Working Title: ABC (Aligning and Building Curriculum) Knowledge Exchange Network *
Project Leader: Janice MacMillan (Durham College)
Project Coordinators: Diane Bloor and Karen Hodgins
Description: A group of six colleges have been working together to support faculty as they design, review and revise curriculum at both the program and course level. In fall 2008 this group launched an ABC Curriculum Resource Project, developing a website to house a variety of curriculum resources, tools, and web links that are useful to ABC participants as they engage in curriculum work. They will now collaborate towards an ABC Knowledge Exchange Network which will be hosted by Durham College. The Network will engage faculty and curriculum developers in knowledge sharing and investigate the requirements, methods and tools to support the development of the Network, and develop a plan to extend the test across the province.
Value: $35,000

Working Title: Exploring PSE Accessibility, Persistence and Labour Market Success of Ontario Youth through Linked Data Sets (RFP-016)
Principal Investigator(s): The GTA Institutional Research Network (Centennial College, Durham College, George Brown College, Humber College, Seneca College and Sheridan College). Contract with Seneca College.
Description: College graduation rates vary widely, however little is known about the causes and pathways taken by ‘college leavers.’ This research will identify the factors behind their departure and identify the post-attrition pathways undertaken, allowing GTA colleges to design appropriate intervention strategies both as individual colleges and as a collaborative inter-colleges initiative.
Value: $123,050

Working Title: The Impact of Mental Health Problems in the Community College Student Population
Principal Investigator(s): Cambrian College (Lead Researcher: Maria Kostakos)
Description:  An Ontario-wide study on mental health issues in postsecondary education.  Phase one of this study will look at the number of students currently being treated for mental health issues on campus, their demographic characteristics, and the types and severity of mental health issues that students are presenting themselves with.  It will also explore the ways in which mental health issues affect academic performance, and the types of accommodations and strategies currently being used to lessen the adverse effects.  Phase two of this study involves designing and administering a survey to a representative sample of PSE students across Ontario in order to determine how prevalent mental health issues are in the student population at large.  This project is part of a larger group of funded research (HEQCO-RFP-006: The Role of Student Services in Promoting Educational Quality) aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of specific student services projects or programs in supporting access, retention and quality.
Value: $38,815

Working Title: The Impact of Selected High School Reforms on High School Graduation and Potential Transitions to Postsecondary Education
Principal Investigator(s): Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto (Lead Researcher: Ben Levin)

Description: Many jurisdictions have made efforts to improve high school outcomes and change patterns of postsecondary participation. Different policy approaches have been used including changes in curriculum, student assessment, graduation requirements, teaching and learning practices, support services, school organization, and community engagement. These approaches have been met with varying degrees of success. While there are case studies of these approaches, there is not much literature looking either conceptually or empirically at policy approaches to improve high school outcomes at a system-wide level. This study will review international evidence on different policy approaches to improving secondary completion and postsecondary participation and outline various strategies and their impact. It will also examine the participation in and impact of two programs across Ontario –dual credits and the specialist high skills major (SHSM) - in regard to secondary completion and (at a later stage) post-secondary participation.
Value: $20,900

Working Title: Impact of "Sheltered" ESL Support Programming on Academic Performance and Student Engagement
Principal Investigator(s): Ontario College of Art & Design (Lead Researchers: Rebecca Smollett, Christina Halliday, Richard Smith and Catherine Black)
Description: A study that examines the educational experience of the first cohort in a “sheltered” first-year block program for non-native speakers of English. The goal is to determine whether the benefits to students, particularly in terms of student engagement, outweigh the possible detrimental effects on participants due to isolating them from the general student population. This project is part of a larger group of funded research (HEQCO-RFP-006: The Role of Student Services in Promoting Educational Quality) aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of specific student services projects or programs in supporting access, retention and quality.
Value: $40,641

