Postsecondary education

This paper highlights some of the contemporary challenges facing postsecondary education in Canada and focuses on the need for a system that is more democratic, open, and accessible.

Prior learning assessment and recognition (PLAR) is commonly defined as the identification, measurement, and recognition of knowledge and skills acquired outside educational institutions through work and other life experience. In this article, the author proposes a conceptual model for PLAR in education.

This paper examines the long-term labour market premiums associated with completing a high school diploma. The focus is on terminal high school diplomas - those not followed up with post-secondary education (PSE). In this sense, the study did not look at the value of secondary school as an entry point to PSE, which may be substantial since previous studies have associated PSE with superior labour market outcomes.

In this paper, the authors raise concerns about the literacy skills of students attending postsecondary institutions in Ontario.

Results from the International Adult Literacy Survey (IALS) show that not even a quarter of respondents aged 18 to 65 scored above level 3, the minimum level of proficiency required to function well in today’s world, the authors note.

This report examines data from the 2011 National Household Survey (NHS) suggesting that the labour market and income gaps between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people in Canada continue to persist.

Worse still, the progress made since 1996 in closing those employment gaps has stagnated since the 2006 census, the authors note. The income data from the NHS also suggest that the earnings gap between the two groups remains persistent.

This document is housed on the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) server.

This report examines the current evidence on the effectiveness of problem-based learning, compared with more traditional approaches in higher education teaching, and explores the extent to which problem-based learning can be an effective way to develop both discipline-specific and transferable skills for innovation.

This paper describes a literature review undertaken to determine the current state of knowledge about Métis postsecondary education systems and to identify promising practices for further exploration.

The Mathematics, Science and Technology (MST) program at the York/Seneca Institute for Science, Technology and Education (YSISTE) in Ontario overcomes barriers to effective MST teaching.

The Faculty of Arts Employability Skills Initiative at the University of Alberta is raising awareness among professors, students, and employers of the vital role that employability skills play in getting and keeping a job.

The University of Guelph in Ontario is promoting the development of employability skills through its learner-centred strategy.

Guelph’s learner-centred strategy is based on four key concepts: self-reliant learning; the research-teaching link; skill development; and experiential learning.