Adventures in Canadian Post-Secondary Education: August 2010

Tuesday, 31 August, 2010

Abstracted: Estimating the economic impact of PSE

The latest issue of the Association for Institutional Research Professional File features an article by Pennsylvania State University researchers who conducted an economic impact study for five colleges and universities in one regional area. The abstract:

Most economic impact studies are prepared by external consultants at significant cost to an individual college, a higher education state system, or a set of institutions with similar Carnegie Classifications. This case study provides a detailed framework that academic institutions may use to derive economic impact estimates without hiring external consultants. This research is unique in its case study analysis of the collective impact of five colleges that differ with respect to Carnegie Classification, control type, enrollment size, and selectivity. Utilizing internal expertise and resources, the schools estimate they contributed $923 million to $1.2 billion to the Berks County, Pennsylvania economy in 2004–05. Detailed discussion of the underlying methodology, data sources, multipliers, professional expertise needs, and case study limitations are provided.

Canada's credit-transfer principles and practices

In the cookie-cutter world of Canadian post-secondary education, in addition to no overall system objectives or coordination, there is also no national system of program/course credit articulation and transfer. Thus, under the current "model" students will often end up with problems like this one.

For its part, the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada (CMEC), made up of provincial ministers holding the cards on credit-transfer, has made a semi-feeble commitment to enhancing credit transfer across Canada in the form of its 2009 CMEC Ministerial Statement on Credit Transfer in Canada. Yesterday, CMEC released an update on provincial and territorial progress in this area. Download the Report of the CMEC Working Group on Credit Transfer, 2010 here in .pdf format.

Monday, 30 August, 2010

Europe launches its own Composite Learning Index

From the Canadian Council on Learning:

The first-ever European Lifelong Learning Indicators (ELLI) Index, a measurement tool that offers a comprehensive overview of learning conditions in 23 European Union member states, was released today by the charitable foundation Bertelsmann Stiftung in Gütersloh, Germany.

Developed by an international team of experts that included researchers from the Canadian Council on Learning (CCL), the ELLI-Index follows the methodological approach and the statistical model of Canada’s Composite Learning Index (CLI), which was created by CCL in 2006.

Like the CLI, the ELLI-Index is thematically organized under UNESCO’s four “pillars of learning” — Learning to Know, Learning to Do, Learning to Be, and Learning to Live Together — and relies on a complex “basket” of 17 indicators and 36 specific measures to generate lifelong learning scores for nearly two dozen countries, including Austria, Germany, France, Denmark and the United Kingdom.

Friday, 27 August, 2010

Memorial On Parade

From August 26 to 28, Memorial University of Newfoundland is celebrating the 85th anniversary of the founding of Memorial University College in 1925. The event has brought together students who attended the former Memorial University College/Memorial University of Newfoundland campus on Parade Street in St. John's from 1925 to 1961. In this audio interview from CBC Radio, host Robin Brown talks with Phil Warren, an alumnus involved with planning the reunion.

Thursday, 26 August, 2010

Returns to university, college, & trades education

From the C.D. Howe Institute:

Higher education pays high rates of return to most graduates of universities, colleges and trade schools, according to a C.D. Howe Institute study released today. In “The Payoff: Returns to University, College and Trades Education in Canada, 1980 to 2005,” authors Daniel Boothby and Torben Drewes, using data from the long-form census for the years 1981 through 2006, consider the financial returns for different types of post-secondary education, and weigh the policy implications for government funding of students and institutions.

Here's how the report summarizes the rate of return on investment in post-secondary education over the time period in question:

Earnings premia for all three levels of post-secondary education have risen over the period 1980-2005 for men. Earnings premia for women have risen over this period for BA and community college graduates, but not for trades graduates.11 Our crude rate of return computations indicate that, on average, students’ investment of time and foregone earnings in most of these types of study earns a substantial return

For the full report in .pdf format click here.

Wednesday, 25 August, 2010

Canada not building a “Knowledge Advantage"

Earlier today, the Canadian Council on Learning (CCL) released a new report on the status of lifelong learning in Canada.

