{"id":7456,"date":"2015-12-14T09:35:56","date_gmt":"2015-12-14T14:35:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/campusmentalhealth.ca\/?p=7456"},"modified":"2015-12-14T09:35:56","modified_gmt":"2015-12-14T14:35:56","slug":"focus-university-funding-on-quality-rather-than-quantity-report-urges","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/campusmentalhealth.ca\/fr\/news\/focus-university-funding-on-quality-rather-than-quantity-report-urges\/","title":{"rendered":"Focus university funding on quality rather than quantity, report urges"},"content":{"rendered":"

Provincial report suggests Ontario should focus funding on improving the quality of an undergrad education, including student satisfaction and teaching \u201csoft skills.\u00a0Ontario should fund universities less on student numbers how many new students they get and more on the quality of students\u2019 experience, according to a government-commissioned report to be released Thursday.<\/p>\n

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If it\u2019s adopted, Ontario would be among the first to try to actually measure the quality of a university education \u2014 from undergrad satisfaction and retention to proof that students actually learn soft skills employers seek, such as communication, teamwork, critical thinking and organization \u2014 and financially reward schools that do a good job, said former deputy education minister Suzanne Herbert.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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She led a five-month consultation into modernizing the 50-year-old university funding formula, resulting in a report, \u201cFocus on Outcomes, Centre on Students<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cThe current system has done a terrific job increasing access to university education,\u201d she said. Some 32 per cent of Ontario adults now hold a university degree, up from 24 per cent in 2002. But the prime student cohort, 18- to 24-year-olds, \u2014 the cohort most represented in university classes \u2014 is expected to flatline over the next decade.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cBut it\u2019s time now to take a deep breath and focus on the quality of the student experience\u201d as part of a more transparent, accountable way of divvying up the $3.5 billion the government spends annually on 20 universities. Calling the system \u201cdense and almost impossible to decipher,\u201d Herbert\u2019s report suggests introducing an \u201coutcomes-based\u201d model in 2017.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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It also suggests pushing universities to specialize more and duplicate each other less, by tying funding to how well they stick to their specialties, as stated in \u201cstrategic mandate agreements\u201d with the province.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cThe whole exercise is based on students and how we can increase the quality of their learning experience, so we see these recommendations as a good roadmap for designing a new funding formula,\u201d said Reza Moridi, minister of training, colleges and universities.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Moridi said the new model would not alter the total money earmarked for higher education, but will encourage differentiation between institutions and measuring the quality of undergraduate learning. He said the government\u2019s next step is to consult with universities on how to design the new funding formula.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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In the report, Herbert recommends tying spending to how well each university addresses the undergraduate experience, from student satisfaction and chances for \u201cexperiential learning\u201d to how well students gain the often elusive \u201csoft skills\u201d employers seek, such as communication, teamwork, critical thinking and organization.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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A four-year pilot project into how to measure students\u2019 learning in nuanced skills such as critical thinking and organization is underway at Queen\u2019s University and should be accelerated, said Herbert. While some universities in the United States base funding on such \u201clearning outcomes,\u201d they focus more on simple graduation rates, said Herbert.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Ontario should consider tracking the acquisition of more detailed, subtle skills over the course of a degree, such as working with others and communicating ideas, she said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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This kind of tracking would require sweeping new data collection from students, and would likely take several years to organize, said Herbert, who consulted with universities, colleges, parent groups, employers, students and others.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Contrary to what some expected, employers did not call for more labour market-based or technical courses at university, but stressed the need for graduates strong in the broader skills of problem-solving, teamwork and communication.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Highlights from the report<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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