System Design

How can Ontario provide a high quality postsecondary education in a period of continued growth and diminishing resources?

In these financially constrained times, many jurisdictions worldwide are focused on the strategic, purposeful and effective allocation of funding for public higher education. Research indicates that they are focusing on overall system design, and on developing clear and transparent accountability frameworks for institutions. They are funding on the achievement of outcomes and differentiating the institutions in their systems.

The development and design of models of postsecondary education is an explicit function of HEQCO. Our work in this area includes exploring opportunities for greater differentiation, outcomes-based funding formulas, methods for assessing regional economic impact and structures for academic quality assurance.

  • Focusing on quality influences the way we design, deliver, evaluate and improve academic programs; credential student achievement and design postsecondary systems.
  • Policies should facilitate institutional differentiation and collaboration, leading to a more integrated postsecondary system.
  • Funding formulas are the most powerful instruments available to government to steer system change and institutional behaviour.