Working Title: Information Literacy Competency Standards for Students: a Measure of the Effectiveness of Information Literacy Initiatives in Higher Education
Principal Investigator(s): Georgian College of Applied Arts and Laurentian@Georgian (Principal Researchers: Michele Beaudoin, Jennifer Varcoe, and Amanda Duncan)
Description: A mixed-methods longitudinal research study that will measure the effectiveness of information literacy (IL) initiatives delivered to students in college diploma, college applied degree, university/college and university undergraduate programs at Georgian College and partnering institutions.  Data will derive primarily from self-assessment surveys delivered to student participants both before and at three points after IL interventions and from semi-structured faculty interviews on student’s progress in achieving IL competency standards. This project is part of a larger group of funded research (HEQCO-RFP-006: The Role of Student Services in Promoting Educational Quality) aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of specific student services projects or programs in supporting access, retention and quality.
Value: $153,157

Working Title: Learning Skills Enhancement Strategy
Principal Investigator(s): Brock University (Lead Researcher: Jill Brindle)
Description: This study will evaluate a comprehensive programme of supplementary non-credit skills training interventions offered at Brock University to targeted undergraduate populations, including “first generation” students.  Researchers intend to determine whether students who voluntarily participate in these interventions differ markedly from non-participants in terms of (a) their socio-economic, demographic and pre-Brock academic background; (b) their academic performance at Brock, both overall and in specific subject areas; and (c) their retention rates, going into both 2nd and 3rd years.  This project is part of a larger group of funded research (HEQCO-RFP-006: The Role of Student Services in Promoting Educational Quality) aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of specific student services projects or programs in supporting access, retention and quality.
Value: $97,940

Working Title: National NSSE Data Consortium
Principal Investigator(s): Chris Conway
Description: This project involves the assembly of a multi-institution record-level augmented NSSE response file to permit a number of descriptive and explanatory/multivariate analyses to address research questions that cannot be dealt with  through the use of single-institution, institutionally grouped, or summary response data. These questions are critical to advancing the interpretation of NSSE results and their application to university engagement strategy and public policy development.
Value: $39,500

Working Title: Ontario Longitudinal Student Survey
Principal Investigator(s): Queen’s University (Lead Researchers: Alan J.C. King, Don Klinger and John Freeman)
Description: The purpose of this study is to explore the feasibility of a Longitudinal Survey of Ontario Youth. The Survey would track student pathways and accessibility to postsecondary education and/or the labour market.  The project is composed of two overlapping stages. The first stage involves the development of relationships with key stakeholders in the k-12 and PSE sectors. The second stage focuses on the development and piloting of the survey instruments.
Value: $145,472

Working Title: Pilot Study of Collaborative Research and Knowledge Mobilization to achieve undergraduate degree-level expectations*
Principal Investigator(s): University of Guelph (Dr. Ruediger Mueller), University of Toronto (Dr. Suzanne Stephenson), University of Toronto at Mississauga (Dr. Pascal Michelucci) and Wilfrid Laurier University (Dr. Mercedes Rowinski-Geurts)
Description: Faculty from participating departments of Languages and Literatures from Ontario universities will work collaboratively with educational researchers and instructional design experts, to adapt and apply leading-edge knowledge about the development, demonstration and documentation of student capability in undergraduate degree-level expectations. The focus of the participating departments and faculty will be developments in their departmental programs to address their university’s commitment to the Council of Ontario Universities’ Undergraduate Degree Level Expectations.
Value: $40,000

Working Title: Prototype Knowledge Exchange Platform*
Project Lead and Learning Expert: Valerie Lopes, Seneca College
Co-Chairs: Dawn Mercer, Seneca College and Jeff Trzeciak, McMaster University
Description: A Research Support Team from Seneca College will identify and test potential delivery options for a Prototype Knowledge Exchange Platform, to be available for initial use in fall 2009. They will also support members of the Steering Team in their trial usage and identify tradeoffs involved with various platform options. The Steering Team, which represents a range of expertise and perspectives amongst potential stakeholders, will help guide the development of this prototype technology platform by considering longer term issues to support knowledge mobilization for exemplary teaching and learning.
Value: $83,000

