Education Commons^™

An Exploratory Case Study Of A Quality Assurance Process At An Ontario University, Grase Kim

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Currently, quality assurance is a widespread global practice in higher education. This exploratory case study at one Ontario university uses a Foucauldian-informed post-structuralist discourse analysis to interrogate the definition of ‘quality’ as it relates to quality assurance. More specifically, this study hopes to raise an awareness that what constitutes quality is taken for granted in quality assurance practices for universities. From an examination of resource documents and interviews with faculty administrators (n=12), the key findings of this study expose an over-arching neoliberal discursive framing of quality and quality assurance. The marketization of higher education leads to an over-emphasis on procedural …

Skills And Student Affairs: A Discourse Analysis, Shannon Mckechnie

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Media, industry, and other public actors have claimed that a ‘skills gap’ exists in students exiting post-secondary education and entering the workforce. The Ontario provincial government has developed policy, the Highly Skilled Workforce Strategy, to provide directives to universities in the province to provide skills development to students to aid in closing the gap and providing a workplace relevant education. In this study, I explore the experiences of student affairs and services (SAS) staff responsible for enacting provincial policy related to skills development at the university level by investigating the discourses that shape policy and practices of these staff …

How Do Program Recruiters At One Ontario University Interpret The Internationalization Strategic Plan?, Jing Qu

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This study examines how program recruiters interpret a university’s internationalization strategic plan in Ontario, and how they translate this policy initiative into Chinese international students’ recruiting at the graduate level. In order to gain a deeper understanding of the processes related to the internationalization of higher education in Canada, this study explores recruitment as one key aspect of the university’s internationalization efforts. A qualitative research approach was used in designing this study. The data was gathered from three Ontario universities’ internationalization policy initiatives and semi-structured interviews with recruiters from a research-intensive university in Ontario. The findings demonstrate significant implications for …

Student Perceptions Of The Context Of Mass Higher Education, Caitlin Burd

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Universities across North America are experiencing the process of massification, which involves an increasing proportion of the population engaging in higher education. The purpose of this study is to improve our understanding of how students perceive the current context of university, their place within this environment, and whether they see factors associated with massification as impacting student well-being. This study employs in-depth, semi-structured interviews with second and third-year students at a large Canadian university. Findings indicate that students recognize factors associated with massification, such as their own disengagement, and view the university as responsible for some of their experiences in …

The Enactment Of Academic Language Policy In The International University: A Mixed-Methods Investigation, Le Chen

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The existing literature on international education in relation to language policy has suggested that internationalizing higher education (HE) does not ensure interculturality (Bash, 2009; Durant & Shepherd, 2009; Jenkins, 2014; Seidlhofer, 2011); the potential relationship between the internationalization of HE and language remains unclear (Jenkins, 2014; Meyer, Gekeler, Manger, & Urank, 2012; Saarinen, 2012). This study responds to the timely question regarding what kind of language policy can meet the needs of international students in an increasingly globalized academic culture (Jenkins, 2014) by adding a Canadian voice to the debate and featuring the changing sociolinguistic realities in internationalized Canadian HE. …

Creating An Institutional Web Of Support For Students By College Leaders: An Exploratory Case Study Of Social Capital At One Ontario Community College, Marilyn A. Ott

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Social Capital can have a positive impact on a student’s ability to be successful in their schooling (Coleman, 1987, 1988, 1990 & 1994). Coleman’s research identified norms, networks, and trust as being crucial to the definition of social capital. This dissertation explores the manifestation of / or what it “looks like” and particular outcomes of social capital within the context of a college in Ontario. Specifically, this exploratory case study (Yin, 2014) examined the perspectives of senior leadership on the ways social capital is currently evident in their college and how it contributes publically to positive outcomes for students. Data …

Supporting Indigenous Students: A Critical Analysis Of The Sociocultural Context Of Nursing Education, Kay E. Vallee

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The purpose of this study was to critically examine the sociocultural context of nursing education as an institution. Using a postcolonial feminist theoretical framework and institutional ethnography, I illuminated the institutional complex of nursing education. This study addressed the following research questions: 1) How do practices, programs, and policies coordinate social relations within the institution of nursing education; and 2) How are Indigenous students’ everyday lives shaped by the institution of nursing education?

Multiple methods were used to collect data, including: interviews, observations, and text analysis. Interviews were conducted with students, educators, and administrators and others involved in nursing education. …