Program

2015 PROGRAM OUTLINE

Note: All Conference sessions take place on the lower Convention Level of the Marriott Downtown Eaton Centre Hotel.
Click here for a printable version of the program
Click here to see who is attending the ONCAT 2015 Student Pathways in Higher Education Conference (current as of April 16)

Monday, April 20, 2015

8:00 am - 5:00 pm

Registration Desk Open
Check in at the desk to pick up your Conference badge, Final Program and registration package.

10:00 am – 10:45 am

ONCAT Annual General Meeting (All delegates welcome to attend; each institution is requested to ensure the voting ONCAT Council member participates)
ONCAT Remarks – Glenn Craney, Executive Director

10:45 am – 11:00 am

Refreshments

11:00 am – 12:10 pm

Welcome and Plenary I
Glenn Craney, Executive Director, ONCAT

X Glenn Craney is the founding Executive Director of ONCAT. In this leadership role, Glenn and his team work with the ONCAT membership of Ontario’s 44 publicly funded colleges and universities to develop transfer credit policies and practices that will enhance student mobility and change the culture of credit transfer. To date, ONCAT has helped facilitate the launch of the Course-to-Course Transfer Guide, additional educational pathways for students, as well as a made-in-Ontario set of best practices in credit transfer policies. ONCAT also maintains the ONTransfer.ca website, which provides students with current information on transfer and mobility opportunities. Prior to joining ONCAT, Glenn served as Senior Policy Advisor to the President and Executive Director of the Office of Institutional Research and Analysis at York University, as well as Chair of the Council on University Planning and Analysis (CUPA). Previously, he was Director of the Office of Institutional Analysis and Planning and lecturer in the Department of Economics at the University of Guelph. Glenn began his career within the Postsecondary Education Division of the Ontario Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities where he held progressively senior roles in both the colleges and universities branches. In 2005, he was seconded to government from Guelph University for the Rae Review on Postsecondary Education.

Plenary I – Presidents’ Panel
Panelists:
Dominic Giroux, President and Vice-Chancellor, Laurentian University, ONCAT Board Co-Chair

X Dominic Giroux became Laurentian University’s ninth President in April 2009. His second term ending June 2019, was unanimously endorsed by the Board of Governors.

Under his leadership, Laurentian has achieved record-high enrolment levels while increasing the average entry grade, eliminated a substantial operating defi cit, and initiated new capital projects worth more than $140M. In 2011, Mr. Giroux received one of Canada’s “Top 40 Under 40” Awards and was named the 2010 Education Personality of the Year by Radio-Canada/Le Droit.

Mr. Giroux began a career in education as a school board trustee at age 19, and became board chair at 21. He Served as Chief of Staff and later CFO of a new district of 45 French-language schools in southern Ontario from 1998 to 2001, and as CFO of a school board in eastern Ontario from 2002 to 2005. Prior to his appointment, Mr. Giroux was assistant deputy minister with the Ontario Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities.

Mr. Giroux was appointed in June 2011 as one of four members of the Commission on the Reform of Ontario’s Public Services chaired by Don Drummond, tasked with advising the government on the efficient delivery of public services. He has also served as an advisor on the implementation of a Northern Policy Institute and was named to the province’s Ring of Fire Advisory Council, and the Globe and Mail’s Advisory Board on Higher Education.

As President and Vice-Chancellor of Laurentian University, Mr. Giroux also chairs the executive committee of the Northern Ontario School of Medicine, is a board member of the Centre for Excellence in Mining Innovation and serves on the Council of the Ontario Mineral Industry Cluster.

Within the postsecondary sector, he currently serves as vice-chair of the Association des universités de la francophonie canadienne and as co-chair of the Consortium national de formation en santé and the Ontario Council on Articulation and Transfer (ONCAT). A member of the Ontario College of Teachers, Mr. Giroux holds bachelor’s degrees in social sciences and education from the University of Ottawa, as well as an MBA from the École des Hautes Études Commerciales (HEC) in Montreal.

Glenn Vollebregt, President and CEO, St. Lawrence College, ONCAT Board Co-Chair

X With over twenty years of senior management experience and thirteen years of dedicated service on the College’s Executive Team, Glenn was appointed President and CEO of St. Lawrence College on January 2, 2013.

Glenn is committed to the Colleges mission of student success, academic excellence, and leadership in our communities, and brings a broad range of senior administrative experience, a deep passion for student success and a proven financial background to this leadership role.

He holds a Master of Science in Public Policy and Management from the University of London, UK, a Certified Management Accountant (CMA), (CPA) designation from the Society of Management Accountants of Ontario, and a Business Accounting Diploma from Georgian College.

Glenn’s strong student focus and financial leadership has enabled the College to invest in its core business – students and their success. During his tenure, St. Lawrence College has experienced strong enrollment growth, with the student population nearly doubling in the last decade. The College has also consistently ranked among the top three colleges in Ontario for graduate employment and employer satisfaction with our graduates.

Glenn is currently co-chair of the Ontario Council on Articulation and Transfer (ONCAT).

Glenn is an avid athlete who loves to play tennis, races in triathlons, practices yoga, runs and cycles competitively and yet still finds time to read, paint and attempt to play various musical instruments with limited success. Aside from everything else in Glenn’s hectic life, ensuring that he finds quality time to spend with his family continues to be one of his most important priorities.

Don Lovisa, President, Durham College, Former ONCAT Board Co-Chair

X From the first day he was appointed president in 2008, Don Lovisa has been dedicated to Durham College’s mission that the student experience comes first and the development of new strategies to support its students, faculty, staff, business and community, now and in the future.

Durham College has thrived under Lovisa’s leadership, realizing significant strategic growth in students, buildings, learning spaces and reputation. During his tenure, the college has grown to more than 12,000 full- time, post-secondary and apprenticeship students and more than 30,000 students in all; negotiated a strategic mandate agreement with the provincial government; launched a new academic vision and plan; submitted a proposal to launch its first-ever baccalaureate degree in 2016; and launched a research enterprise that has generated millions of dollars in funding to support local small- and medium-sized enterprises.

Lovisa has also led a large-scale revitalization and transformation of the college’s campuses and learning spaces, with more than $110 million spent on construction of buildings, renovations and a new learning site in Pickering that is focused on post-graduate learners. Among the most recent projects were the green-certified Centre for Food, which employs a ‘field-to-fork’ concept in all it does, and a new $20-million Student Services building that has become a system leader in offering students one-stop access to support services.

Beyond Durham College, Lovisa is considered a leader in the college system and the broader provincial and national communities. He is currently a member of the Federal Government’s Group of Leaders on Women in the Economy, is Secretary/Treasurer for Colleges Ontario, and was founding co-chair of the Ontario Council on Articulation and Transfer (ONCAT). His track record and success played significant roles in Lovisa receiving the Business Person of the Year Award in 2013 from the Ajax-Pickering Board of Trade and the Business Achievement Award in 2011 from the Whitby Chamber of Commerce.

Lovisa arrived at Durham College in July 2007 as vice-president, Academic. Prior to that, he served 20 years at Confederation College (Ontario, Canada) in progressively senior positions, including as dean of the School of Business, Hospitality and Media Arts. Lovisa has also worked internationally, consulting and providing training and teaching in the areas of globalization, market-driven economic transition, international trade, and entrepreneurship and business development.

Lovisa has a Master’s degree in International Management from the University of St. Thomas in Minneapolis, Minnesota, a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ontario, a diploma in Adult Education from St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, Nova Scotia, and is currently pursuing his PhD in Community College Leadership through the University of Toronto.

Tim McTiernan, President and Vice-Chancellor, UOIT, Incoming ONCAT Board Co-Chair

X Dr. Tim McTiernan was appointed president and vice-chancellor of the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) on July 1, 2011. Dr. McTiernan has held numerous academic and leadership roles throughout Canada in the university, college and government sectors.

Dr. McTiernan has more than 25 years of senior-level leadership and administrative experience spanning the areas of innovation; research administration and commercialization; social and economic development; and post-secondary education. Dr. McTiernan has served as assistant vice-president, Government, Institutional and Community Relations; interim vice-president, Research; assistant vice-president, Research and executive director, The Innovations Group, University of Toronto; acting deputy minister, assistant deputy minister and chief operating officer, Ontario Ministry of Research and Innovation; president, Canadore College of Applied Arts and Technology in North Bay, Ontario; and deputy minister, cabinet secretary and chief negotiator for Land Claims, Self-Government and Devolution, Yukon government.

Internationally he serves on the board of Atlantic Corridor – Ireland. Nationally he is a member of the Council of Canadian Academies’ Expert Panel on Science Performance and Research Funding, and the Industrial Research Assistance Program (IRAP) Advisory Board for the National Research Council. In addition, he serves on the board of the Yves Landry Foundation. He previously served on the boards of MaRS Innovation, MaRS, MaRS Investment Accelerator Fund Inc., the Ontario Genomics Institute and BioDiscovery Toronto, chaired the Committee of the Presidents of the Ontario Association of Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology (now Colleges Ontario) and was co-chair of the College-University Consortium Council. He has served as a trustee of the Ontario Innovation Trust, a member of the North Bay Economic Development Commission, a board member of Contact North – Canada’s largest distance education network, a member of the secretariat to the National Task Force on Environment and Economy, a founding member both of the Dispute Resolution Board established pursuant to the Yukon First Nations Land Claims Settlement Act and of the Environmental Impact Screening Committee established pursuant to the Western Arctic (Inuvialuit) Claims Settlement Act.

Dr. McTiernan has published on innovation, conservation, sustainable development and post-secondary education policy. He is a frequent conference presenter and panellist and has lectured for University of British

From Kilkenny, Ireland, Dr. McTiernan earned his Bachelor of Arts (Mod) in Psychology and Philosophy from Trinity College in Dublin, and his Master of Arts degree and PhD in Psychology from the University of British Columbia.

This panel is comprised of Presidents from Ontario’s colleges and universities, whose commitment to credit transfer is unwavering. Their continued leadership and support of credit transfer has helped to drive the credit transfer initiative among the publicly funded institutions within the province.

12:10 pm – 12:50 pm

Lunch for Registered Delegates

12:30 pm – 1:10 pm

Official Opening Remarks
Dominic Giroux, President & Vice-Chancellor, Laurentian University, ONCAT Co-Chair
Glenn Vollebregt, President & CEO, St. Lawrence College, ONCAT Co-Chair

Plenary II – The Honourable Reza Moridi, Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities

X Reza Moridi was first elected to the Ontario legislature in 2007 as MPP for Richmond Hill. He was re-elected in 2011 and 2014.

Moridi currently serves as Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities, as well as Minister of Research and Innovation. Moridi is an award-winning scientist, engineer, educator, business leader and community activist. He was appointed Minister of Research and Innovation in February 2013. He moved to Canada with his family in 1990, and has lived in Richmond Hill since 1991.

