Dr. Leesa Wheelahan, Dr. Gavin Moodie, Dr. Michael Skolnik, Dr. Qin Liu, Edmund G. Adam, Diane Simpson

Presented at the

Canadian Sociology Association Annual Meeting McMaster University, January 27, 2017

The College Baccalaureates Project

Ontario Institute for Studies in Education

University of Toronto

Overview of the Session

- Introduction – Qin Liu

- Apples to Apples? - Diane Simpson

- Student Access and Identity – Edmund G. Adam

- Q & As

Research Programme

http://oise.utoronto.ca/pew/

Team Members

Leesa Wheelahan PI Gavin Moodie CI Michael Skolnik CI

Qin Liu Post-Doc Diane Simpson GA Edmund G. Adam GA

The College Baccalaureates Project OHCRIF-funded

Examining the impact of the college baccalaureate on colleges and their students

Key areas of investigation include:

• perspectives of policy makers, college leaders and faculty members;

• students' perspectives;

• the curriculum of college baccalaureates;

• the role of college baccalaureates in the labour market

Diane Simpson, Dr. Qin Liu, Edmund G. Adam, Dr. Leesa Wheelahan, Dr. Gavin Moodie, Dr. Michael Skolnik

Apples to Apples:

Are college and university baccalaureates the same?

Are college and university baccalaureates the same?

No - our research on college level curriculum demonstrates significant differences in overall orientation and approach to the development and delivery of the college baccalaureate with a strong focus on applied skills and industry links.

Overview

A Bernsteinian approach

Analysing the College Curriculum

Preliminary findings

Implications

A Bernsteinian Approach to Analysis

Horizontal and Vertical Discourses as forms of KnowledgeHorizontal Discourse: everyday knowledge that entails a set of strategies that are local, segmentally organized and context specific

Vertical Discourse: takes a form of coherent, explicit and systematically principled structure, with a specialized language with strong theoretical bases.

(Bernstein, 2000, p. 157)

Curriculum Analysis

How is the curriculum linked to a theoretical body of

knowledge and/or more vocational knowledge?

A Bernsteinian Approach to Analysis

Classification and Framing

Classification: As a way to examine relationships between categories (agencies, agents, discourses and practices)

Framing: As a way to analyse forms of communication, it is what helps to establish the message

(Bernstein, 2000, p. 6- 13)

Curriculum Analysis

What principles were used to construct the curriculum

and what matters in the curriculum and why?

Curriculum Analysis

Degree Selection

Technology: Bachelor of Applied Technology Architecture – Project and Facilities Management,

Conestoga College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning

Applied Arts: Bachelor of Applied Arts in Behavioural Psychology, St. Lawrence College

Bachelor of Music, Humber College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning

Health: Bachelor of Applied Health Sciences – Athletic Therapy, Sheridan College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning

Business: Bachelor of Commerce – Accounting, Seneca College Institute of Technology and

Learning

Curriculum AnalysisCollege Baccalaureate Cognate Degree at an university focused

on experiential learning

Cognate Degree at a research intensive

university

Conestoga: Bachelor of Applied

Technology: Architecture Project and

Facility Management

University of Waterloo: Honours Bachelor

of Architectural Studies

University of Toronto: Honours Bachelor

of Arts: Architectural Studies

Humber: Bachelor of Music University of Waterloo: Bachelor of Arts:

Music Major

University of Toronto: Bachelor of Music

Seneca: Bachelor of Commerce:

International Accounting and Finance

Ryerson University: Bachelor of

Commerce: Accounting and Finance

York University Schulich School of

Business: Bachelor of Business

Administration, Accounting

Specialization

Bachelor of Applied Health Sciences

(Athletic Therapy)

University of Ontario Institute of

Technology: Bachelor of Kinesiology

University of Toronto: Bachelor of

Kinesiology

Bachelor of Applied Arts: Behavioural

Psychology

Ryerson University: Bachelor of Arts,

Psychology

Queen’s University: Bachelor of Arts,

Psychology

Curriculum Analysis: Degrees in Architecture

54%

21%

6%

19%

Conestoga

Applied

Theoretical

outside of discipline

Coop/Work Placement

12%

44%2%

42%

Waterloo

Applied

Theoretical

outside of discipline

Coop/Work Placement

Finding 1: : Weight of skill based knowledge within curriculum

2%

78%

20%

0%

University of Toronto

Applied

Theoretical

outside of discipline

Coop/Work Placement

Differences in Orientation

Finding 2: Applied orientation with strong focus on skills and employment outcomes evident across college degrees:

College: This is the first in a series of eight courses that provides the opportunity to integrate, apply and build upon the knowledge and skills acquired during course work to projects.

