March 6, 2024

CEWIL Canada has released a report on the current landscape of work-integrated learning in Canada. “Mapping the Terrain: A Synthesis of Recent Research and Future Directions” offers an extensive look at work-integrated learning across Canada, including the benefits associated with WIL, the challenges to delivering and accessing WIL, and recent developments in WIL. The report was authored by Academica Group and funded in part by the Government of Canada’s Innovative Work-Integrated Learning Initiative. “We hope this report serves as a catalyst for continued dialogue and innovation in the realm of experiential education,” stated Dr Julie Peters, Vice-President Research at Academica Group.

Government of Nova Scotia Advanced Education Minister Brian Wong recently revealed that the province has been allotted 12,900 international study permit applications by the Government of Canada. CBC reports that NS submitted 19,000 applications for the 2023-24 academic year. Wong noted a model is currently under development to fairly distribute the study permits to the province’s universities, colleges, and language schools for the upcoming academic year. NS is also targeting students’ housing concerns as part of its negotiations with universities in the province.

The University of Toronto has created a new adviser role to help people across campus engage in healthy, civil discourse. Over the next eighteen months, U of T Provostial Adviser on Civil Discourse Randy Boyagoda will assemble a working group, engage with stakeholders, and develop a plan for programming and events, all with the end goal of cultivating “a disposition for civil discourse” at the university. Boyagoda explained to Toronto Life that part of the impetus for the role was to address the anxieties that faculty and students have experienced over sharing their position on complex or controversial issues. In an editorial for the Globe and Mail, U of T Professor Mark Kingwell further emphasized the importance of Boyagoda’s role in fostering civil discourse, which he described as “the life-blood of democratic citizenship.”

The University of Calgary has launched URise Indigenous, a hybrid learning program that will teach faculty and staff to become “good relatives.” URise Indigenous focuses on enhancing participants’ learning and understanding of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit cultures and worldviews. It consists of four courses, as well as opportunities for faculty and staff to discuss their own experiences and emotions. “We need to normalize these kinds of conversations,” said UCalgary Indigenous intercultural initiatives specialist Gerald Ratt. “Oftentimes, fear, shame and guilt emerge, and we’re often afraid of these feelings that oftentimes we avoid or dismiss the process of unlearning and relearning.”

St Lawrence College is partnering with The Thousand Islands Playhouse (TIP) to elevate the educational experience for Music Theatre Performance students. Under this two-year partnership, TIP will build sets, costumes, and props for SLC’s shows, allowing SLC students to experience working alongside a professional company. The partners also plan to facilitate opportunities for student internships, knowledge exchange, and technical workshops. “I’m thrilled that TIP wants to collaborate in bringing the best possible learning experience to SLC,” said SLC Dean of Creative Industries Les Casson. “There is so much that we can do together to build capacity for theatre and performing arts in Eastern Ontario.”

In the wake of recent education policy changes and program cancellations in the United Kingdom, Jens Marklof (University of Bristol) reflects on the state of the math degree. Marklof underlines that math is key to addressing global challenges like climate change and understanding disruptive technologies such as AI. However, to attract more students to the discipline, postsecondary institutions must dispel the myth of the “lonely maths genius” and instead promote the idea that math is about interdisciplinarity, teamwork, and impact. The author adds that math programs should not pivot to increase specialization options at the expense of the general math degree, given how much employment flexibility the latter provides to graduates.

St Clair College and Trent University have partnered to establish three comprehensive pathway agreements that will benefit business students. Under these pathway agreements, St Clair students pursuing a diploma in Business Accounting, Business Administration Accounting, or General Business will be able to accrue and apply 10.0 credits toward attaining a 20.0 credit Bachelor of Business Administration (Honours) at Trent. Students pursuing these pathways will also have access to dedicated support and resources, including a Transfer Enrolment Advisor.

The Université de Moncton is strengthening its language and culture training by consolidating the activities offered by the university continuing education service Formation continue and its Centre International d’Apprentissage du Français (CIAF), which is managed by the Shippagan campus. CIAF will join Formation continue and the two services will pool their resources and expertise to offer a single catalogue of training for languages and cultural learning. Through the change, UMoncton aims to better allocate resources to promote an enriched learning experience for learners and to expand access to broad language and culture training as well as training in French and English.

Great Plains College is adding its first student residence to its Swift Current Campus. The college has acquired a nearby building that it will convert into a 12-bedroom residence with shared living and kitchen spaces. “Colleges and Institutes Canada has declared that student housing in Canada is in crisis as many college students face major challenges finding safe and affordable housing options,” said Great Plains President Brad Mahon. “While we don’t consider the housing situation in our service regions to be in crisis, the college is looking to proactively respond [to] this growing concern to best serve our students.” The renovations are expected to be completed ahead of the 2024-25 academic year.

Several postsecondary institutions have released strike updates pertaining to ongoing negotiations. The Brandon Sun reports that Brandon University and the BrandonU Faculty Association have made progress on a new collective agreement, thus temporarily averting a strike. At Memorial University, the Lecturers’ Union of Memorial University of Newfoundland (LUMUN) voted in favour of a strike mandate after LUMUN stopped engaging in conciliation efforts with the university last month. The Mount Saint Vincent Faculty Association has entered its fourth week of strikes but has announced that talks between the association and the university have resumed. Meanwhile, CUPE 3903, which represents York University contract instructors, teaching assistants, and graduate assistants, has entered the second week of its strike.

Update: CBC reports that MSVU and the faculty union have reached a tentative agreement, with classes expected to resume shortly.