Moridi has served as the Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Energy, the Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities, and the Minister of Research and Innovation. He was the Vice-Chair of the Cabinet Committee on Jobs and the Economy, and has served on the Standing Committee on Public Accounts, the Standing Committees on General Government and on Justice Policy (as Vice-Chair).

Prior to his election, Moridi was the Vice-President and Chief Scientist of the Radiation Safety Institute of Canada. His 17-year career at this institute provided him with a thorough understanding of the nuclear industry in Canada and the application of radiation and nuclear materials in a variety of industrial and health care sectors.

For his contributions to the understanding of nuclear materials, radiation and health physics, Moridi has received the Education and Communication Award from the Canadian Nuclear Society and the Fellow Award from the U.S. Health Physics Society. He was elected as a Fellow of the UK Institute of Physics and the UK Institution of Engineering and Technology for his original contribution to physics and engineering.

Moridi has also worked as a CEO and Chair in the electrical industry. His career in academia included serving as the Dean of the School of Sciences, Chair of the Physics Department, University Chief Librarian and member of the Senate at Alzahra University

Moridi is an editor of Health Physics: The Radiation Safety Journal. And he has authored or co-authored more than 150 research papers, technical reports, training manuals and articles, and has presented at scientific conferences around the world.

Educated in the UK, Moridi obtained a PhD from Brunel University. He is a Chartered Engineer and Chartered Physicist, and has completed CANDU Reactor, Industrial Management and Reactor Health Physics certificate courses.

Moridi lives in Richmond Hill with his wife, Pari.

The Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities will share with our partners the provincial government’s agenda for postsecondary education, with a particular focus on credit transfer.

1:15 pm – 1:30 pm

Move to breakout session rooms

1:30 pm – 2:30 pm

Breakout Sessions – Block 1

1A – Charting Difference in Learning: Competencies and Learning Outcomes as Markers for Transfer
Presenter: Jean Bridge, Professor, Centre for Digital Humanities, Brock University

X Jean Bridge and Jeffrey Post are leaders in College University student mobility. Jean, a professor in visual arts and digital humanities at Brock University, led the development of a new dual credential and concurrent Game program with Niagara College. Jeffrey, whose work within Brock and Niagara College has resulted in innovative pathways, is the Manager of Academic Quality at Niagara College. They lead an ONCAT-funded project to develop a prototype for an online tool that enables comparison of programs based on learning outcomes.

Co-presenter: Jeffrey Post, Manager, Academic Quality, Niagara College

The Game Education Matrix (GEM) is a faculty-driven and tested framework that structures information about game-related post-secondary programs within the full scope of possible learning in this broad multidisciplinary field. Organized around an array of disciplinary competencies and learning outcomes, this work is framed by a taxonomy based in principles of curriculum design; the practice of tuning; as well as on ethnographic research into how media educators ladder learning and differentiate between levels of learning advancement.

The GEM framework has informed the development of a new tool for profiling distinct yet related programs by defining the extent to which chosen competencies are learned. Program profiles are produced and compared through the selection of a succession of learning outcome statements and by relating these to curriculum. This tool enables those developing transfer pathways to analyze learning outcomes instead of ascribing equivalency amongst courses. The structured identification of learning outcomes dynamically builds a comprehensive picture of program characteristics and strengths. The GEM tool aims to explore and find value in the differences between programs; to establish mechanisms for charting and crediting curricular emphases, program specializations, signature pedagogies and diverse conditions of learning. Ultimately this tool promises to enable students to find new or alternative directions and diversify their learning opportunities. It leverages the tensions between differentiation and standardization.

1B – Excess Credits Case Study - Preliminary Findings
Presenter: Yvette Munro, Academic Planning & Strategic Initiatives Officer, York University

X Yvette Munro is currently the Academic Planning and Strategic Initiatives Officer at York University. Her responsibilities at York are focused on inter-institutional partnerships, increasing access to post-secondary education (including college transfer students) and program development.

Co-presenters:
Julie Parna, Director, Strategic Academic Initiatives, York University

X Julie Parna is the Director of Strategic Academic Initiatives at York University. She brings over 30 years of management experience in higher education student services in registrarial, admissions, and recruitment and academic advising.

Richard Smith, Acting Director, Office of Institutional Planning and Analysis, York University

X As Acting Director of the Office of Institutional Planning and Analysis at York University, Richard Smith’s responsibilities include institutional research and data analysis. He also brings considerable expertise in the areas of research, finance, project management and systems design.

The issue of “excess credits”, particularly those accumulated by transfer students compared to non-transfer students, has become a topic of concern for students, policy makers, and transfer advisors/student services personnel. In the interest of cost-effective and timely completion of degrees and preparing students to enter the workforce, the accumulation of excess credits should be minimized. This session provides an overview of a research study conducted at York University (funded by ONCAT) on excess credit accumulation among transfer and non-transfer student populations.

Given York University’s significant provincial share of transfer students and the various transfer options available to students (e.g. block credit, articulated transfer pathway), this research project helps inform the strategies aimed at making the provincial credit transfer system more robust. This research project has included a review of academic literature, an environmental scan of policies/practices across jurisdictions, and, with York as a case study, an in depth analysis of excess credit accumulation. The study examines institutional data over a five year period, compares credit accumulation across academic programs, and aims to identify key factors that may contribute to the accumulation of excess credits.

Key learning outcomes:
• Basic knowledge of academic and non-academic literature on excess credits.
• Understanding of the variables associated with the accumulation of excess credits.

1C – Changing Hearts and Minds: Internal Communications for Improving Campus Support
Presenter: Heather O’Leary, Manager of College & University Partnerships, University of Waterloo

X Heather O'Leary is currently the Manager of College & University Partnerships at the University of Waterloo. She has been working in undergraduate recruitment and marketing for the past ten years, and working on student mobility projects specifically for the last three years. Her portfolio at the university encompasses all transfer-related activities from recruitment through to transition and success.

Getting everyone on your campus to recognize the value of student mobility and transfer-friendly practices is not a simple task. As a central unit, the Registrar’s Office relies heavily on subject matter experts within academic departments and faculties to assess transfer credits and facilitate the smooth operation of the transfer admissions cycle.

In 2013, Waterloo conducted a survey of its on-campus partners involved in credit transfer and identified several knowledge gaps and areas for improvement. The presenters will share what was learned and how they are beginning to make progress towards filling in the knowledge gap among their internal stakeholders and winning hearts and minds through an internal communications strategy.

Some of the goals of the communication plan include:
• Building awareness amongst the stakeholders and audiences about the transfer credit projects on-going at Waterloo and, where appropriate, their part in those projects.
• Improving consistency in transfer credit assessments through education.
• Building awareness of the expectations and realities of the transfer student experience.

This presentation will share what strategies Waterloo is using to meet their goals and improve on-campus relationships.

1D – Ryerson University’s Online Transfer Credit Assessment Process
Presenter: Illan Kandiah, Manager, Transfer Credits, Office of the Registrar, Ryerson University

X Illan Kandiah, B. Comm. Information Technology Management, is a higher education administrator with over ten years of experience. He is currently the Manager of Transfer Credits at Ryerson University and one of his responsibilities is to administer the ONCAT C2C equivalences. He is experienced in business process re-engineering, automation, and project management, and is passionate about student engagement.

Co-presenters:
Sonya Lee, Transfer Credit Officer, Ryerson University
Sammy Younan, Transfer Credit Administrator, Ryerson University

Ryerson University, an institution that receives one of the highest number of transfer students in the province, has always had a well streamlined transfer credit assessment process.

This session will discuss how Ryerson has made this process even better by introducing online course outline upload, electronic workflows, and efficient and expedited routing of faculty decisions. With this system, a student can submit a course outline with a couple of clicks from Australia and a Faculty member can assess transfer credit requests while on a fishing trip! The session will cover:
• A brief overview of the past paper process
• The challenges with the paper process and the advantages of an electronic process
• The communication plan - getting the buy-in
• The implementation story
• Training

1E – Transfer and Mobility across Canada: Learning from Other Jurisdictions
Presenters:
Rob Fleming, Executive Director and Co-Chair, BCCAT

X Robert Fleming is the Executive Director and Co-Chair of the BC Council on Admissions and Transfer (BCCAT). Prior to being appointed BCCAT Executive Director and Co-chair in 2010, Rob served in faculty and administrative roles, including Co-chair of the English department, Dean of Humanities, and, most recently, Associate Vice-President Academic at Kwantlen Polytechnic University. Over his career, Rob has taught at various institutions in BC and has contributed as a member of many provincial, national, and international postsecondary committees and scholarly organizations.

His scholarship includes presentations and publications on Canadian literature; composition; program development and review; post-secondary policy, systems, and governance; and organizational culture. Rob has received Bachelor and Master's from the University of British Columbia, and a Doctorate from Simon Fraser University.

Robin Fisher, Chair, ACAT
Glenn Craney, Executive Director, ONCAT

This panel is comprised of leaders from the provincial organizations across Canada responsible for advancing student transfer and mobility. Panelists will discuss the activities that will better integrate the jurisdictions’ efforts over the upcoming year with a particular focus on collaborative programming and information for students/websites.

The goal of this session is to advance conference participants’ awareness of the student mobility efforts across Canada and to encourage conversation about what opportunities exist and what barriers remain.

1F – An Exploratory Analysis of Transfer and Non-Transfer Students at Sheridan College
Presenter: Sherri Murray, Coordinator, Academic Operations and Pathways, Sheridan College

X Sherri Murray is currently the Coordinator of Academic Operations and Pathways in the Office of the Provost and Vice President Academic at Sheridan College. As part of her responsibilities, Sherri oversees the transfer agreements within the institution and ensures the information provided on the ONTransfer website is accurate and up to date. Sherri has been with Sheridan College since 2007, and holds a Bachelor’s degree in adult education from Brock University, as well as a Master’s degree in elementary education from Medaille College.

Co-presenter: Mokhtar Noka, Research Assistant, Sheridan College

X Mokhtar Noka has a Sociology Degree from the University of Duisburg, Germany, a Master of Quantitative Methods Degree from the University of Tunis, Tunisia, and a Bachelor of Statistics and Applied Economics from the same university. Mokhtar has worked as a researcher for over twenty years in different fields such as, Employee Health and Absenteeism in Germany, Human Resource Management Research at Brock University, and is currently a Research Analyst in Institutional Research at Sheridan College. Part of his responsibilities include leading the retention and student performance in research and measurement as well as reporting, building, and integrating a knowledge base of internal and external information of findings relevant to Institutional Research.