Quoted in a news release, CCL President and CEO Dr. Paul Cappon said that "by continuing to fall behind in some key areas of learning, Canada may be creating a national knowledge disadvantage. Unlike Canada, competitor countries have developed, or are in the process of developing, coordinated approaches to education and lifelong learning".

On post-secondary education the report notes:

According to the OECD, the proportion of private expenditures (which includes tuition fees) in Canada’s colleges and universities was 47% in 2005, an increase from 39% in 2000. Canada’s 53% share of public expenditures was well below the OECD average of 73% and the European Union average of 81%.

Out of 30 OECD countries, Canada is the only country that does not have a formal PSE accreditation system of programs and post-secondary institutions. We lack an information framework that will enable us to measure or clearly demonstrate the quality of our PSE sector.

On adult learning the report notes:

A 2009 study released by the European Commission compared adult participation in education and training across 18 countries, including Canada. It showed that on average, 36% of adults aged 25 to 64 years had participated in any type of education or training, whether for job-related reasons or for personal interest. In comparison, a higher proportion (43%) of Canadians aged 25 to 64 participated in any type of education or training.

A large proportion (42%) of Canadian adults — about 9 million Canadians—have low levels of literacy; they perform below the internationally accepted minimum considered necessary for participation in a knowledge society. Literacy projections for 2001–2031 suggest little improvement.

Download the full report, Taking Stock of Lifelong Learning in Canada (2005-2010): Progress or Complacency?, here in .pdf format.

Tuesday, 24 August, 2010

Free tuition for students who stay in Sweden

From Sweden's The Local:

Gifted foreign students should be allowed to take their Masters’ for free at Swedish universities, in exchange for a promise to stay in Sweden and work after completing their courses, Higher Education Minister Tobias Krantz has suggested.

Students from countries outside the EU will from next autumn have to pay tuition fees to study at Swedish universities. But the Liberal Party’s higher education policy committee, led by Krantz, wants to introduce new labour force grants to attract foreign students, according to Svenska Dagbladet.

The main targets of the scheme would be talented young people who want to take two-year Masters’ programmes in natural sciences or technology-related subjects. Under the proposal they would have tuition fees paid and receive living allowances. In return, they would commit to staying in Sweden to work for "a couple of years." If they failed to keep to their end of the bargain, they would be obliged to pay back the money.

Sunday, 22 August, 2010

The perils of commercializing PSE

From a University World News piece by Philip G Altbach and Anthony Welch:

More than two decades ago, the Australian government decided that international higher education should become an industry; since then it has become a major income producer for the nation. The higher education sector was motivated to make money from international education by government budget cuts, with revenue to be made up largely by entrepreneurial international activity.

One result has been the widespread and welcome internationalisation of both student and staff profiles and important initiatives to internationalise programmes. Another result has been that the prime goal of internationalisation has become money-making, largely driven by government under-funding.

Thursday, 19 August, 2010

Fewer Maritime students studying in Newfoundland

In June 2007, a report from the Maritime Provinces Higher Education Commission (MPHEC) identified the enrollment of Nova Scotia residents at Memorial University of Newfoundland as a significant contributor to the downward pressure on enrollment at universities in Nova Scotia at the time.

The MPHEC report, as well as a number of subsequent media reports, linked the tuition freeze at Memorial University with the 884% increase in the number of Maritimers studying full-time at Memorial since 1999-2000.

While the Maritime migration continued to increase up to 2008, more recent enrollment data available from the Memorial University indicate a decline in Maritime and, particularly, Nova Scotia student enrollment as of 2009.

Wednesday, 18 August, 2010

New initiative for women in construction trades

From the St. John's Telegram:

The Long Harbour Employers Association (LHEA) and the Resource Development Council (RDC) announced today they have provided funding of $383,200 for initiatives aimed at creating training opportunities for women in Newfoundland and Labrador in the construction trades.

According to a news release, funding for the training initiatives is being provided by a joint committee of employers and unions which was established as part of the collective agreement signed by the LHEA and the RDC prior to construction beginning on Vale’s nickel processing plant in Long Harbour.