Experiential Focused University: Development of the means to appreciate the art and science of building; introduction to the study of theories of architecture; development of skills in graphic communication; introduction to a study of building elements; promotion of the application of theory in the practice of design.

Research University: A studio-based introduction to the methods and processes of design. The course serves as a hands-on exploration of design issues through a series of exercises that introduce students to the conceptual underpinnings of the design process, developing their capacity to conceive, manipulate, and analyze form through a variety of representational media.

(Course Descriptions)

Links to Industry

Finding 3: Strong role of industry in the development and positioning of the College

Baccalaureate

Every college degree has an advisory council/board (as mandated by the ministry) three out of the five college degree sites listed members of their advisory

Two out of five Experiential Universities had advisories, one listed the members on the site

One research intensive university listed links with industry and names of individuals involved in the program

Implications

1. Implications for perspective students

2. Implications for graduates for further studies and preparation for the labour market

3. System-wide differentiation of baccalaureate degree

Access and Identity of College Baccalaureate Students in Ontario

Edmund G. Adam, Dr. Qin Liu, Diane Simpson, Dr. Leesa Wheelahan, Dr. Gavin Moodie, Dr. Michael Skolnik

McMaster University, January 27, 2017

Outline

Context

Research questions

Research design:

• Theoretical framework

• Method

Research findings

Implications

Context

Other jurisdictions:

College baccalaureates improved access to postsecondary education (PSE) for disadvantaged students.

(Skolnik & Walker, 2005; Wheelahan et al., 2012)

Ontario:

The impact on access and student identity

Context (cont’d)

College baccalaureates in Ontario

2000: Degree granting authorised

Rationales: Access, economy

2002: 9 colleges, 12 baccalaureates

2014: 12 colleges, 91 baccalaureates

13, 049 students enrolled

2016: 13 colleges offered 108 degree programmes

Research Questions

• To what extent have college baccalaureates opened access to students from disadvantaged backgrounds?

• What are the reasons for students enrolling in college baccalaureate programmes versus other types of programmes?

• To what extent have college baccalaureates shaped the identity of college baccalaureate students?

Research Design: Theoretical Framework

Ball, Reay, and David (2002)

Contingent Choosers Embedded Choosers

First-time choosers with no family tradition of higher education

Embedded in ‘aspirations’ which make higher education normal and necessary

Parents as ‘weak framers’ may give support on families making the choice

Parents as ‘strong framers’ and active participants in choice

Finance is a key concern and constraint Finance is not an issue

Choice uses minimal information Choice is based on extensive and diverse sources of information

Choice is distant or ‘unreal’ Choice is part of a cultural script, a ‘normal biography’

Choosing is short term and weakly linked to ‘imagined futures’ — part of an incomplete or incoherent narrative

Choosing is long-term and often relates to vivid and extensive ‘imagined futures’ —part of a coherent and planned narrative

Research Design: Method

• Interviews: 22 baccalaureate students at 5 colleges

• College Key Performance Indicators survey data

First generation Yes, 6 (27%); No, 16 (73%)

Registration status Full-time 22/22 (100%)

Age Under 25 (40%); 25-29 (14%); 30-34 (18%); 35-39 (18%); 40-over (9%)

Previous education High school (11, 50%); Some PSE (11, 50%)

Total 22

Research Findings

Finding 1: College baccalaureate students’ decisions were proximate in time, influencers and place.

Close influencers

How did you find out about the program?

• Word of mouth (12, 55%); Internet (10, 45%)

Reasons for choosing college baccalaureate programs:• location, cost

• coops, applied nature

• smaller classes

• availability of specialised programmes

• lower admission standards

• better financial aid

Research Findings

Finding 2: College baccalaureate students are, more often than not, contingent PSE choosers.

• Local considerations for decision making

• Parental involvement in decision making:

Yes (6, 27%); No (16, 73%)

Research Findings

Finding 3: College baccalaureate students often identify more closely with the field of study than with the college they attend.

How did you describe your studies to friends, family, and acquaintances?

• Field of study versus college

‘I tell them I’m learning about how to save the world,’ and they go ‘Wow, what’s that, and I sound smart.’ (interviewee)

Implications

1. For system planning

2. For degree granting colleges

3. For individual students

Thank You!

www.utoronto.ca/cihe

www.oise.utoronto.ca/pew/

Questions? Comments?