Sheridan has made it an institutional priority to enhance pathways for students in Ontario. Given this strategic goal, Sheridan has focused on creating seamless pathways for its current and prospective students, who may choose to transfer credits from their diplomas and advanced diplomas into a degree. The continued expansion of Sheridan’s degree offerings, which come with pathway options for students from different programs, provides students with an opportunity to leverage their existing credentials towards the completion of a degree program. This presentation will explore the behavioural outcomes and the GPA analysis within Sheridan's programs among transfer and non-transfer students.

2:30 pm – 2:45 pm

Networking Refreshment Break

2:45 pm – 3:45 pm

Breakout Sessions – Block 2

2A – Typical New Program Creation Typologies and Timelines at Ontario Colleges, Institutes, and Universities
Presenter:
Joanne Duklas, Researcher and Consultant, Duklas Cornerstone Consulting
Co-presenters:
Serge Demers, Registrar and Secretary of Senate, Laurentian University
Sacha Burrows, Degree Programs and Academic Pathways Consultant, Conestoga College Institute of Advanced Learning & Technology

X Joanne Duklas is a long serving member in the higher education field who has served for over two decades as a strategic marketing and recruitment professional. She is a seasoned administrator and passionate supporter of student success and mobility and has led significant portfolios in the postsecondary arena such as a registrar and assistant vice president. She is currently a consultant and researcher focused on advancing next generation practices in support of student mobility. Joanne’s external committee involvement has included serving as chair and president of Canadian provincial and national associations such as the national Association of Registrars of the Universities and Colleges of Canada (ARUCC), the Ontario University Council on Admissions (OUCA), and the Ontario University Registrars’ Association. She has been formally recognized by her peers both at the national and provincial level and granted honorary status within OURA and ARUCC for her efforts. Her career includes extensive exposure to local, national and international contexts as a result of increasing leadership roles in the sector. Joanne is also a published researcher and has served as a primary investigator and author of national and provincial research studies on enrolment services best practice.

X Dr. Serge Demers is currently the Registrar and Secretary of Senate at Laurentian University. He holds a B.Math from the University of Waterloo, a B.Ed. from Laurentian University, and a M.Ed. and Ph.D. in Measurement and Evaluation from OISE/UT. He was Director of the French language school of education for a period of 6 years, as well as the Chair of the Ontario Association of Deans of Education for two years. Currently, Serge is the chair of the Canadian Educational Research Association, a national group of over 200 academics who work to improve the quality and quantity of educational research in Canada. Serge has been teaching at the university level for over 15 years, and previous to that taught at the high school level in both Northern Alberta and Northern Ontario. His teaching and research interests include mathematics education, pedagogical use of technologies, as well as quantitative methodologies and analyses.

X Sacha Burrows is the Degree Programs and Academic Pathways Consultant at Conestoga College Institute of Advanced Learning and Technology. In this role, she provides leadership to academic program teams in the internal and external creation, submission and approval processes of all proposed or renewed degree programs. She recommends and coordinates actions on a range of degree related issues including academic policies and procedures, MTCU/PEQAB program requirements, and best practices related to degree program management and academic pathways. Sacha determines pathways and collaboration agreements in consultation with academic schools and external bodies, leads Conestoga’s ONCAT pathway projects, and participates in Credit Transfer Institutional Grants (CTIG).

Sacha previously worked with Conestoga’s Continuous Quality Improvement initiative, providing support regarding: program review and renewal; processes related to quality engagement and student success; the enhancement of institutional policies and procedures; and requirements related to MTCU, OCQAS, and PQAPA. Sacha holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Relations and Development Studies from the University of Windsor and a Master of Arts degree in War Studies from the Royal Military College of Canada, focusing on international and public policy analysis.

George Granger, Executive Director, Ontario Universities' Application Centre

X George Granger is the executive director of the Ontario Universities’ Application Centre (OUAC) and has worked for 35 years in the postsecondary sector. His career includes representing McMaster University as Registrar for more than a decade. In his time with the sector, he has served as Past-President and Member Emeritus of the Ontario University Registrars’ Association (OURA), Past Chair of the Committee on Admissions Practices for the Ontario Universities’ Council on Admissions (OUCA), and on numerous task forces and committees for the Council on Ontario Universities (COU), the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities, and for several school districts. George has tremendous expertise with new program development from inception, development, approval, and launch including for inter-institutional initiatives.

Gina Marshall, Director of Academic Quality, Centennial College

X Gina Marshall, is currently the Director of Academic Quality at Centennial College. She holds a B.A. and a B.Ed from the University of Western Ontario, and a M.Ed. in Adult Education from OISE/UofT. Gina played an instrumental role in establishing Centennial’s Centre for Academic Quality which supports the College’s academic schools in quality assurance, new program development, curriculum modification, pathways, and academic policies. Gina has initiated and provided leadership on a number of the college’s curriculum development and quality processes including work on new degree, diploma and certificate programs, a robust program mapping process and an enhanced program review process.

Joanne Duklas will share findings from an ONCAT funded research project focused on identifying approval processes, timelines, and the general typology for undergraduate new program development at Ontario colleges and universities. The project goals included identifying and understanding the entirety of new program creation and approval practices and governing frameworks at internal institutions, external allied organizations, and government. Unique components related to joint program development will be shared at the session to help colleagues across Canada with understanding the complexities involved in new program creation and approvals.

2B – Determinants of Academic Success for College to University Transfer
Presenter: Cheryl Shook, Registrar, BA, MA, CTESL, Woodsworth College, University of Toronto

X Cheryl Shook (BA, MA, CTESL) is a Registrar at Woodsworth College at the University of Toronto. She was the lead in developing the facilitated transfer programs with the Faculty of Arts and Science at the University of Toronto (St. George campus) and Seneca, George Brown, and Humber Colleges. As Registrar of Woodsworth College, she manages the admissions, advising, financial support, transfer credit, and transition into degree studies for students entering the Faculty of Arts and Science via the facilitated transfer pathway.

Co-presenters:
Jennifer Guyatt, Associate Registrar, Woodsworth College, University of Toronto

X Jennifer Guyatt (BA, MEd), Associate Registrar at Woodsworth College at the University of Toronto, has been involved with the Diploma to Degree facilitated transfer programs since the first pilot in 2006-07. She is a key academic advisor for students making the transition from college to university.

Curtis Norman, Manager of Access Programs, Front-line Services and Registrarial Communications, Woodsworth College, University of Toronto

X Curtis Norman (BA, MEd), Manager of Access Programs, Front-line Services and Communications at Woodsworth College at the University of Toronto, has recently joined Woodsworth College to take on a leadership role in the Diploma to Degree Program. Curtis spent three years facilitating educational access in the Pathways to Education Program. Curtis' interest in student support is reflected in his research inquiry entitled, “Knowledge, Skills & Attitudes: the First-Generation University Student Experience for Ontario-educated Students.”

Alastair Woods, Chairperson, Canadian Federation of Students-Ontario

X Alastair Woods is the Chairperson of the Canadian Federation of Students-Ontario, representing over 350,000 college and university students in all regions of the province. Prior to serving as Chairperson, Alastair served two terms as the Vice-President Campaigns and Advocacy at the York Federation of Students, where he organized campaigns around youth participation in the 2011 provincial election, reducing tuition fees, creating better food options on campus and changes to the university’s enrolment deposit policy. Alastair graduated from York University in 2013 with a Bachelor’s degree in International Development Studies.

The Diploma to Degree Program administered by Woodsworth College at the University of Toronto is a unique model that facilitates student success for those transferring from college to university. The Program provides early, intensive supports to transfer students before, during, and following admission to degree studies in the Faculty of Arts and Science on the St. George campus.

Attendees of this presentation will learn about the fulsome academic, financial, and goal-oriented advising both targeted to and tailored for transfer students. The presenters will explore the data that helps them to identify determinants of academic success in students transferring from college to university and those transition supports that have been the most effective, and discuss the importance of providing students with detailed, transparent information on the transfer process and the value of connecting with students throughout their college program in collaboration with their partners at George Brown, Humber, and Seneca Colleges. Attendees will gain an understanding of the range of student support and intervention strategies employed at Woodsworth College to maximize success at all stages of the student experience.

2C – The Impact of Labour Market and Policy Changes on University Transfer: the Case Study of Early Childhood Education
Presenter: Ursula McCloy, Research Project Manager, Centre for Research in Student Mobility, Seneca College

X Ursula McCloy has been a researcher in Ontario’s higher education sector for the past ten years and is currently the Research Project Manager in the Centre for Research in Student Mobility. In her previous experience, she led two MTCU funded PIF projects, was Research Director at the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario (2007-2013), and a Research Officer at Colleges Ontario (2004-2007). Ursula has a PhD in Nutritional Science from the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Medicine, and Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees from Memorial University of Newfoundland.

Co-presenter: Mitchell Steffler, Research Analyst, Centre for Research in Student Mobility, Seneca College

X Mitchell Steffler is a Research analyst in the Centre for Research in Student Mobility. He was formerly a Data Analyst at the Public Economics Data Analysis Lab (PEDAL) at McMaster University, where he was responsible for the transformation and analysis of data. He specializes in quantitative research, and has assisted with a number of academic and non-academic publications. He holds a Master of Arts degree in Economic Policy from McMaster University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Wilfrid Laurier University.

Early Childhood Education (ECE), the largest college program in Ontario with almost 4000 graduates annually, has undergone significant changes in recent years. The following changes have or may impact both the career opportunities and the demand for transfer to university programs:
• In 2007, the Ontario government passed the Early Childhood Educators Act, 2007, establishing the College of Early Childhood Educators (the College) in 2008.
• The introduction of full-day kindergarten which teams together certified teachers and registered early childhood educators.
• The reduction in certified teaching positions and seats in teacher’s education programs (this likely reduces the demand for ECE graduates to use the university transfer pathway to gain entry).
• Introduction of related college degrees in Bachelor in Child Development and Bachelor of Early Childhood Leadership.

There is evidence that these changes have already had an impact. For example, aspirations for university for entering ECE students at Seneca have fallen from 63% in 2009 to only 39% in 2014. Associated with this, the percentage of ECE graduates continuing on to university within six months has dropped provincially from 17% in 2007 to 8.6% in 2013. This has occurred in a climate in which salaries for ECE graduates have been increasing, with 37% earning greater than $30,000 annually compared with only 22% in 2007. The employment rate for ECE graduates has traditionally been strong, and has dropped only slightly from 94% in 2007 (pre-recession) to 92% in 2013.

This presentation will explore these impacts more closely at a provincial level, as well as provide a detailed focus on Seneca’s ECE students.

Key learning outcome: By the end of this presentation participants will understand that when observing student mobility trends they should take into account both the labour market and surrounding policy considerations.

