Academic Reform
Encyclopedia
Academic Reform: Policy Options for Improving the Quality and Cost-Effectiveness of Undergraduate Education in Ontario is an upcoming book co-authored by Ian D. Clark
, David Trick
and Richard J. Van Loon
.
Building on the 2009 book, Academic Transformation: The Forces Reshaping Higher Education in Ontario, the authors start with the premise that the teacher-scholar ideal pursued by individual universities has led to a model for under-graduate education in Ontario
that is financially unsustainable and does not provide the best possible education for undergraduate students. They draw from the literature on higher education reform and on recent policy initiatives in the United Kingdom
, Australia
, Europe
and selected American states and Canadian provinces to show that options are available for providing high-quality education to an ever expanding number of students at a more affordable cost to both students and governments.
Academic Reform explores ways to sharpen Ontario universities’ focus on undergraduate teaching and to increase the number of students attending institutions that focus on undergraduate education, without diminishing Ontario’s ability to attract and retain university researchers of the highest calibre. The authors develop a model for teaching-oriented undergraduate institutions that would complement traditional research universities. They present options for provincial funding and regulation to encourage the creation of such institutions while supporting high-quality undergraduate teaching at existing universities.
Ian D. Clark
Ian D. Clark, CM is a Professor of Public Policy at the University of Toronto, a former Canadian civil servant and former president of the Council of Ontario Universities....
, David Trick
David Trick
David Trick is a former Ontario civil servant and university administrator.Trick’s career in the Ontario Public Service included Assistant Deputy Minister-level positions in Postsecondary Education and Finance. He also worked in the fields of intergovernmental affairs, economic development, labour...
and Richard J. Van Loon
Richard J. Van Loon
Richard Van Loon is a former Canadian civil servant and ex-president of Carleton University in Ottawa, Ontario.Van Loon was the first president of Carleton who was also a Carleton alumnus. He got his bachelor of science in chemistry there in 1961, as well as an MA in 1965...
.
Building on the 2009 book, Academic Transformation: The Forces Reshaping Higher Education in Ontario, the authors start with the premise that the teacher-scholar ideal pursued by individual universities has led to a model for under-graduate education in Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
that is financially unsustainable and does not provide the best possible education for undergraduate students. They draw from the literature on higher education reform and on recent policy initiatives in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and selected American states and Canadian provinces to show that options are available for providing high-quality education to an ever expanding number of students at a more affordable cost to both students and governments.
Academic Reform explores ways to sharpen Ontario universities’ focus on undergraduate teaching and to increase the number of students attending institutions that focus on undergraduate education, without diminishing Ontario’s ability to attract and retain university researchers of the highest calibre. The authors develop a model for teaching-oriented undergraduate institutions that would complement traditional research universities. They present options for provincial funding and regulation to encourage the creation of such institutions while supporting high-quality undergraduate teaching at existing universities.