed that it is important to engage with gender when teaching, but the majority were experiencing significant challenges in actually doing so in practice. It is essential to understand how these challenges are entangled with gendered power dynamics and broader structural barriers, as they will continue to limit Indigenous legal education if not directly deconstructed and changed. Overall, the interviews signal the need for increased institutional support and change, more educational resources, eliminating discrimination, and ongoing discussion about gender and Indigenous law.

Seeking self in place

Performative inquiry is a way of being in inquiry which attends to the individual moments emerging from performative encounters, calling upon our attention to what matters through reflection (Fels, 2010; 2012; 2014). In this paper, I engage in performative inquiry to explore my identities through experiencing different places of Canada and practicing visual art. Three key moments occur during the performative explorations, which embodies new possible ways of understanding my struggles with my pedagogical identity as a Chinese studying and teaching art at Canadian postsecondary institutions and opening up a new space to envision art education future.

Substance use preferences and sexually transmitted infections among Canadian post-secondary students.

BackgroundIn Canada, substance use is one of the key predisposing factors that may lead to risky sexual behaviors among post-secondary students. There is considerable economic burden and significant public health concern posed by substance use and sexually transmitted infections (STIs). The purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence of substance use preferences (alcohol, cannabis, and other drugs) and its association with STIs among Canadian post-secondary students.Materials and methodsThis is a cross-sectional study using data from the National College Health Assessment II, Spring 2016 survey conducted by the American College Health Association. There were 31,642 sexually active participants, representing 41 post-secondary institutions in Canada. Descriptive analysis and logistic regression were conducted to estimate the effect of substance use preferences on STIs.ResultsThis study found that participants reported being current users of alcohol (80%), cannabis (23%), and other drugs (8%). Additionally, 3.96% of the participants self-reported being diagnosed or treated for an STI in the last 12 months. Multivariate logistic analysis revealed current cannabis use to be significantly associated with self-reported STIs (aOR, 1.34; 95% CI, 1.12–1.6). There was a significant association between current drug use and STIs among male (aOR, 3.04; 95% CI, 2.27–4.06) and female participants (aOR, 1.87; 95% CI, 1.52–2.30). Having multiple sexual partners, a history of sexual assault, being homosexual, Black, and >21 years old were also found to have a significant association with self-reported STIs (P-value <0.001).ConclusionIn this study, significant associations were found between cannabis and other drug use and STIs among post-secondary students in Canada. The results of this study can help inform institutions of higher learning and public health professionals in the design, implementation, and evaluation of substance use and STI policies and effective school-based health programming.

The association between depression, anxiety and substance use among Canadian post-secondary students.

PurposeThis study aims to examine the association between depression, anxiety and substance use among Canadian post-secondary students.MethodsThis study used data from the spring 2016, American College Health Association – National College Health Assessment II (ACHA-NCHA II) survey. It includes 43,780 college students from 41 Canadian post-secondary institutions. The exposure variables of interest were alcohol, cannabis and tobacco use, and the outcome variables of interest were diagnosis or treatment for depression and/or anxiety. Descriptive statistics, univariate and multivariate logistic regression models were used to analyze our data.ResultsOur study found that 14.7% of post-secondary students were diagnosed or treated for depression and 18.4% for anxiety within the past 12 months. Among current (past 30 days) substance use, it was reported that alcohol (69.3%), cannabis (17.9%) and tobacco (11%) were the most common. There was a significant association between depression and current tobacco use (OR =1.36, 95% CI: 1.22–1.52, P<0.001) and current cannabis use (OR =1.17, 95% CI: 1.05–1.31, P<0.001). There was also a gender-specific association between anxiety and female alcohol users (OR =1.41, 95% CI: 1.24–1.62, P<0.001).ConclusionThe results of this study found significant associations between depression, tobacco use and cannabis use, and anxiety and alcohol use among post-secondary students. These conditions should be screened concurrently for improved outcomes among this vulnerable population.

The 2017 national survey of online learning in Canadian post-secondary education: methodology and results

Canada has a long history of online and distance education, but until 2017 there had been no comprehensive national data on online enrolments in both the university and college sectors. However, in 2017 a team of independent Canadian researchers, working in collaboration with the Babson Survey Research Group and WCET in the USA, raised the funding and conducted a national survey of online learning in all public post-secondary institutions in Canada. The results from the survey are presented and discussed, as well as plans for further studies in the future.

A Story in the Telling

Story is experience held in memory and story is the spark for a transformative possibility in the moment of its telling. The words we use are equally significant. This commentary reflects upon why words, stories, and oracy are powerful in learning landscapes. Indigenous peoples have known the value of story and the significance of words in creating and sustaining relationships. In an era of Truth and Reconciliation as Canadian postsecondary institutions seek to indigenize, the words we use and the stories we share will matter.