2D – Untangling the Transfer Credit Web: A Roundtable Discussion on Best Practices for Receiving and Assessing Transfer Credits
Presenter:
Curtis Gonyou, Admission Assistant, Queen’s University

X Curtis Gonyou is an Admission Assistant in the Undergraduate Admission and Recruitment Office at Queen’s University. He is currently responsible for coordinating faculty assessments, maintaining Queen’s equivalency data on ONTransfer.ca, as well as processing and posting transfer credit to student accounts.

Co-presenters:
Gabrielle Clarke, Admission Coordinator, Queen’s University
Ryan Snowdon, Admission Coordinator, Queen's University

X Gabrielle Clarke is an Admission Coordinator in the Undergraduate Admission and Recruitment Office at Queen’s University. She is currently responsible for the recruitment and admission processing of upper-year and advanced standing track applicants.

X Ryan Snowdon is an Admission Coordinator in the Undergraduate Admission and Recruitment Office at Queen’s University. He is currently responsible for the recruitment and admission processing for a wide variety of programs, including Online and Distance degree, Second Degree, Dual Degree, Aboriginal admission policy and the Civil Engineering Bridging program.

This presentation will provide an overview of the transfer credit request and course information submission process for transfer students. It will further discuss Queen’s past and current process for reviewing transfer credits – including the development of a new online submission form.

There will be a facilitated roundtable discussion on:
• Best practices for requesting information, processing and notifying students of their transfer credit.
• “Day in the life of a transfer credit.”
• What information is required for an assessment?
• How is it being sent to each school?
• What is the evaluation process?
• How are students notified of their transfer credit?

Come prepared to discuss the pros and cons of your institution’s current process, and ideas for streamlining among Ontario institutions.

2E – Assessing the Effectiveness of Ontario College Preparatory Programs Offered at Durham College
Presenter: Rashmi Gupta, Manager, Institutional Research and Planning, Durham College

X Rashmi Gupta is manager at the Institutional Research and Planning at Durham College. She holds a Master’s in Business Administration and has undertaken doctoral level work at University of Iowa. She enjoys the application of rigorous research to explore and address the postsecondary student success issues.

Co-presenter:
Kyle Paul, Research and Planning Analyst, Durham College

X Kyle Paul and Stephen Draper are Research and Planning Analysts at Durham College. Kyle holds a Masters of Arts in Sociology from Western University, and has a passion for studying student engagement and retention. Stephen Draper holds a Master of Arts in Political Science, Public Opinion and Election Studies from Wilfrid Laurier University and has keen interest in student engagement and survey research.

Stephen Draper, Research and Planning Analyst, Durham College

The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences and outcomes of students that enroll in Ontario College preparatory programs at Durham College, especially for further education. Literature review demonstrates that the three factors that are widely believed to be important contributors to student success in a postsecondary environment are: academic preparation for the rigors of postsecondary education, social integration into a postsecondary environment, and clarity of academic and career goals.

These factors are particularly relevant in the discussion of preparatory programs, because preparatory programs are intended as a means to prepare students for further post-secondary education. There are many factors that can influence students to enroll in these programs, and therefore students often enter these programs with a variety of goals and expectations. In order to explore the experiences and outcomes of students in Durham College preparatory programs in a holistic manner, this study is divided into following three stages of student progression:

Stage I: Students Enrolled in a Preparatory Program
Stage II: Transition of Stage I Students to a Subsequent Postsecondary Program Stage III: Validation of Outcomes in Subsequent Postsecondary Programs

2F – Partnering to Increase Student Success and Retention: The Redirect Model
Presenter: Karine Lacoste, York Seneca Partnership Manager, York University and Seneca College

X Karine Lacoste is the York Seneca Partnership Manager working for and reporting to both Seneca College and York University. She has worked for the last fifteen years in the post-secondary education system, first as a researcher and then as the international affairs manager of a small university in Eastern Quebec before transferring and revisiting her expertise in the College-University partnering arena in Ontario. Over the years, she has helped faculty and administrators think and work collaboratively to develop academic partnerships and is now bringing new light and support to several academic projects underway between York and Seneca.

Co-Presenters:
Kim Michasiw, Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies, York University

X Kim Michasiw is the Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies (LA&PS) at York University. Since 1984, he has served this Faculty as an English professor then as Associate Dean - Curriculum and Enrolment, and Associate Dean – Programs, and since 2012 as Vice-Dean of LA&PS. Dr. Michasiw received his PhD in English from the University of Toronto. He was part of the team that initiated the partnership between Seneca College and York University and over the years has been actively involved in the development of new pathways between the two institutions.

Henry Decock, Associate Vice-President Academic Partnerships, Seneca College

X Henry Decock is the Associate Vice President, Academic Partnerships at Seneca College. He has had numerous responsibilities at Seneca since he began as a professor in 1987. Henry holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology and Politics from the University of Western Ontario, a Master’s Degree in Sociology from York University, and a Doctor of Philosophy in Higher Education from the Ontario Institute of Studies in Education/University of Toronto.

Alice Pitt, Vice-Provost Academic, York University

X Alice Pitt is the Vice-Provost Academic at York University. She served as Dean of York’s Faculty of Education from 2008 to 2012 and also as the Faculty’s Associate Dean, Pre-Service from 2002 to 2007. She received her PhD in education from the University of Toronto specializing in curriculum theory, critical/feminist pedagogy, and cultural studies in education. She has published widely in these fields, as well as in the field of teacher education.

York University and Seneca College are leading innovators in College-University partnerships in Canada. They have recently designed a model that aims to increase retention and academic success of students by capitalizing on the partnership and pathways that exists between their programs.

This “redirect model” takes advantage of College to University articulated programs. First, it redirects university applicants who do not meet admission requirements, but who demonstrate academic potential, to a college program specifically designed to prepare students for university. This program allows for substantial transfer credit and includes university courses in the curriculum to help students successfully make their way to university. Second, it redirects university students facing academic difficulties during their degree studies to high affinity and already articulated college to university programs to provide them with a different learning environment, in order to get them back on track and allow them to successfully return to University.

The goal of this venture is to retain non-admitted applicants and struggling students within the York-Seneca Partnership by offering them an alternate pathway that puts them in the academic environment most suited for them to succeed, so that they can stay motivated, engaged, and graduate with a post-secondary credential. By partnering in this way, the two partner institutions maximize the potential to retain these students in a well-articulated, bidirectional learning environment rather than lose them to competing institutions.

3:45 pm– 4:00pm

Move to next session

4:00 pm – 5:00 pm

Breakout Sessions – Block 3

3A – College to University Pathway Planning in the Biological Sciences: Challenges and Potential Solutions
Presenter: Jennifer Foote, Assistant Professor, Biology, Algoma University

X Jennifer Foote (PhD) is an Assistant Professor and Department Chair in Biology at Algoma University. She teaches courses across all four years of the Biology program including Introductory Biology, Genetics, Vertebrate Form and Function, Evolution, and Honours Thesis. She has an active research program in the field of Animal Communication focusing on the dawn chorus and nocturnal singing of songbirds.

There are a large number of college programs at Ontario colleges in the environmental and health sciences. Creating transfer pathways to Bachelor of Science programs can be challenging for pathway builders. Some of the challenges include: 1) the diversity of programs, 2) identifying equivalencies among courses in these disparate programs, 3) maintaining course and program level learning outcomes, 4) ensuring a seamless transition for students, and 5) creating a fair and balanced pathway.

One of the main barriers for pathway builders for most B.Sc. programs is that the breadth of first-year course content is not covered in most college programs for any given course. It is typical to consider a pathway from the bottom to top approach where students are given the first one or two years of program credit for college program completion. This may leave transfer students taking third-year courses that build on first-year material. Students may struggle without the knowledge base and the skill set built in early courses (e.g. critical thinking).

Algoma’s solution to these challenges has been to take a hybrid approach to pathway creation whereby students complete most courses in year one and receive credit for particular courses that the specific program covered in each of years two to four. Algoma takes a combinatorial approach to identification of course equivalencies. To do so, they group courses that as a package meet learning outcomes of our program’s courses rather than a course to course equivalency method.

3B – ONTransfer.ca by the Numbers
Presenters:
Rose Chan, ONTransfer.ca Coordinator, ONCAT

X Rose Chan is the ONTransfer.ca Coordinator with ONCAT. In her role, Rose collaborates with the ONCAT membership of Ontario’s 45 publicly funded colleges and universities and manages the content on the ONTransfer.ca website, particularly the agreements and pathways found in both the Program and Course-to-Course (C2C) Transfer Guides.

Melinda Cheng, Special Project Analyst, Data Projects, ONCAT

X Melinda Cheng is the Special Project Analyst, Data Projects at ONCAT, and has been with the team since May 2013. She is responsible for troubleshooting complex data issues and implementing solutions to improve process efficiency. Prior to joining the organization, she held various IT project management positions where she was responsible for implementing SIS and HR systems at several Ontario postsecondary education institutions.

Stephanie Rose, Operations Director, ONCAT

X Stephanie Rose currently functions as the Operations Director at ONCAT. Her prior experience spans multiple colleges and universities throughout the US and Canada in roles as diverse as Academic programs Director, Assistant Registrar, Learning Strategist and Academic Advisor. Her role at ONCAT has given her an excellent opportunity to combine her experiences with transfer student advising and online student services.

Ever wondered how many pathways are listed in our database? Or how many course equivalencies are listed? Come to this session to learn about the functionalities of ONTransfer.ca. In particular, members of the ONCAT team will talk about and describe some of the reports that institutions can generate on their own. In addition, the team will share how they continue to develop and enhance their reporting functionalities.

3C – Enhancement and Creation of New Diploma to Degree Pathways Between Conestoga College and Wilfrid Laurier University
Presenter: Lauren Eisler, Inter-Faculty Associate Dean: Academic Development, Wilfrid Laurier University

X Lauren Eisler has been with Wilfrid Laurier University since 2004 as an original member of the Department of Criminology at the Brantford Campus. She spent two terms as the Chair of the Department before becoming the Assistant Dean of Program Development for the Brantford Campus. In July of 2013, she was appointed the Inter-Faculty Associate Dean, Academic Development in the newly formed Central Academic Unit with a mandate to oversee the development of new programming for the Brantford Campus.

Co-Presenters:
Elaine Francombe, Coordinator, Academic Development and Assessment, Wilfrid Laurier University

X Elaine Francombe is the Coordinator, Academic Development and Assessment and works closely with Lauren Eisler in the development of proposals for new programs. She began at Wilfrid Laurier as an Academic Program Assistant before moving to the Dean's Office where she worked for several years as a Student Advisor. She brings her expertise and knowledge of curriculum, scheduling, and student issues to her current position.

