April 4, 2024

Queen’s University has announced a new medical student admissions process that will increase inclusivity and minimize barriers to medical education. With this new system, all applicants who meet or exceed the GPA, MCAT score, and Casper test requirements will be placed into a lottery. A random lottery process will select 600 to 750 students out of this pool of applicants. Queen’s noted that approximately 8% of the spaces available at the online mini-interview stage will be reserved for students who come from a lower socio-economic status. Queen’s Health Sciences Dean Jane Philpott said that the process will even the playing field for determining who is offered an interview. The new admissions process builds on the success of Queen’s Accelerated Route to Medical School (QuARMS) pathway.

Timothy van Gardingen for The PIE News examines the trend of shifting policies and narrowed entry windows into popular international study destinations in the Global North. Van Gardingen points out that three major international study destinations–Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom–are all actively rebalancing their international student entry policies. This is not a coincidence, he asserts, as major providers of higher education are all currently facing immigration politics debates, tensions surrounding the reliance on international education revenue, and issues such as housing pressures. However, Van Gardingen warns readers to remember that “students have feelings too” and that they will look to other study locations if they become disenchanted, which could have serious consequences for institutional revenue.

The University of Saskatchewan has announced two new health-focused initiatives. Thanks to a $20M investment from the Government of Canada, USask researchers will lead a development project that improves education, treatment, infrastructure, and services for the sexual and reproductive health and rights of girls and women in Mozambique. The project will focus on establishing “model communities of care” in six districts to serve as examples of quality reproductive care and education. USask also recently announced its plans to establish a premier dental training hub. The hub will host equipment for pre-clinic and clinic areas as well as augmented reality simulators to prepare students for a variety of dental procedures. Additionally, the clinic and pre-clinic spaces will undergo a $22M renovation to transform them into a patient-centred environment.

Memorial University’s Labrador campus will offer its first undergraduate degree program this Fall. Students in the Bachelor of Arctic and Subarctic Interdisciplinary Studies program will study in an interdisciplinary environment in the North while developing their capacities in northern leadership. Instead of offering semester-based courses, the program will offer two six-week interdisciplinary modules per semester, facilitating an accelerated and hands-on learning experience. “Within Memorial, this program will be an example of how post-secondary education can bring together Indigenous and place-based knowledges and land-based learning, with academic rigour and cutting-edge learning theories,” said Memorial Associate Professor Dr Sylvia Moore.

Northern College’s Haileybury School of Mines has received support from the Mining Industry Human Resources Council (MiHR) to reduce financial barriers for mining students. By providing funds for scholarships for the Winter 2024 semester, MiHR hopes to help draw students to Northern and overcome the worker shortages projected for the mining industry. “With the regional base and precious metal industries in the midst of a significant boom, any incentive that can help draw the next generation of skilled mining professionals to Northern is good news for our institution, and even better news for the economic health of our region,” said Northern College President Mitch Dumas.

Northwestern Polytechnic is adding a Water and Wastewater Technician certificate to its programming through a partnership with Aquatera Utilities. NWP and Aquatera will collaboratively train Level 1 and 2 Water and Wastewater Technicians starting this Fall. Students in the 12-month program will learn about monitoring and operating water control systems and equipment, collecting wastewater, freshwater distribution, and also take part in a 600-hour industry practicum. Courses will be offered in three-week blocks to facilitate industry participation. “This is a tremendous learning and partnership opportunity as our students will have the benefit of hands-on training in a world-class facility that services municipalities across Alberta,” said NWP School of Applied Science and Technology Dean Dr Brian Redmond.

Tyndale University is launching the Tyndale Centre for Grief and Loss. The centre will focus on providing support to those who are grieving by affirming them on their grief journey with compassion and empathy. It will also be a resource for the church, professionals, and the public. The centre’s grand opening will coincide with a conference on grief. “[G]rief is not a disease,” said Tyndale Center for Loss & Life Transition Director Dr Alan Wolfelt. “Instead, it’s the normal, healthy process of embracing the mystery of the death of someone loved. If mourners see themselves as active participants in their healing, they will experience a renewed sense of meaning and purpose in life.”

In an article for Times Higher Education, Michele Nardin (Howard Hughes Medical Institute) argues that the titles of “PhD student” and “postdoctoral researcher” should be re-evaluated. Nardin writes that these titles obscure the transferable expertise involved in the roles, making it challenging for professional employers to understand what exactly these professionals do and the skills that are involved in their work. Framing PhDs and postdocs as students or trainees also justifies precarious contracts and lower compensation, she argues. Nardin suggests that PhDs and postdocs should instead be referred to as “researchers” (junior or senior, depending on their experience), maintaining that this would lay the groundwork for fair compensation and the establishment of clearer career pathways inside and outside of academia.

The Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières and the Government of Québec have partnered to launch a research study that investigates the use of holograms for vocational training. To carry out this research, the partners are investing $900K in ARHT Media Inc to use their full-sized live hologram technology. “The hologram is undoubtedly an avenue at the cutting edge of communication technologies, training, and distance education,” said UQTR Professor-Researcher France Lafleur. “I salute ARHT Media whose expertise and products will allow us to experiment and document new training practices in Québec.”

Algoma University and the Registered Professional Accountant of Canada (RPA Canada) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that expands professional options for accounting students. Through this agreement, AlgomaU accounting students will be prepared to qualify for not only the Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada designation but also for the RPA designations, which equip individuals to work with small- and medium-sized enterprises. “Algoma University is offering our accounting students choice, and the flexibility to excel in their chosen field,” said AlgomaU President Asima Vezina.