Anatomy of a Tuition Freeze: The Case of Ontario

Using two conceptual frameworks from political science—Kingdon’s (2003) multiple streams model and the advocacy coalition framework (Sabatier & Jenkins-Smith, 1993)—this case study examines the detailed history of a major tuition policy change in Ontario in 2004: a tuition freeze. The paper explores the social, political, and economic factors that influenced policymakers on this particular change to shed light on the broader questions of the dynamics of postsecondary policymaking. The study found that the Liberal Party’s decision to freeze postsecondary tuition fees was a function of stakeholder relations, public opinion, and brokerage politics, designed for electoral success. The policy implementation strategy was intended to facilitate the cooperation and interests of the major institutions. Within the broader policy community, student-organized interest groups and other policy advocates were aligned in a policy preference, a critical component for successful change.  À l’aide de deux cadres conceptuels en science politique, le modèle à volets multiples de Kingdon (2003) et le cadre de coalitions de défense de Sabatier et Jenkins-Smith (1993), la présente étude de cas examine l’histoire détaillée d’un changement majeur en matière de politique de frais de scolarité qui a eu lieu en Ontario en 2004 : le gel des frais de scolarité. Le présent article examine les facteurs sociaux, politiques et économiques qui ont dirigé certains responsables politiques vers ce changement particulier, afin de faire la lumière sur les questions plus générales portant sur la dynamique de l’élaboration de politiques en matière d’enseignement postsecondaire. L’étude conclut que la décision du parti Libéral de geler les frais de scolarité des études postsecondaires relevait de relations avec les intervenants, d’opinion publique et de politique de médiation, dans le but de remporter les élections. La stratégie de mise en œuvre de la politique visait à faciliter la coopération et les intérêts entre institutions d’envergure. Au sein d’une communauté politique plus large, des groupes d’intérêt étudiants et d’autres défenseurs de la politique partageaient la même préférence politique, un élément essentiel à la réussite de ce changement

Tuition Policy Instruments in Canada Public Policy Choices for What Problems

AbstractUsing policy instruments as the unit of analysis and employing an instrument typology, this study considers policymaker goals and the effects of different policy actors and their influence strategies on selection. This study builds upon conceptions of choice approaches to policy instruments, using an analytical lens to describe policy actor perceptions and policy instrument use in three Canadian provinces to shed new light on the nature of higher education policy design.RésuméEn utilisant les instruments de politique comme unité d'analyse et en employant une typologie d'instruments, cette étude considère les objectifs des décideurs politiques et les effets des différents acteurs politiques et leurs stratégies d'influence sur la sélection. S’appuyant sur les conceptions des approches de choix des instruments de politique et utilisant une lentille analytique pour décrire les perceptions des acteurs politiques ainsi que les instruments de politique dans trois provinces canadiennes, cette étude servira de tremplin afin de jeter un nouveau regard sur la nature de la conception des politiques d'enseignement supérieur.Key Words: policy instruments; higher education; provincial policy; tuition policyMots-clés : instruments de politique; enseignement supérieur; politique provinciale; politique de scolarit

Thawing the tuition freeze: The politics of policy change in comparative perspective

This study examines the process by which two provinces made major change in tuition policies in Canada. The approach uses two alternative theories of policy change, the advocacy coalition framework and multiple streams of problems, policies, and politics. Using purposive sampling, the two cases selected were from British Columbia and Manitoba, and data were collected through systematic investigation using two key research tools: content analysis of relevant documentary materials and interviews of policy actors

Creative evaluation: A Constellation of Approaches toward the Future of Academic Integrity

With academic integrity anchored in teaching and learning (Bertram Gallant, 2016), perhaps its future could be positively influenced by more creative evaluation processes and methods. In this interactive presentation, members of Assiniboine Community College’s (ACC) Learning Commons share the value of designing and developing creative evaluations which maintain academic integrity in the evaluation process and align to college standards. With omnipresent concerns about academic misconduct spanning higher education, course and assessment design remain a way to prevent and reduce its occurrence through already established pedagogical strategies. The multidisciplinary team of ACC’s Library Manager, Education Quality Assurance Specialist, and Instructional Designer will facilitate an exploration of creative evaluation that can be achieved by using a constellation of approaches. This exploration is based primarily on the works of creative evaluation from Christou et al. (2021) and assessment for inclusion by Tai et al. (2022). Participants will leave with an understanding of what creative evaluations are and look like, and how to move towards designing and developing them at their own institutions

Championing academic integrity in academic development

Curtis et al. (2021) propose that educators with practical, theoretical, and research experience in academic integrity (AI) are well-suited to deliver workshops on the subject. These workshops promote shared understandings amongst attendees, and provide a platform to discuss concerns, devise solutions, and relieve anxieties. Finally, these workshops are most effective when they are a part of themed academic development activities. Assiniboine Community College’s (ACC) Centre for Learning and Innovation (CLI) supports program development and renewal, course and instructional design, teaching strategies, Moodle (Learning Management System), and educational technology. Working with the College’s Academic Integrity and Copyright Officer, CLI has contextualized academic integrity within existing academic development activities, such as a workshops, job aids, and one-on-one sessions. This situates academic integrity as central to our work, rather than an add-on topic. Join ACC’s Centre for Learning and Innovation team members for an overview of where and how we have embedded academic integrity into our offerings, work, and quality standards. Participants will leave this session with practical examples of how teaching and learning centres can be champions for academic integrity.