Kelly Bishop, Administrative Assistant and Research Assistant, Wilfrid Laurier University

X Kelly Bishop holds an Early Childhood Education Diploma (St. Lawrence College), a Social Service Worker Diploma (Fanshawe College), an Honours Degree in Human and Social Services (Athabasca University), and a Bachelor of Education Degree (Brock University). After obtaining her B.Ed. she completed a number of additional qualifications courses, including Special Education Part 1, Reading Part 1, Math Part 1 and Kindergarten Part I.

Kelly spent two years working at a local childcare centre after completing her E.C.E. diploma, and then the next 10 years working as a legal secretary at a law office while completing her second college diploma, her undergraduate degree and her teaching degree. Shortly after obtaining her B.Ed. she was hired by Wilfred Laurier University and currently works in the Central Academic Unit as an administrative assistant and researcher.

This presentation focuses on a project undertaken in 2014 to enhance existing, and create new, academic pathways for students located at the Brantford campuses of Wilfrid Laurier University (“Laurier”) and Conestoga College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning (“Conestoga”). All pathways were developed in collaboration with Conestoga to achieve the learning outcomes for each program. Programs were designed to give students theoretical and practical experiences that are fundamentally rooted in achieving the program learning outcomes and Laurier’s Undergraduate Degree Level Expectations. The goal for this project was to create a transferable model that could be used with other institutions and in other communities.

The two main components of this project were to:
1) Identify fully the opportunities for joint academic and shared administrative services/infrastructure in Brantford; and
2) Create tools and models that can expedite/facilitate new partnerships and joint programming across Ontario’s post-secondary education system.

To identify opportunities for shared administrative services and infrastructure on the Brantford campuses, executive bodies from Laurier and Conestoga worked to draft collaboration agreements to append to the Memorandum of Understanding that was signed in 2013.

While exploring opportunities for academic partnerships, tools and models were drafted and developed to help expedite and facilitate joint programming. The main focus was to use the joint and integrated programs being implemented as “trial runs” to create transferable models for programs that are hoped to be launched in the future. This presentation discusses the challenges and successes experienced through this process. In addition, roadblocks to collaboration will be addressed and best practices identified in the implementation of the initial joint and integrated programs.

3D – A Collaborative Approach: Admissions and Transfer Credit Policy Development
Presenter: Samantha Murray, Assistant Registrar, Faculties of Arts & Environment, University of Waterloo

X Samantha Murray is the Assistant Registrar, Faculties of Arts & Environment at the University of Waterloo and is responsible for undergraduate student admissions and records administration as these relate to the two Faculties. Samantha’s previous positions include: Manager, Admissions at the University of Waterloo and Manager International Education, Conestoga College.

Co-Presenters:
Eric Breugst, Manager – Academic Advising, University of Waterloo

X Eric Breugst is the Manager, Academic Advising, Faculty of Arts at the University of Waterloo. Eric oversees a team of four Arts Advisors who provide one-stop academic support to all Arts students at Waterloo. Eric’s pervious positions include: Director, Secondary School Liaison, Academic Advisor, and Secondary School Liaison Officer.

Eric Jardin, Admissions Officer, Faculties of Arts & Environment, University of Waterloo

X Eric Jardin is an Admissions Officer for the Faculties of Arts & Environment at the University of Waterloo and is responsible for admissions related to non-Ontario secondary school (Non-OSS) students. Eric is the co-Chair of the Arts Admissions Guideline Subcommittee. Eric’s previous positions include Interim Manager, College and University Partnerships.

In 2013 the Faculty of Arts and the Registrar’s Office at the University of Waterloo created a committee for the purpose of reviewing current admissions practices. Particular attention was given to college transfer student admissions and transfer credit policies. This session will outline the steps taken to create this specialized, collaborative, and authoritative committee.

Participants will have the opportunity to share experiences and challenges enabling them to create or adapt their own committee. Presenters hope that through this session you will gain insight on how to realize change at your institution.

3E – Incoming Students’ Credit Transfer and PLAR Expectation-Reality Gaps
Presenter: Christine Arnold, a Doctoral Candidate in the Department of Leadership, Higher and Adult Education - University of Toronto/OISE

X Christine Arnold is a Doctoral Candidate in the Department of Leadership, Higher and Adult Education at OISE in the University of Toronto. Her research interests include the student experience in higher education, with a focus on student mobility and credit transfer systems. Christine has published and presented on a range of topics including: transformative education, work-integrated learning (WIL), student affairs/services, credit transfer/articulation, degree granting, quality assurance, and higher education within the knowledge economy.

Co-Presenter: Sean Woodhead, Manager, Pathways & Academic Partnerships, Centennial College

X Sean Woodhead is the Manager, Pathways & Academic Partnerships at Centennial College, and is responsible for the academic quality of postsecondary access and transferability initiatives. Sean is co-founder and co-chair of the Ontario College PLAR Network and the Ontario representative for the Colleges and Institutes Canada Recognition of Learning Strategic Network. His research interests include effective leadership, organizational decision-making and institutional autonomy-accountability.

In recent years, Ontario’s credit transfer framework has improved postsecondary pathways and resources to help students receive recognition for their prior learning by expanding non-traditional pathways, notably college–college and university–college. As a result, Ontario colleges have experienced an increase in the number of incoming transfer students who wish to change their field of study, upgrade skills, earn additional qualifications, and/or geographically relocate. The credit transfer population represents a growing share of Ontario college students.

With an emergent emphasis on life-long learning and the freedom to move among postsecondary institutions, assistance in navigating the postsecondary education system has become increasingly important. It is necessary that students comprehend the academic regulations and requirements they will encounter so as to form reasonable expectations about recognition of prior learning processes. Credit transfer research has largely examined students’ admission rates, performance, retention, and time to graduation. Limited research has focused on student expectations and potential expectation–reality gaps.

The purpose of this session is to highlight findings from a Centennial College mixed methods research study that explored incoming students’ expectations and realities regarding credit transfer and PLAR policies and procedures. Pre-surveys, post-surveys, and focus groups/interviews were conducted with students who applied/tested for credit in order to measure: 1) incoming student expectations against subsequent received credit; and 2) perceptions regarding transferability adjusted between the initial point of contact and the end of the first term.

Participants attending this session will:
1) Learn about credit transfer and PLAR student expectation formation, updating, and experienced realities;
2) Identify the importance of student expectation management, clear and thorough access to information, and robust transferability support services; and,
3) Engage in discussion regarding institution-level policy and procedural improvements to effectively communicate prior learning rights and responsibilities.

3F – Round Table Discussion: College and University Operational Differences that Affect Credit Transfer
Presenter: Tim Brunet, College University Pathway Specialist for the Faculty of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, University of Windsor; Vice Chair of the Pan-Canadian Consortium on Admissions & Transfer (PCCAT)

X Tim Brunet is the College University Pathway Specialist for the Faculty of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences at the University of Windsor and is the current Vice Chair of the Pan-Canadian Consortium on Admissions & Transfer (PCCAT). Mr. Brunet is a graduate of the University of Alberta’s Master of Art in Communications & Technology where he focused on the diffusion of innovations and organizational design in higher education.

Co-Presenters:
Wendy Asher, Dean, Community Services & Liberal Studies and Educational Pathways, Lambton College

X Wendy Asher, Dean of Lambton College's School of Community Services and Liberal Studies, is well known for her involvement in social justice initiatives and her role as lead for the Centre for Educational Pathways since 2011. She started at Lambton College in 2007 and brings 25 years of academic leadership to the school community. She is committed to developing flexible internal and provincial pathways’ projects that will aid our students in credit transfer mobility.

Nadine Cervi, Pathways Research Consultant, Lambton College

X Nadine Cervi is the Pathways Research Consultant for the Centre for Educational Pathways at Lambton College. Nadine is also an Associate Faculty member in the English department. Nadine assists in reviewing articulation agreements and partnerships, populating and updating the Pathways’ database, and facilitating all Pathway related visits/meetings that are held at Lambton College.

Pathway developers must understand organizational differences between the colleges and universities within Ontario to build better agreements. In this provocative session presenters will dissect the points of differentiation that cause opportunities and challenges for credit transfer and student mobility. The presenters will challenge their audience to share their own points of differentiation in round table discussions. Some talking points include:
• Course/program development, learning outcomes and credentials;
• Admissions;
• Intellectual property;
• Organizational design (Senate; Board of Governors; Promotion, Tenure, Renewal);
• Research and industry connections; and
• Student finance, employee compensation, and tuition.

5:00 pm – 5:45 pm

Reception
Join your ONCAT colleagues at this networking reception to end the first day of the Conference.

Tuesday, April 21, 2015

7:15 am – 3:00 pm

Registration Desk Open

7:45 am – 8:45 am

Breakfast for All Delegates

9:00 am – 10:10 am

Plenary III: Credit Transfer and Postsecondary Education Transformation in Ontario
Presenter: Marie-Lison Fougère, Deputy Minister (Interim), Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities

X Since joining the Ontario Public Service in 1991, Marie-Lison Fougère has worked in a variety of functions, including strategic policy/program development and implementation, research and evaluation, interjurisdictional relations, issue management, and stakeholder relations.

Ms. Fougère was appointed to the role of Deputy Minister (Interim), effective April 1, 2015. Since 2007, Ms. Fougère has served as Assistant Deputy Minister, Strategic Policy and Programs Division, at the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities. In this role, Ms. Fougère is responsible for major cross-cutting strategic policy and program initiatives in postsecondary education and employment and training. As well, she leads relations with the federal government and provinces and territories in the areas of labour market agreements, skills training, labour mobility, and pan-Canadian education policy.

Previously, Ms. Fougère was Assistant Deputy Minister of the Office of Francophone Affairs. In this capacity, Ms. Fougère led the transformation of French-language services in the Ontario Public Service. Ms. Fougère also worked for ten years at the Ministry of Education, where she held several director-level positions from 1999 to 2005 for the Kindergarten to Grade 12 system.

Ms. Fougère studied political science and German literature at Dalhousie University (Halifax) and Heidelberg University in Germany. She also holds a Master’s Degree from York University in Toronto. She is fluent in French, English, and German.

This session will highlight the importance of credit transfer to the government’s postsecondary education agenda. Milestones and next steps for the Ontario Credit Transfer Initiative will also be outlined.

10:10 am – 10:30 am

Networking Refreshment Break

10:30 am – 11:30 am

Breakout Sessions – Block 4

4A – Improving Postsecondary Mobility in Ontario: Student Priorities for Credit Transfer
Presenters:
Matt Caron, Director of Advocacy, College Student Alliance

X Matt Caron is the Director of Advocacy for the College Student Alliance. Matt attended St. Clair College, receiving diplomas in Law & Security and Police Foundations, and a certificate in Office Administration. During his studies, Matt served as a Board Member, External Vice-President, and President of the St. Clair Student Representative Council. He also acted as Student Governor on St. Clair College’s Board of Governors. Most recently, Matt served as the MPP Liaison in the Office of the Minister of Children and Youth Services and the Minister Responsible for Women’s Issues. Matt became the Director of Advocacy in July 2014.