First-year student experience set to music

This music video was produced by the First Year Experience (FYE) Peer Mentor Club at Sacramento State (California State University, Sacramento) to highlight programs designed to support first-year students:

B.C. suspends new degree proposals

As reported by The Globe and Mail:

The B.C. government is slamming the brakes on new degree programs offered by the province’s universities and colleges, imposing a six-month moratorium that has caught educators by surprise.

Since 2001, the province has approved 290 new degree programs, reflecting emerging technology, fresh fields of study and growing job markets. There are new opportunities to earn degrees in hospital management, digital media, genome science and even a Master of Arts in “sustainable leisure management.”

But Moira Stilwell, Minister of Advanced Education, said in an interview Tuesday the government wants to make sure post-secondary institutions are offering programs that are regionally co-ordinated and tied to future labour-market demands.

Tuesday, 17 August, 2010

Beloit College Mindset List for the Class of 2014

From The Associated Press:

For students entering college this fall, e-mail is too slow, phones have never had cords and the computers they played with as kids are now in museums.

The Class of 2014 thinks of Clint Eastwood more as a sensitive director than as Dirty Harry urging punks to "go ahead, make my day." Few incoming freshmen know how to write in cursive or have ever worn a wristwatch.

These are among the 75 items on this year's Beloit College Mindset List. The compilation, released Tuesday, is assembled each year by two officials at this private school of about 1,400 students in Beloit, Wis.

U.S. News & World Report's Best Colleges 2011

U.S. News & World Report has published its 2011 rankings of universities in the United States. The top spot goes to Harvard University, followed by Princeton and Yale. Here are the top 10 ranked institutions in the rankings:

1 Harvard University
2 Princeton University
3 Yale University
4 Columbia University
5 Stanford University
5 University of Pennsylvania
7 California Institute of Technology
7 Massachusetts Institute of Technology
9 Dartmouth College
9 Duke University
9 University of Chicago

Monday, 16 August, 2010

Another note on increasing student fees in England

Tuition fees at colleges and universities in England are slated to increase from £3,225 ($5,273 CAD) a year in 2009/10 to £3,290 ($5,379 CAD) for this coming academic year.

Meanwhile, later this fall a government-commissioned review of higher education will release its much anticipated report on student fees and finances in England. While many expect that the review will recommended raising the tuition fee cap further, by as much as double the fee charge of £3,225 a year in 2009-10, the Browne Review is reported to be considering other options such as a graduate tax. Here's the latest on that from The Guardian:

High-earning graduates could face a 20% levy as well as tuition fees under proposals for university funding to be considered by ministers this autumn.

The proposed system of surcharges could mean that graduates on low incomes pay nothing, while the top fifth of earners could face having to pay around £2,000 on top of their tuition fees, currently capped at £3,290 a year. Middle-income graduates would pay their fees back plus interest.

Thursday, 12 August, 2010

Abstracted: Profiling gap year students

An article in the current edition of the Journal of Educational Psychology identifies predictors of students' gap year intentions in secondary school and the role of gap year participation in academic motivation in post-secondary education. The abstract:

Increasingly, school leavers are taking time out from study or formal work after completing high school—often referred to as a “gap year” (involving structured activities such as “volunteer tourism” and unstructured activities such as leisure). Although much opinion exists about the merits—or otherwise—of taking time out after completing school, relatively little research has sought to understand the gap year from a psychoeducational perspective. Harnessing the theories of planned behavior and reasoned action and using structural equation modeling, the author examines the academic factors that predict gap year intentions among 2,502 high school students (Study 1) and the academic profile in respect to gap year participation of 338 students in university or college (Study 2). Findings in Study 1 show that postschool uncertainty and lower levels of academic motivation predict gap year intentions, that lower motivation and lower performance predict postschool uncertainty, and that these effects are significant over and above the effects of demographic (gender, age, ethnicity) covariates. Findings in Study 2 show that gap year participation positively predicts academic motivation and that this effect is significant over and above the effects of demographic covariates. The present investigation centrally positions psychoeducational theorizing in relation to the potential yields of a gap year in resolving problematic motivation and performance profiles that may have precipitated students' postschool uncertainty and interest in taking a year out after completing school. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)