Working Title: Skills Objectives of the Peer Helper Program at the University of Guelph: Longitudinal Analysis
Principal Investigator(s): University of Guelph (Lead Researcher: Frederick Evers)
Description: The aims of this project are, first, to develop an instrument that will objectively measure the skills and attributes that university graduates need to have in order to succeed in the workplace; and, second, to use the instrument to determine whether the University of Guelph’s Peer Helper Program contributes to developing these skills in its ‘peer helpers.’  This project is part of a larger group of funded research (HEQCO-RFP-006: The Role of Student Services in Promoting Educational Quality) aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of specific student services projects or programs in supporting access, retention and quality.
Value: $72,300

Working Title: Special Needs Students and Transitions to Postsecondary Education
Principal Investigator(s): Robert Sweet, Paul Anisef, Maria Trache, Robert Brown

Description: The educational profile of special needs (SN) students has been well researched at the school level (K-12) and a number of studies have been conducted at the postsecondary level but few studies examine the transition between the two. The existing research on college and university access suggests there are significant barriers for those who wish to proceed to PSE. Most SN students (eventually) graduate from high school but choose not to enroll in either a college or university program, or they fail to complete their schooling and drop out. This report aims to identify the post-high school (PHS) pathways of SN students and how they successfully transition to PSE. It will also consider why some students drop out of PSE or choose to directly transition from high school into the workforce. 
Value: $52,350

Working Title: Statistical Variances in Student Financial Aid: Is Less More?
Principal Investigator(s): Brock University (Lead Researcher: Mary Poulin)
Description: The premise of this project is that existing institutional student financial aid applications are time-consuming, overwhelming documents that may actually deter certain types of students from applying for aid – especially those who feel embarrassed about disclosing intimate details about the financial status of their family.  This research will look at ways of simplifying and streamlining the application process, to the benefit of both student applicants and institutional administrators.  The objective is to create a financial aid application form which asks applicants fewer questions yet produces assessment results that are every bit as accurate as the longer forms currently in use.  Such a form could be used to assess aid applicants at PSE institutions throughout Ontario. This project is part of a larger group of funded research (HEQCO-RFP-006: The Role of Student Services in Promoting Educational Quality) aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of specific student services projects or programs in supporting access, retention and quality.
Value: $109,250

Working Title: Student Support Services Associated with College-University Collaborative Outcomes
Principal Investigator(s): Durham College (Lead Researcher: Deborah Tsagris)
Description:  This study will evaluate the extent to which two programs for Learning Disabled students at Durham College/UOIT are improving student-participants’ academic performance, levels of engagement, retention and graduation rates.  The study is based on a quasi-experimental, longitudinal research design in which quantitative student data, as well as qualitative data derived from focus groups and interviews will form the basis of the analysis. This project is part of a larger group of funded research (HEQCO-RFP-006: The Role of Student Services in Promoting Educational Quality) aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of specific student services projects or programs in supporting access, retention and quality.
Value: $230,723

Working Title:  Student Success Strategy: From Pilot to Implementation
Principal Investigator(s):  George Brown College (Lead Researchers: Marjorie McColm and Nancy Miyagi)
Description:  The project evaluates the impact of a variety of student success interventions to test, identify and document effective strategies to improve student success and enhance the transition to the labour force or further education. 
Value:  $263,534

Working Title: A Study of Academic Advisement in the Partners' Program: A Student Service Project to Increase University Access
Principal Investigator(s): Niagara College of Applied Arts and Technology (Lead Researcher: Linda Saari)
Description: This is a study of the input, implementation and impact of focused and targeted academic student advising to determine how such support helps ‘conditionally admissible’ students gain admission to university and progress through their first year.  This project is part of a larger group of funded research (HEQCO-RFP-006: The Role of Student Services in Promoting Educational Quality) aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of specific student services projects or programs in supporting access, retention and quality.
Value: $99,858

Working Title: Succeeding with Disabilities
Principal Investigator(s): Georgian, Cambrian, Conestoga, Loyalist and Sheridan College

Description: This study will examine the experience of students with disabilities who graduated between 2007 and 2010 from five colleges representing the four geographical regions of Ontario. The goal is to address the following primary questions: Do college students with disabilities (SwD) require longer time to graduate than their non-disabled peers? What program/academic factors affect the length of time to complete?  And how does the drop- out rate of SwD relate to the college drop- out rate?
Value: $47,600