Looking Back, Looking Forward: Canadian Higher Education Research on Tuition Fees

To contribute to the 50th Anniversary Issue, this scholarly article will review the literature on Canadian higher education tuition fees over the past 50 years, focusing on the major theme of higher education planning, and the role higher education research has played in the policy-making environment. Examining both the French and English language scholarship published by the CJHE, the researchers will describe the contributions, and provide commentary on opportunities for impactful research for the future. Presenting a case study in Québec, the article will identify emerging trends that are anticipated to shape this higher education policy area in the future.Pour contribuer au numéro du 50e anniversaire de la revue, cet article scientifique dresse un tour d’horizon de la littérature sur les frais de scolarité en enseignement supérieur au Canada, au cours des 50 dernières années. Le texte se concentre sur le thème principal de la planification de l’enseignement supérieur et sur le rôle que la recherche en enseignement supérieur joue dans l’environnement des politiques relatives à ces établissements. En examinant les travaux et résultats de recherches pub-liés en français et en anglais par la RCES, les chercheurs décrivent leurs contributions et fournissent des commentaires sur les possibilités de recherches percutantes pour l’avenir. Présentant une étude de cas concernant le Québec, le document indique les tendances émergentes qui devraient façonner le domaine des politiques d’enseignement supérieur à l’avenir

The Political Economy of Tuition Policy Formation in Canada

This study develops a conceptual understanding of the process by which provincial tuition policies undergo major change in Canada. The first research question is whether, and to what extent, two alternative theories of policy change advocacy coalition (ACF) and multiple streams of problems, policies, and politics (MSM) can explain policy change. The second research question examines how these policy processes compare to each other. This research builds upon an emerging international field of enquiry, policy and politics of higher education, and contributes important empirical, descriptive and conceptual findings to the Canadian literature on post-secondary policy. The methodology was a comparative case study of three episodes of significant policy change, selected using purposive sampling (British Columbia, Ontario, and Manitoba) and employing an analytical framework based on Ness (2008). Data were collected through systematic investigation using two key research tools: content analysis of relevant documentary materials and 59 interviews of policy actors. The research found that each of the theories provides important and relevant conceptual understanding of policy change. There are five factors associated with policy change: changing financial conditions, changing concerns about accessibility, a changing government mandate with a strong premier, changing public mood, and changing political and policy alliances. The practice of politics is central to tuition policy formation; these politics include political differentiation, brokerage politics, and retail politics. Individual universities, their presidents, and their membership organizations play an influential role in policy formation. Senior leaders within cabinet function as policy entrepreneurs, most frequently the premier. Student organizations are successful in agenda-setting. Successful influence strategies can be characterized as insider tactics, and successful agenda-setting activities include softening up. The conditions for student lobby success appear to be increased in cases where brokerage politics is occurring in an electoral contest. Research itself is not a key factor in policy change. Tuition policy choices are made with consideration of the available research; a more direct influence on policy change is political and policy learning. Regardless of policy choices and contexts, governments describe their overall policy goal as the provision of quality and accessible post-secondary education. A new conceptual model for tuition policy change is proposed

Higher Education Funding in Canada, the U.S. and Western Europe – A Comparison

This chapter compares the higher education funding systems in the United States, Canada and Western Europe as described in the three previous chapters in this volume. To illustrate differences and commonalities between states we use a number of complementary perspectives and concepts: (1) Esping-Andersen’s three welfare regimes of liberal, conservative and social-democratic societies, (2) three key funding dilemmas/characteristics around funding, along with OECD statistics and information on these characteristics, (3) higher education governance modes as shown in Clark’s triangle of coordination, and (4) the perspective of policy frames driving higher education policy-making. The three policy frames we distinguish are: (1) economic competitiveness and labour market relevance, (2) scientific excellence and exclusiveness, and (3) societal challenges and inclusiveness. Bringing these perspectives together allows us not just to describe the state-of-the-art in terms of the funding mechanisms of particular states, but also sheds light on the global movement towards market-type steering through the introduction of cost sharing, competition and performance-based funding in higher education. Our argument is that national higher education governance and funding systems differ in the degrees to which they will introduce (or already have embedded) particular manifestations – or varieties – of academic capitalism