Wednesday, 11 August, 2010

Student summer unemployment pegged at 20%

According to a report released today by the Canadian Education Project, the unemployment rate for university students was nearly 20% this past June. The authors of the report make the following observation about their chosen methodology for assessing student labour market participation and that used by Statistics Canada:

Statistics Canada defines labour force participation in a way that excludes university students who choose to study instead of working, which substantially lowers both the labour participation and unemployment rate. Policy makers who look at the June Labour Force Survey and conclude that the situation is acceptable with a relatively low 10.3% (or July’s with an even lower 7.5%) unemployment rate need to understand that from the point of view of university students who have sought work this summer (as opposed to those currently seeking it), the unemployment rate is actually nearly 20% . . .

The full report may be downloaded here in .pdf format.

Tuesday, 10 August, 2010

Graduate school is "cool n new 2do @night"?

Hat tip to The Huffington Post

Tuesday morning: Mixed thread

==> An inspiring story in yesterday's St. John's Telegram tells the story of a single mother who went back to school at age 35 to earn her high school diploma and has met with success since.

==> According to The Wall Street Journal, Americans now owe more on their student loans than their credit cards. The development is partially due to consumers paying down their credit card debt.

==> With the numbers of university spaces reduced and the demand subsequently up, large numbers of students in the UK are being denied entrance to leading universities.

==> iPads, e-books, and other digital devices as learning tools: This article from USA Today reviews digital learning and the use of new technologies in the classroom.

Monday, 9 August, 2010

Job market improves for students aged 20 to 24

From Statistics Canada's July Labour Force Survey:

From May to August, the Labour Force Survey collects labour market information about young people aged 15 to 24 who were attending school full time in March and intend to return to school in the fall. The published estimates are not seasonally adjusted; therefore, comparisons can only be made on a year-over-year basis.

Employment increased by 4.5% (+56,000) for students aged 15 to 24 in July compared with 12 months earlier. The bulk of the gains were for students aged 20 to 24 years (+47,000).

Compared with July 2009, the unemployment rate for students aged 15 to 24 declined 4.1 percentage points to 16.8% in July. Despite this improvement, their unemployment rate remains above that of July 2008 (13.8%), a summer when student employment was particularly strong.

Younger students had a harder time finding employment in July than their older counterparts. The unemployment rate for students aged 15 to 16 was 28.2%, compared with 18.2% for 17 to 19 year-old students and 7.5% for 20 to 24 year-olds.

Thursday, 5 August, 2010

Recruiting foreign students in the international PSE market

From The Economist:

Demand for higher education is booming around the world. In rich countries like Britain, the number of university students increases every year, and still there are not enough places for all who want one. In fast-growing economies such as China and India, wealthy families can now afford to send their offspring to university but world-class institutions are too few. Whether students cannot find what they want at home or prefer what they see abroad, they are becoming more mobile.

The OECD, a rich-country think-tank, reckons that in 1980 over a million students were enrolled at universities and colleges outside their country of origin. Two decades on, the figure had almost doubled; less than a decade after that, it had tripled.

Wednesday, 4 August, 2010

Recent increase in university enrollment in Newfoundland and Labrador

Before taking a time out from campus to take in a conference and some much needed annual leave, I noted in a couple of posts that recently released Statistics Canada data on Canadian university enrollment indicate a continued decline in university enrollment in Newfoundland and Labrador up to the 2008/09 academic year.

In the weeks following the release of these StatsCan data, a senior Memorial University official publicly disputed the reported decline in enrollment, noting that more recent data from MemorialU show the opposite. In the figures below, I have plotted both the Statistics Canada data (red line) and the Memorial University data (blue line).

You will notice that plot of the Statistics Canada data is consistently higher than the university data. This is because the StatsCan figures reflect enrollments over a full academic year while the university data only reports on Fall semester enrollments.

The more recent data from the university shows the recent uptick in enrollment for Fall 2009. This suggests that overall enrollment for 2009/10 could come in slightly above 18,000. That is still short of MemorialU's stated target of 20,500 students, but good news nonetheless.