Working Title: Supported Learning Groups (SLG) in Residence
Principal Investigator(s): Queen’s University (Lead Researcher: Jennifer Massey)
Description: Supported Learning Groups (SLGs) are interactive learning communities that promote academic success and the development of personal study strategies.  This project will study SLGs at Queen’s University in order to determine the extent to which this form of learner-centred intervention increases academic attainment and retention in high-risk courses and increases student engagement with course material.  Quantitative academic data as well as qualitative survey and focus group data will form the basis of the analysis.  This project is part of a larger group of funded research (HEQCO-RFP-006: The Role of Student Services in Promoting Educational Quality) aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of specific student services projects or programs in enhancing educational quality.
Value: $ 44,633 (#08/09-023)

Working Title: Supporting Student Success: The Role of Student Services within Ontario Postsecondary Institutions
Principal Investigator(s): Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto (Lead Researcher: Tricia Seifert)
Description: Although student affairs has existed within the North American context since the end of the 19th century, very little research has focused specifically on the Canadian context. This research will develop a better understanding of the organizational structure of student affairs divisions in Ontario and how it influences the work of student life professionals in supporting student learning and success. The first phase of this project will involve reviewing charters and websites to identify how student affairs-related areas are organized. In the second phase of the project, the research team will visit colleges and universities across the province to interview individuals and conduct focus groups with student life professionals.
Value: $32,021

Working Title: Understanding choice, transition and persistence in Ontario Postsecondary Education: Understanding application rates to universities and colleges based on income, migration, and/or ethnicity
Principal Investigator(s): Public Economics Data Analysis Laboratory (PEDAL) at McMaster University (Lead Researchers: Abigail Payne, Martin Dooley and Leslie Robb)

Description: This research study is part of a larger project that aims to develop a compendium of data sets that will track students attending Ontario high schools into the Ontario postsecondary educational system. The study will endeavor to answer the following question: What impact does income, migration and/or ethnicity have on application rates to universities and colleges? How do choices made by high school students regarding their course stream (academic/applied) and their performance in these courses affect the decision to apply to college and/or university and the types of programs they pursue? What explains gender-based differences in PSE applications and registration to colleges and university? What factors impact persistence in, and completion of, university at four Ontario universities?
Value: $94,050

Working Title: Understanding how choices made in high school curriculum, translates into college and/or university application decisions
Principal Investigator(s): Public Economics Data Analysis Laboratory (PEDAL) at McMaster University (Lead Researchers: Abigail Payne, Martin Dooley and Leslie Robb)
Description: This research study is part of a larger project that aims to develop a compendium of data sets that will track students attending Ontario high schools into the Ontario postsecondary educational system. The study will endeavor to answer the following question: What impact does income, migration and/or ethnicity have on application rates to universities and colleges? How do choices made by high school students regarding their course stream (academic/applied) and their performance in these courses affect the decision to apply to college and/or university and the types of programs they pursue? What explains gender-based differences in PSE applications and registration to colleges and university? What factors impact persistence in, and completion of, university at four Ontario universities?
Value: $332,200

Working Title: University Access, Engagement, Retention & Success of Under-Represented Populations
Principal Investigator(s): Ryerson University (Lead Researcher: Heather Lane Vetere)
Description: Ryerson University has a number of programs designed to facilitate access for under-represented students and to improve the engagement, retention and success of these students once enrolled.  This project will involve conducting a thorough analysis of the impact of these programs through a series of in-depth interviews and focus groups. Detailed information about who participates and how their experiences in these programs have helped them succeed in higher education will be assessed. This project is part of a larger group of funded research (HEQCO-RFP-006: The Role of Student Services in Promoting Educational Quality) aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of specific student services projects or programs in supporting access, retention and quality.
Value: $50,500

Working Title:  The University Transfer Experience of Ontario College Graduates
Principal Investigator(s):  Henry Decock and the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario
Description:  Using the MTCU’s 2006-07 Graduate Satisfaction/ Outcomes Survey, the transfer experience of the 2006-07 college graduates who resumed their education by enrolling at a university within six months of graduating from their college program will be analyzed.  This was the first year that data set the included a series of new questions for graduates enrolled in full time education.
Value:  $20,000 (plus HEQCO in-kind)