Sean Madden, Executive Director, Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance

X Sean Madden is the Executive Director of the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance. An eventual graduate of Wilfrid Laurier University, Sean's long journey through postsecondary has given him a chance to see it all: college to university, and university to university. This experience, and his participation on the ONCAT Student Advisory Group, has given him an appreciation of credit transfer opportunities and hurdles. The Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance (OUSA) represents the interests of over 140,000 professional and undergraduate, full-time and part-time university students at eight student associations across Ontario.

Recognizing the trend towards increased student mobility provincially, and the barriers faced by Ontario’s students in navigating an inconsistent system with often unclear institutional credential recognition policies, both the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance and the College Student Alliance have made improving Ontario’s credit transfer system a cornerstone of their provincial advocacy efforts.

This presentation will provide an overview of College Student Alliance and Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance and will include the student perspective on credit transfer, how students are involved with the credit transfer system, and provide recommendations for next steps in achieving a robust and transparent credit transfer system for the students of Ontario.

4B – How Did the Transfer Student Cross the Road? 8 Simple Rules for Guiding Transitional Programming
Presenter: Ashley McKnight, Orientation Coordinator, University of Waterloo

X Ashley McKnight currently works in the Student Success Office, and has been working in student support services at the University of Waterloo for over three years. Ashley works with a variety of campus partners to develop effective transitional programming and communications for graduate, transfer, and international student populations.

Co-Presenter: Mat Brown, Admissions and Recruitment Officer, Transfer Students, University of Waterloo

X Mat Brown has been a member of the College Pathways team for three years where he travels across Ontario recruiting transfer students to the University of Waterloo. When Mat isn't traveling, he provides admissions counseling to Ontario transfer students and works closely with the Student Success Office on transition events for this population.

When a transfer student transitions to a new institution their needs are often different than traditional direct-entry students. Despite their differences, it is often difficult to provide targeted and intentional transition programming for these students for a number of reasons such as limited resources, space, timing and external factors. As this was the experience at the University of Waterloo, the institution developed a program that reaches beyond transfer student Orientation and seeks to support transfer students from the moment they accept their offer until their first term of classes. For other institutions experiencing similar challenges, this session seeks to provide professionals with eight feasible and straightforward guidelines they can follow to establish effective transitional programming for transfer students.

To begin, this session will highlight the growth and development of the transfer student transition program at the University of Waterloo. The presenters will share significant insights into how they created a specialized and inclusive program for this diverse student population. During this portion of the session they will describe how they solicited research, gathered feedback from program participants and applied these findings to better understand this population’s needs. The key findings and best practices of UWaterloo’s transitional programming will also be shared. Next, they will recommend eight steps for creating a comprehensive and successful transfer student transition strategy. These eight steps range from collecting and applying research to develop and implement targeted programming to effectively receive feedback and evaluation. Finally, they will provide tangible examples of how these eight guidelines are applied at UWaterloo and how they may be applied to your institution.

This session is a joint initiative at the University of Waterloo between the Registrar’s Office, Marketing & Undergraduate Recruitment and the Student Success Office.

4C – Roundtable on the Development of a Centralized and Consistent Articulation Agreement Process
Presenter: Harpreet Singh, Academic Manager, Curriculum Services, Algonquin College

X Harpreet Singh Sonu brings fifteen years of experience in providing training and development, as well as strategic management services to private and public sectors in Canada, the United Kingdom and India. Harpreet specializes in area and sector based strategy development, business planning, and performance measurement.

Co-Presenter: Renay Dixon, Transfer Student Coordinator, Algonquin College

X Renay Dixon blends her background in psychology with a passion for student engagement to further enhance our understanding of credit mobility at Algonquin College. She has been the Transfer Student Coordinator at Algonquin since June 2013.

As Ontarians continue to seek higher education, articulation agreements will play an important role in the facilitation of student mobility within the province and across the country. With this in mind, colleges will continuously need to redesign their articulation strategies to reflect the changing needs of the demographic. At Algonquin College, the institution has started to rethink their articulations strategy by asking questions such as:
• How can we strengthen our articulation agreements?
• What are the criteria for a strong agreement?
• How to strengthen internal pathways?
• How to make information about agreements available to students, faculty and other stakeholders?
• How will these changes impact current articulation agreement offerings?

In this engaging and interactive session, participants should be prepared to engage in discussions with their peers on how to build an integrated articulation strategy, share best practices, and make optimum use of the ONCAT network, website and other centralized resources. The presenters will share how they are beginning to streamline their articulation agreement process, the crucial role of faculty, and student data in the development of articulation agreements.

In this session, participants will discuss:
• How to focus agreement creation efforts.
• How to develop a streamlined agreement process centered on consistency.
• How to engage various stakeholders in the creation of meaningful agreements.

4D – Pathways for Aboriginal Learners: Collaborating Across Aboriginal Institutes, Colleges and Universities
Presenter: Joyce Helmer, Consultant, First Nations Technical Institute

X Dr. Joyce Helmer is an Associate Professor in the Clinical Science Division at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM). Along with membership on the Aboriginal Reference Group she Chairs the Aboriginal Admissions committee, serves as an elected representative on the Academic Council and on the Board Nominations and Community Engagement committee. As well, Dr. Helmer currently serves as the Curriculum Lead for First Nations Technical Institute (FNTI) located on the Mohawk Territory. She is a Knowledge Keeper for the Centre for Policy and Aboriginal Learning (CPAL) unit at Confederation College in Thunder Bay.

C0-Presenters:
Janice Battiston, Project Advisor, Centre for Policy in Aboriginal Learning, Confederation College

X Janice Battiston, of an Ojibwe-Dutch heritage and a member of the Mishkeegogamang First Nation, is the Project Advisor at the Centre for Policy in Aboriginal Learning (CPAL) at Confederation College. Prior to joining CPAL, Janice worked as the Aboriginal Student Counsellor at Confederation College providing personal, academic, and career counselling to First Nations, Metis and Inuit students from remote, rural, and local communities.

Dan Longboat, Director, Indigenous Environmental Studies Program, Trent University

X Dan Longboat is Mohawk from the Six Nations of the Grand River. He is Director of the Indigenous Environmental Studies Program at Trent University. Dan is known for his Traditional Haudenosaunee knowledge and has taught Mohawk culture at Trent in addition to his work in Indigenous Environmental Studies. He was the first Director of Studies of the Ph.D. program. Dan completed his Ph.D. in Environmental Studies at York University.

The Centre for Policy in Aboriginal Learning (CPAL) at Confederation College in partnership with First Nations Technical Institute (FNTI) and Trent University has undertaken a project to create distinct pathways, rooted in Indigenous Knowledge, for Aboriginal learners as they transfer between institutions. Articulation Agreements, academic bridging and comprehensive “wrap around” supports will be key components in the Pathways model. This research project, funded by the Ontario Council on Articulation and Transfer, marks the first Indigenous-centered transition Pathways model for Aboriginal transfer students in Ontario.

Through collaboration and consultation with students, faculty, Aboriginal Support Services, academic administration, staff and Aboriginal Education Authorities, this project will improve student outcomes in Aboriginal learning.

Project Benefits and Outcomes:
• Development of seamless pathways for Aboriginal transfer students;
• Create baseline data to support Indigenous-based approaches to post-secondary education;
• Improve student outcomes in Aboriginal learning; and,
• Formation of an Indigenous-centered approach to articulation agreements and transfer credit policies for colleges, universities and Aboriginal Institutes

4E – Pathways in Ontario and Canada: Where Do Students Go and What Do They Do? A Preliminary Analysis
Presenter: Leesa Wheelahan, William G. Davis Chair of Community College Leadership, OISE/University of Toronto

X Leesa Wheelahan commenced as the William G. Davis Chair of Community College Leadership at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto in early 2014. Prior to this she was as an Associate Professor in adult and vocational education at the University of Melbourne, Australia. Her research interests include articulation, credit transfer, and student pathways within and between colleges and universities; higher education policy, and relations between colleges and universities.

Co-Presenters:
Gavin Moodie, Adjunct Professor, OISE/University of Toronto

X Gavin Moodie is an Adjunct Professor in the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto. His doctorate and much of his research has been on relations between colleges and universities in Australia, the USA, and the UK. He is currently working on a project on progression within postsecondary education and between postsecondary education and work in Ontario compared to the rest of Canada.

Eric Lavigne, Graduate Student, OISE/University of Toronto

X Eric Lavigne started his career as a college faculty in Montreal, before taking on administrative responsibilities as Associate Dean. Holding degrees in Physics Engineering, Education, and Management, he is now pursuing a PhD at OISE in Higher Education. His research interests orbit around the themes of academic leadership, teaching and learning, policy and program evaluation, and career pathways.

Amanda Brijmohan, Graduate Student, OISE/University of Toronto

X Amanda Brijmohan completed her Honours.Bachelor of Science double majoring in Neuroscience and Psychology from the University of Toronto. She is currently pursuing a Masters of Arts in Higher Education at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education. Her research interests include educational psychology, student engagement, co-operative education, and educational policy, and the way they intersect with student academic and career pathways within higher education.

This presentation reports on an Ontario government funded project on educational pathways. It explores whether graduates stay within the same field of study when they undertake a second postsecondary education qualification. It examines educational pathways within fields of study between educational institutions (college to college; college to university; university to college; and university to university) and by qualification level (diploma to degree, degree to diploma, degree to post-graduate qualification etc). It compares the outcomes in Ontario with Canada overall (excluding Quebec). Preliminary findings show that:
• The percentage of students who move from college to university is lower in Ontario than it is for Canada;
• Within Ontario and Canada, the most common pathway consists of students who undertake a first and second qualification in university;
• The extent to which students stay within the same field of study when they undertake a second PSE qualification varies. Overall, the links between qualifications within fields of study is weak. In most fields, students change their field of study when they undertake a second PSE qualification. There are a small number of fields of study where a majority stay within that field when they undertake a second PSE qualification; and
• The link between qualifications and fields of study differs between colleges and universities in some fields, reflecting the different ways students use qualifications in each sector and field.

The presentation will highlight the strongest and weakest pathways and consider the implications of this analysis for policy at the level of programs, institutions, and PSE policy.