Instructional Insights Gained From Teaching a Research Methods Course to Chinese International Graduate Students Studying in Canada

Chinese students represent an increasing proportion of the student body in Canadian postsecondary institutions (Citizenship and Immigration Canada, 2015). While studying abroad, many of these students face linguistic and sociocultural challenges (Zhang, 2016), resulting in calls for Western instructors to provide linguistically and culturally sensitive instruction (Lin &amp; Scherz, 2014). In this qualitative study, we utilized a form of reflexive ethnography (Enfield &amp; Stasz, 2011) to outline our experiences teaching a required research methodology course to Chinese graduate students. Specifically, we discuss our pedagogical efforts in context of utilizing students’ reported research experiences, facilitating their acquisition of subject-specific vocabulary, and fostering a collaborative learning environment. We conclude by offering instructional suggestions to others who teach research methodologies to Chinese students.

The design and evaluation of a master of science program in anatomical sciences at Queen's University Canada.

The purpose of this study was to describe the design and evolution of a unique and successful Master of Science program in anatomical sciences at one Canadian post-secondary institution and to evaluate its long-term impact on student learning. This program prepares students to teach anatomy and design curricula in the anatomical sciences and is structured around three pillars of competency-content (disciplinary knowledge and transferable skills), pedagogy, and inquiry. Graduates of the program from the last ten years were surveyed, to better understand the knowledge, skills, and habits of mind they have adopted and implemented since completion. Interest was taken in identifying aspects of the program that students found particularly beneficial and areas that needed to be further developed. Based on the findings, this program has been a highly valuable experience for the graduates especially in helping them develop transferable skills, and grow as individuals. The hope is that other institutions that have similar programs in place or are considering developing them would benefit from this description of the program design and the sharing of the lessons learned.

The knowledge economy city: Gentrification, studentification and youthification, and their connections to universities

We investigate the spatial relationships among three prominent facets of contemporary urbanism – gentrification, studentification, and youthification – in the context of Canadian post-secondary educational institutions (universities and colleges). We conduct the analysis in three major Canadian cities with substantial knowledge economy sectors using confidential Statistics Canada census files, which include information on individuals and their geographies, and the location of universities and colleges, by enrolment size. We document ‘spillover’ effects of expansions in student enrolment and the building of campuses by analysing the geographic correlations among universities and gentrification and youthification. Studentification and youthification are to some extent coincident but not entirely, whereas the connection to gentrification is more complex. Our work provides novel insight into the ways the three different facets of contemporary urbanism overlap and contribute to our understanding of how universities and colleges, as hallmarks of the knowledge economy, influence the social geography of cities.

One Week, Many Ripples: Measuring the Impacts of the Fall Reading Week on Student Stress

More and more Canadian post-secondary institutions are introducing a fall break into their term calendars. In 2015, a full week fall break was introduced at our university in order to enhance academic performance and improve mental health amongst students. Our interdisciplinary team surveyed undergraduate students at our university about their experience of the fall break, collected standardized measures of experienced stressors and perceptions of stress before and after the break, and hosted several focus groups to develop a detailed narrative of students’ experience. Stress can also be assessed through non-invasive hormone measures. We collected saliva samples to profile metabolic hormones, cortisol, and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), from first-year male engineering students in order to document possible changes in their stress levels before and after the week-long break. This group was compared to male engineering students at a similar university that does not hold a fall break. Students exhibited a lower ratio of cortisol to DHEA after a fall break than those that did not experience a break. Our survey results indicate that the majority of students thought the fall break was a positive experience. However, self-reports of stress show a more complex picture, with many students reporting increased perceived stress after the break. Additionally, a portion of students reported that the fall break was a negative experience. To the best of our knowledge, our study is the first of its kind to use a mixed-methods approach to examine the impacts of a fall break.

In the Nick of Time: A Pan-Canadian Examination of Extended Testing Time Accommodation in Post-secondary Schools

Extended testing time accommodation (ETTA) is the most common accommodation assigned to post-secondary students with disabilities. We examined data on the processes of providing and monitoring the use of ETTA at 48 Canadian post-secondary institutions who provided accommodations to over 43,000 students with disabilities in every province in Canada. Findings indicated that students with learning disabilities were the most likely to be allocated ETTA. The most common duration of ETTA by far was 150% of the standard testing time provided to other students, and was typically assigned in over 70% of cases-- despite there being no valid empirical evidence to support this practice. In almost half of the institutions following this practice, this duration of ETTA was typically awarded upon intake based on guidelines, policies, or the belief that research exists to support this procedure, and in over 40% of these institutions there were no procedures in place for monitoring and modifying ETTA allowances once assigned. There was evidence of some exemplary practices in terms of the decision-making processes that went into determining and monitoring individual student’s ETTA durations. However, concerns were raised in some cases by the rationales for providing specific durations of ETTA, and by the lack of monitoring that together comprised ‘blanket’ accommodations.