Canadian Journal of University Continuing Education
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Just Plain Rhetoric? An Analysis of Mission Statements of Canadian Universities Identifying Their Verbal Commitments to Facilitating and Promoting Lifelong Learning
No full textOver the past decade, many government and policy documents have highlighted with greater urgency the need for lifelong learning. What do present mission statements of Canadian universities have to say regarding lifelong learning? In researching this question we analyzed the institutional mission statements of 58 Canadian universities to identify the extent to which these expressed commitments to facilitating and promoting lifelong learning. While mission statements cannot serve as proof of institutions actually enacting the goals and ideals by which they choose to portray themselves to the public, they still yield insight into the values institutions recognize as important. This article first proposes a model of conceptualizing lifelong learning in higher education. It distinguishes three dimensions of lifelong learning (the adaptive, the personal, and the democratic) and two aspects (lifelong learning as a goal and life-long learning as a process). From this three by two matrix we derive six categories of lifelong learning in or through higher education. We then use these six categories as a priori codes for our deductive anal- ysis of mission statements. We present and discuss the outcomes of our study, note differences with regards to institutional type, and make some suggestions for future research
Collaborating for Change? Managing Widening Participation in Further and Higher Education
No full textUniversity Continuing Education Units: Agents for Social Change?
No full textMany commentators have argued that Canadian university continuing education has gradually abandoned its historical commitment to social justice in educational programming in favour of a market-oriented approach. Although such literature clearly expresses a deeply-felt sentiment among continuing educators, it has tended to have two problems. First, many proponents of this view have not explained what they mean by social justice, which makes informed discussion of this issue difficult. Second, in praising historical adult education as a social justice movement, many commentators have neglected to provide coherent and pragmatic alternatives for the present. This article addresses these two problems by providing a dialogic theory of social justice, derived from political philosophy, as a conceptual framework to examine ways in which a new understanding of social justice could be practically applied in both strategic and program planning for university continuing education. This conceptual framework is then used to guide and inform a discussion of how information and communications technologies (ICT) can be used by university-based continuing education units to develop and implement learning opportunities designed to empower persons and organizations working for social justice
Marketing Implications Associated with Non-Returning Students in University Certificate Programs
No full textThis study examines the attitudes and future plans of students who discontinued their studies in university certificate programs. These non-returning students were separated into three groups: opt-outs, stop-outs, and drop-outs. Two separate surveys were undertaken; one survey consisted of students enrolled in a certificate program offered by the University of Saskatchewan, and the other consisted of students enrolled in several certificate programs offered by the University of Manitoba. The study examined three primary questions:What proportion of non-returning students commenced their certificate studies with the intention of completing the program and earning the certificate?What proportion of non-returning students intend to return to complete their program?What attitudes do these students have toward the certificate program in which they had enrolled?Several findings of special significance are reported. First, approximately one-quarter of the students in this study indicated that they entered their certificate program with no intention of completing the program. Second, a significant proportion of the students in this study indicated an intention to return and complete their certificate program. Finally, respondents indicated a very high level of satisfaction with their university experience despite the discontinuation of their studies. The implications of these findings for the marketing of certificate programs are examined and suggestions for further research are offered
An Identity for Canadian University Education
No full textA distinct lack of clarity regarding the identity of university-based continuing education seems commonplace. Continuing educators have tended to focus on the institutional structure of continuing education, linking its identity to its degree of centralization, size of budget, and whether it houses its own faculty members. This paper suggests starting with the function of continuing education, regardless of how and by whom it is carried out. It then proceeds to identify some key values that might guide the practice of continuing education, arguing that in some cases, these values must be in tension with the impulses of the broader institution.Universities today, by necessity, are large bureaucratic institutions with little flexibility. This situation provides continuing education with the opportunity to address the gaps or tensions in the system by offering programs that are more responsive to participants\u27 needs and that allow for a deeper exploration of the values of specific interest groups. UCE programs can also provide alternative entry points to those who want to further their education but have little access to mainstream university programs. Finally, continuing educators can help communities of interest connect with relevant university departments and thereby contribute to the university\u27s mission
An Investigation of ESL Teachers’ Experience of Peer Consultation
No full textPeer evaluation has been criticized as a threat to academic freedom and has been used, usually erroneously, as a justification for academic reappointment, tenure promotion, and merit pay. In recent years, scholars have recommended that peer consultation, which is primarily designed to improve teaching, be honored, but apart from evaluation.In this study, peer consultation consists of three components: in-class peer observation, peer-to-peer discussion, and student input. This study explores how teachers and teaching assistants perceived their experience with peer consultation. Methods of data collection reflected a qualitative case study approach and included participant observations, audio-recorded interviews, student questionnaires, and focus groups. Data showed that peer consultation provided an opportunity for teachers to learn teaching strategies from each other, build upon each other’s teaching, reflect on their own teaching experience, and augment their understanding of their teaching beliefs. Despite these benefits, teachers reported feeling uncomfortable because of the power relationship between the observer and the observed, and new teachers were apprehensive about their perceived lack of experience. Non-native English speaking teachers also felt anxious when they were observed by native English speaking teachers. Analysis shed useful light on implementation of peer consultation as a powerful professional development force for academic staff in universities
Student Assessment in Online Courses: Research and Practice, 1993–2004
No full textResearch on student assessment in online environments has not been extensive, although manuals for instructors provide broad guidelines and specific procedures. In this article we review the most frequently reported approaches to online assessment in postsecondary settings, giving particular attention to systems for assessing the quality of student participation. We also extrapolate from research on assessment in face-to-face courses to identify strategies that could be usefully adapted to online assessment. Research on the reliability and validity of online assessment methods is mixed and there is not much of it. We suggest to online instructors that there appears to be a disjunction between assessment methods and instructional ideologies and suggest to researchers that there is an urgent need to investigate the consequential validity of online assessment
The Development of a Self-Assessment Instrument to Evaluate Selected Competencies of Continuing Education Practitioners
No full textAdult and continuing education practitioners must engage in continuing professional education as a means of developing and maintaining their professional competence. This paper reviews the literature on competencies for continuing educators and examines the strengths of existing instruments for continuing educators to self-assess their competencies. One of the challenges in this process has been a means to systematically and comprehensively assess existing knowledge and skills and to identify where competencies are not adequate. This paper describes an assessment instrument that addresses these challenges and builds on the strengths of existing tools. It describes the development of a tool through a consultative process that identified the range of practitioner competencies required of adult and continuing educators. The assessment tool incorporates a behaviorally based approach to assessing identified competencies. It is unique because it addresses many of the needs identified in the literature including well articulated criteria for making judgments about a person’s current knowledge and skills, a format that allows for clear identification of gaps in learning so that meaningful professional development can take place, the clear structure needed to develop a “portfolio” of skills, and a format that requires the provision of evidence to support claims of proficiency in the identified areas. Though the development of the tool was initiated through the development of Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition processes, it is anticipated that it will be useful for continuing educators to undertake self-assessments as a basis for hiring, career laddering, and planning their ongoing professional development activities and goals. In both cases it provides a framework for meaningful reflection, assessment, gap identification, and planning