4F – Engaging Internal and External Stakeholders and the Importance of Consistent Messaging
Presenter: Victoria Baker, Manager, Degree and Credit Transfer, Seneca College

X Victoria Baker has coordinated and managed Seneca’s Degree and Credit Transfer Office for the past four years, and has worked at the College for over seven years. Her role involves working with internal academic departments to establish and develop partnerships with universities and colleges both locally and abroad. Victoria not only negotiates articulation agreements, but also updates existing agreements to reflect curriculum changes and improvements. Her centralized office provides dedicated degree transfer advisement services to students on new and existent diploma to diploma, diploma to degree, and degree to Master’s program pathways, and connects students with resources and information to support their academic goals. Victoria has expanded the capacity of service the DCTO provides to not only students, but also faculty, and brings significant expertise on student pathways, and specifically on the scope and depth of student advisement required in this area.

Co-presenter: Jennifer Kloosterman, Degree and Credit Transfer Coordinator, Seneca College

X Jennifer Kloosterman is the Degree and Credit Transfer Coordinator at Seneca College and has worked for the college for over 11 years, most recently within Career Services and Degree and Credit Transfer. Jennifer coordinates a variety of large scale and specialized on camps events in the areas of Pathways and Degree Transfer. She works closely with both students, faculty and representatives from partner institutions to ensure the pathway process is clear and seamless. In addition, Jennifer’s role as Coordinator also involves providing in depth degree transfer advisement services to prospective, current students and alumni for all programs across the college, to ensure they are not only informed as to what their options are and understand academically how to achieve their transfer goals but are also supported throughout their transition both into and out of Seneca.

This session will discuss the various ways Seneca College’s Degree and Credit Transfer Office effectively communicates consistent information from the partner to the student and everyone in between! This session will look at how Seneca’s centralized office acts as a hub for pathways information and advocates for not only the student, but the academic area and our partners at large when it comes to the dissemination of transfer information. Learn about how Seneca is staying current with social media trends and utilizing their network to find new ways to inform, update and enhance the breadth of transfer knowledge throughout the College.

Learning Outcomes:
• Understand the importance of consistent messaging;
• Become familiar with the pros and cons to a centralized service delivery model; and
• Broadened sense of the varying ways one can communicate with stakeholders

11:30 am – 12:15 pm

Lunch for All Delegates

12:15 pm – 1:15 pm

Plenary IV – Creating a Campus Conversation about Transfer Student Success: The Transfer Symposium
Presenter: Jane Rex, Director of Transfer Services, Appalachian State University

X Jane Rex is a 23 year veteran of the North Carolina Community College System serving in a variety of capacities in Student Services. She is currently the Director of the Office of Transfer Services at Appalachian State University that was established in 2010 to address the needs of transfer students particularly as it relates to the seamless transfer of credit. Under her leadership the office has grown in staff, resources and services that fully support transfer student needs from the admissions process through graduation. She has been instrumental in creating many transfer initiatives such as a transition and student mentor program, articulation agreements, transfer orientation redesign, and has collaborated across campus to create policies, procedures, and programming that support seamless transfer and student success.

Statewide, she has served as chair of the ACT Advisory Council, and as a member of the Comprehensive Articulation Agreement implementation leadership team. Jane currently serves as an executive board member for the North Carolina College Transfer Program Association, an advisory board member to the State Reverse Transfer program, and was selected to serve on a statewide military credit workgroup to develop a plan that will ensure that college credits are uniformly granted to students with military training. Jane regularly presents at state, regional, and national conferences.

Jane was the 2013-2014 recipient of the Bonita C. Jacobs Transfer Champion Award, presented at the National Institute for the Study of Transfer Students (NISTS) Conference in Atlanta, Georgia. The Bonita C. Jacobs award is given in recognition of an individual or individuals who have demonstrated exceptional advocacy and leadership in the development and implementation of transfer-focused activities (e.g., programs, policies, research) which have made a significant contribution to the improvement of transfer student access, persistence, and success.

As transfer student enrollment grows on our campuses, the creation of an institution-wide vision for transfer students becomes more important to ensure transfer student success. Appalachian State University hosted a Transfer Symposium in September, 2013 for more than 200 faculty and staff to learn about our transfer students, understand why transfer students are important, and to learn how we can best serve transfer students both inside and outside of the classroom. Participants at the Symposium developed new programming and curricula that have already been implemented on our campus. The success of this event led to Symposium 2014 that continued the conversation with a focus on special population groups. Participants will learn how we gained institutional support for the Symposiums, how to encourage participation, and how to make the ideas come alive on your campus.

Learning Outcomes
1. Create a case for institution-wide transfer initiatives.
2. Understand how to plan a University Transfer Symposium or similar university-wide transfer event.
3. Learn unique ideas to encourage participation.

1:15 pm – 1:30 pm

Move to next session

1:30 pm – 2:30 pm

Concurrent Sessions – Block 5

5A – Learning Outcomes: Building Better Pathways or Building Pathways Better?
Presenter: Mary Wilson, Director, Centre for Academic Excellence, Niagara College

X Mary Wilson is Director of the Centre for Academic Excellence at Niagara College. Her diverse experience in leading educational innovation at Ontario College of Art and Design University and in managing the Supported Learner Group Program at the University of Guelph is complemented by her engagement in curriculum development, continuing studies, as well as hybrid and distance learning.

Co-Presenters:
Christine Arnold, Doctoral Candidate in the Department of Leadership, Higher and Adult Education, OISE/University of Toronto

X Christine Helen Arnold is a Doctoral Candidate in the Department of Leadership, Higher and Adult Education at the University of Toronto/OISE. Her research interest lies in the examination of students of two-year College of Applied Arts and Technology (CAATs) and Institutes of Technology and Advanced Learning (ITALs) programs in Ontario who identify intentions to transfer to university. She hopes that her research will enable Ontario institutions to offer more directed support, holistic teaching, information, and preparation for transfer students.

Paola Borin, Curriculum Development Consultant, Ryerson University

X Paola Borin is a curriculum development consultant at Ryerson University. With more than 20 years of experience in public and private education and training, Paola works with departments and programs to develop, analyze and refine degree programs. She has experience in software design and usability and has developed tools to facilitate curriculum work.

Jean Bridge, Professor, Centre for Digital Humanities, Brock University

X Jean Bridge is an innovator in game and interactive media education at Brock University where she has led the College University Pathways for Games Project in developing and prototyping an outcomes-based tool that enables comparison of game and related programs for the purpose of advancing credit transfer. She has also led the development of new dual credential and concurrent Brock University/Niagara College Game Design BA (Honours) and Game Programming BSc (Honours) programs.

Brian Frank, Director of Program Development in the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science, Queen’s University

X Brian Frank is an Associate Professor in Electrical and Computer Engineering at Queen's University, where he has taught courses in electronics and wireless systems. He is the DuPont Canada Chair in Engineering Education Research and Development, and the Director of Program Development in the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science where he works on engineering curriculum development, program assessment, and using educational technology.

Jovan Groen, Acting Director, Centre for University Teaching, University of Ottawa

X Jovan Groen is Acting Director of the University of Ottawa's Centre for University Teaching where he works closely with various faculties and departments in different processes of curriculum assessment, development and review. He has collaborated on the development of online curriculum mapping and course outline tools to improve data collection and analysis of the underlying logic of curriculum design.

Mary Catharine Lennon, PhD candidate in Higher Education, University of Toronto

X Mary Catharine Lennon has been involved in learning outcomes development, assessment and research for the past 5 years through provincial, national and international projects and collaborations. The majority of her research deals with international and comparative policy issues of system design, accountability and quality assurance. Currently completing her PhD candidate at the University of Toronto in Higher Education, her recent work focuses on the impact of learning outcomes activities.

Judith Spring, Dean of Business, IT and Management, Durham College

X Judith Spring is the Dean of Business, IT and Management at Durham College. Judith’s post-graduate work has focused on critical success factors in post-secondary pathways and she has extensive experience in negotiating articulation agreements and forging multi-institutional block credit transfer agreements that open up possibilities for Ontario students.

Leesa Wheelahan, William G. Davis Chair of Community College Leadership, OISE/University of Toronto

X Leesa Wheelahan is the William G. Davis Chair in Community College Leadership at OISE. She has led many national projects and published widely on issues pertaining to community colleges; tertiary education policy; student equity, student pathways, qualifications frameworks and credit transfer in tertiary education; the role of theoretical knowledge in curriculum; community college teacher development; and, the relationship between education and the labour market.

This roundtable discussion provides an opportunity to share a diverse array of perspectives on the possibilities, options and problems in outcomes-based strategies for the creation of student pathways in higher education. The panel will explore how concepts and practices that depend on learning outcomes - such as education tuning, curriculum design and data collection - can be developed, evaluated and sustained.

Speakers will discuss curriculum frameworks, taxonomies, rubrics, mapping, software tools and databases and how such approaches can lead to the adoption of practices and creation of institutional infrastructure to support systematic transparency and clarity expected from learning in higher education.

5B – Pathways of Secondary and Continuing Education Students in the Toronto District School Board: Ongoing Research
Presenter: Robert S. Brown, Research Coordinator, Toronto District School Board; Adjunct Professor of Education, York University

X Robert S. Brown is Research Coordinator at the Toronto District School Board and Adjunct Professor of Education at York University. Among his areas of research are time structures of schools; cohort analysis; special education; and demographic data.

Co-Presenters:
Karen Robson, Associate Professor, Department of Sociology, York University

X Karen Robson is Associate Professor of Sociology at York University, teaching and doing research in the areas of quantitative methods and the sociology of education.

Gillian Parekh, Post-doctoral Fellow, OISE/University of Toronto

X Gillian Parekh is a Post-doctoral Fellow at OISE/University of Toronto. Her doctorate from Critical Disability Studies at York University examined the sense of belonging in secondary students in the Toronto District School Board.

Chris Conley, Data Analyst and Executive MISA Lead, Durham District School Board

X Chris Conley is Research Analyst in the Durham District School Board and Executive Lead, Barrie Region MISA Professional Network Centre. He has presented extensively on the use of Data Visualization techniques in educational research.

Lisa Newton, Data Analyst, Toronto District School Board

X Lisa Newton is Research Analyst at the Toronto District School Board and has done research on Continuing and Adult Education, and the transition from secondary to post-secondary.

Unlike earlier generations, postsecondary is now the default destination for most Ontario high school students. This has created the need to re-envision current policy and practice around transitions from elementary to high school, and from high school to university and college.

This panel focuses on research studies employing data and policy analyses that investigate and deconstruct the complex patterns of the transition from secondary to postsecondary. Integral aspects of the research presented include:
• postsecondary trends of TDSB regular day school students over the past decade;
• a comparison of intersectionality of postsecondary characteristics of TDSB students compared with students in Chicago public schools (a joint York University/TDSB/University of Chicago research study);
• examination of the role of “belonging” in TDSB schools and in transitions to post-secondary study; and,
• examination of a cohort of TDSB students starting in Ontario community colleges and their progress in college over four years (this joint TDSB-OCAS project includes current adolescent and continuing education/Adult students, as well as older Adult students formerly in the TDSB).

Characteristics and topics examined include: gender, race, socio-economic factors, age, secondary program of study, as well as type of post-secondary institution/program. Data visualization techniques are incorporated and outlined as one method of exploring the complexity of transitions.

5C – Implementation of College System-Wide ONCAT Transfer Agreements in Business
Presenter: Mary Pierce, Chair, Lawrence Kinlin School of Business, Fanshawe College

X Mary Pierce is Chair at the Lawrence Kinlin School of Business at Fanshawe College, as well as Chair at the Ontario Heads of Business, and Co-Chair HOB Transfer Agreements Steering Committee.

Co-presenters:
Helene Vukovich, Acting Dean, Centre for Business, George Brown College, Co-Chair, HOB Transfer Agreements Steering Committee

X Helene Vukovich is currently Acting Dean at the Centre for Business at George Brown College, and Co-Chair at the HOB Transfer Agreements Steering Committee.

Jeannine Cookson, Project Lead, HOB System-Wide Transfer Agreements Implementation

X Jeannine Cookson is the Project Lead for the H.O.B System Wide Transfer Agreements Implementation.

Minette Klazinga, Pathways Consultant, Lawrence Kinlin School of Business, Fanshawe College

X Minette Klazinga is a Pathways Consultant at the Lawrence Kinlin School of Business at Fanshawe College.

This session will cover:
• Brief history of the College System-Wide ONCAT Transfer Agreements in Business project;
• Discussion of full implementation phase that launched in November 2014, system-wide;
• Where the Heads of Business are at now in the implementation phase of this project;
• Lessons learned throughout the project;
• Moving forward with the implementation phase;
• What colleges can do now to move forward with the implementation phase;
• Best practices; and,
• Questions, answers, discussion

5D – Supporting Transfer Applicants in a Centralized Client Service Office
Presenter: Jonathan Christie, UAR Client Service Manager, Ryerson University

X Jonathan Christie manages the UAR Client Service office and previously managed Ryerson’s Transfer Credit Unit. He oversaw the implementation Ryerson’s self-service Transfer Credit application and was the Ryerson lead for the implementation of the ONTransfer.ca Course Transfer Guide. Jonathan is currently working on initiatives aiming to improve RO services for prospective and current Ryerson students.

Co-presenters:
Cheryl Ramage, Client Service Transfer Specialist, Ryerson University

X Cheryl Ramage is a Client Service Transfer Specialist and through her IO duties focuses on providing in-depth advising to prospective transfer applicants. She brings several years of international student recruitment experience to the role, and also draws from her time spent at Ryerson as an undergraduate student.

Thomas Dunbar, Client Service Transfer Specialist, Ryerson University

X Thomas Dunbar is a Client Service Transfer Specialist and in the past has worked as a Client Service Representative and Liaison Officer. In addition to his IO duties, Tom is working on a number of projects aimed at improving transfer student outreach and resources. Tom also draws on his own experiences as a transfer applicant and Ryerson student.

Amy Bastoros, Admission/Information Officer, Ryerson University

X Amy Bastoros is an Admissions/Information Officer and has worked at Ryerson for over ten years. While IO is Amy’s primary role, she is also an Admissions Officer and facilitates admissions for an undergraduate program. Amy is the Client Service unit’s admission expert, and supports the team and assists with training.

The Client Services unit within Ryerson University’s Undergraduate Admissions and Recruitment office provides front-line support, information and advising on undergraduate program choices, admission requirements, application procedures and the selection process. The unit supports all prospective undergraduate students, however transfer applicants represent a significant and growing portion of the clients. The Client Service Representatives (CSRs) are the front-line staff interacting with prospective students through telephone, email and social media, as well as in-person visits. CSRs handle many prospective transfer student inquiries, including providing information on pathway options, admission requirements and the transfer credit application process. Applicants requiring more in-depth advising, are triaged to one of the Information Officers (IOs), who are able to advise on their unique circumstances. IO advising is done by a variety of admission experts, many of whom play dual roles, including Admission Officers, Liaison Officers and Transfer Specialists.

This session will provide an overview of our model for client services, and describe how the Client Service unit provides a link between our transfer applicants, Admission Officers and the Transfer Credits Unit in the Registrar’s Office. Presenters will discuss how this model has evolved and expanded to meet the changing needs of their clients, and to provide more comprehensive advising for transfer applicants. They will also discuss the challenges they face using this model.

5E – The Changing Patterns of College-to-University Transfer: Examination of the Graduate Satisfaction Survey since 2006-07
Presenter: Henry Decock, Associate Vice-President Academic Partnerships, Centre for Research in Student Mobility - Seneca College

X Henry Decock has been working at Seneca College since 1987 and is Associate Vice-President Academic Partnerships, leading the newly formed Centre for Research in Student Mobility. He received a Doctor of Philosophy in Higher Education from OISE/UT with his thesis, A Case Study Analysis of Ontario CAAT Graduates Who Transfer to a University. He co-authored the HEQCO report, The Transfer Experience of Ontario College Graduates Who Further Their Education and published “Calculating the College-to-University Transfer Rate in Ontario” in College Quarterly.

Co-presenters:
Ursula McCloy, Research Project Manager, Centre for Research in Student Mobility - Seneca College

X Ursula McCloy has been a researcher in Ontario’s higher education sector for the past ten years and is currently the Research Project Manager in the Centre for Research in Student Mobility. Previously she led two MTCU funded PIF projects, was Research Director at the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario (2007-2013), and a Research Officer at Colleges Ontario (2004-2007). Ursula has a PhD in Nutritional Science from the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Medicine, and Master’s and undergraduate degrees from Memorial University of Newfoundland.

Mitchell Steffler, Research Analyst, Centre for Research in Student Mobility - Seneca College

X Mitchell Steffler is a Research Analyst in the Centre for Research in Student Mobility. He was formerly a Data Analyst at the Public Economics Data Analysis Lab (PEDAL) in McMaster University where he was responsible for the transformation and analysis of data. He specializes in quantitative research, and has assisted with a number of academic and non-academic publications. He holds a Master of Arts degree in Economic Policy from McMaster University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Wilfrid Laurier University.

Beginning with graduates in 2006-07, the provincial Graduate Satisfaction Survey was expanded to add numerous questions directly related to the transfer experience of college graduates who enrolled in a postsecondary institution six months after completing their program. The questions gather information on motivation to pursue further postsecondary, source of transfer information, amount of transfer credit and satisfaction along with documentation on the institution and program of destination six months after graduation. Since 2006-07, the number of transfer agreements has grown, the provincial government has invested more money into the development of pathways, and institutions have increased initiatives to foster student mobility.

This presentation will build on a 2011 baseline HEQCO report to examine the pattern of responses to these questions in the context of the evolving postsecondary environment. The intervening years have shown a decline in the percentage of graduates pursuing a degree but an increase in the total number of college graduates attending university; an increase in the amount of transfer credit granted along with closer affinity with the destination program; and, consistency in the level of overall satisfaction, but an increasing gap between those who enter the workforce and those who pursue further education.

The discussion will examine the role of international students, the growth of baccalaureate programs at colleges, the changing labour force demands in some professions, and the evolving mix of college and university programs to help understand some of these patterns.

5F – "We see you. We hear you." Using Student Voice to Inform Services, Policies and Procedures to Improve the College Transfer Experience
Presenter: Sylvie Lamoureux, Associate Professor, University of Ottawa

X Sylvie A. Lamoureux (PhD, O.ONT.) is an associate professor in the Faculty of Arts at the University of Ottawa. Her research expertise is student voice and the student experience, with a particular focus on the transition into and through the university. She has been PI on two HEQCO funded projects on access and retention, as well as two projects on the college-transfer student experience of transition to university.

Co-presenters:
Julie Beauchamp, Vice-Dean, Undergraduate and Professional Programs, Telfer School of Management, University of Ottawa

X Julie Beauchamp, Vice-Dean Undergraduate and Professional Programs, Telfer School of Management, oversees the development, planning and coordination of the undergraduate and graduate professional programs. Professor Beauchamp also oversees the quality of the student experience and advises the Dean on all matters affecting the undergraduate and graduate professional programs.

Andrea Secord, Coordinator and Resource Person, Student Academic Support Services, University of Ottawa

X Andrea Secord has been working for the University of Ottawa since 2011. As a member of the Student Academic Success Service’s Academic Support Unit, Andrea has been involved in numerous projects including the First Generation program, and the Mentoring Centre for mature students and transfer students. Andrea holds a BA in Education as well as a Master’s degree in Educational Counselling from the University of Ottawa.

Klehr D’Souza, Assistance to Learning Consultant, Student Academic Support Services, University of Ottawa

X Klehr D’souza is the Assistant to the Learning Consultant at the Student Academic Success Services (SASS) department at the University of Ottawa. Having acquired a Bachelor of Science in Biology, with a minor in Psychology, she is currently implicated with research that focuses on the experience of college transfer students. She is also involved with the mentoring program and works closely with the student-mentors in the Faculty of Engineering and Faculty of Science.

Jean-Luc Daoust, Interim Associate-Registrar, Manager, Student Academic Support Services, University of Ottawa

X Jean-Luc Daoust is the Manager of the Student Academic Success Service. He holds a Master’s in Education and a Bachelor’s in Psychology. Throughout his 24 year career at the University of Ottawa, he has participated in several research initiatives to better understand students and improve access and retention, including the transition to the University of Ottawa from a variety of pathways.

In 2013-2014, the University of Ottawa conducted surveys and led a series of focus groups and interviews with several cohorts of college transfer students to gain a better understanding of i) their transfer experience and ii) the complexities of the various pathways into and through the university. This student-voice data was used to analyse their existing services, policies and procedures to identify areas of improvement and innovation, two of which were implemented in time for the fall 2014 cohort. A research-informed impact evaluation of the implementation of these two initiatives was designed for 2014-2015, with a strong focus on student voice.
This panel brings together senior administrators, student support staff and a researcher to report on the progress to date of two of these initiatives at the University of Ottawa: 1) the mentoring centre for transfer and mature students and 2) the transformation of the college transfer pathway at the Telfer School of Management. These presentations will be followed by a report of findings from the impact evaluation of the new transfer pathway, from multiple perspectives (student, faculty student support staff, and admissions staff). The presenters will then open a discussion with the session participants to discuss implications and next steps for institutions and their partners, regarding 1) how to institutionalize best practices across faculties and services to better support the college transfer students from all pathways into and through the university and 2) the importance of student voice to inform policy and procedures.

2:30 pm

Conference concludes.