Higher education in Alberta

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Contents 1 Quick facts 2 History 2.1 Brief history of post-secondary education in Alberta 2.1.1 Establishment of universities in Alberta (1908) 2.1.2 Post-secondary expansion (1960s) 2.1.3 Distance education in Alberta (1970s) 2.1.4 Increasing institutional competition and financial restructuring (1980s - 1990s) 3 Chronology 4 Access 4.1 Geographical 4.2 Transferability 4.3 Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition - PLAR 4.4 Future challenges and improving access 5 Structure 5.1 Public post-secondary institutional structure 5.2 Provincial legislation 5.2.1 Campus Alberta 6 Governance 6.1 Ministry of Advanced Education 6.2 Public post-secondary institutions 7 Funding 7.1 Responsibility and sources 7.2 Tuition fee policy 7.3 Financial assistance 7.4 Research funding 8 External links 8.1 Public Post-secondary Institutions 8.2 Faculty 8.3 Government 8.4 Students 9 References 10 Glossary

[edit] Quick facts

[edit] History

[edit] Brief history of post-secondary education in Alberta

[edit] Establishment of universities in Alberta (1908)

Founded in 1908, the University of Alberta became the first degree granting institution in the province. The university followed the model of the land-grant state colleges in the Midwest of the United States and is a non-denominational, publicly supported institution that provides programs accessible to the provincial population.^[1] Almost sixty years later, the University Calgary (1966) and the of Lethbridge (1967) were established. They were branch campuses of the University of Alberta that developed into autonomous institutions.

[edit] Post-secondary expansion (1960s)

During the 1960’s, the post-secondary system underwent a significant expansion. Several institutions were created in smaller urban centres, establishing a network of colleges and technical institutes. As a result, Alberta improved access to post-secondary education to rural residents. The province expanded capacity for apprenticeship and vocational training that, until then was handled solely by the Provincial Institute of Technology and Arts in Calgary (PITA). The result of this expansion was the creation of the North Alberta Institute of Technology(NAIT)in Edmonton in 1962,and the transformation of PITA into the South Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT).^[2] The 1960’s was also a period of important institutional development for the post-secondary sector, as various legislations were enacted in order to consolidate and solidify new institutions. New agencies were also formed such as the Board of Post-Secondary Education and the Alberta Department of Advanced Education.^[3] Another milestone occurred in 1966, when the Province of Alberta began systematically providing operating grants to post-secondary institutions.^[4]

[edit] Distance education in Alberta (1970s)

The 1970s witnessed new institutional developments, the most important being the creation of Athabasca University in 1970.Athabasca University was to be the fourth campus-based university in Alberta, but given decreasing enrollments, the institution followed the model of the British open university specializing in the delivery of distance education courses and programs.^[5] A series of new funding policies were introduced in 1973 and 1976. These new funding mechanisms took into account factors such as the projection of operational costs over a three-year period and the rate of inflation to determine the allocation of resources for a growing number of institutions.^[6]

[edit] Increasing institutional competition and financial restructuring (1980s - 1990s)

In the 1980s community colleges began to receive funds in order to establish their own apprenticeship training programs. Prior to this, these programs were centralized in technical institutes. As technical institutes lost their exclusive control over apprenticeship programs, they gained increased autonomy when Bill 98 was approved transferring their governance from the provincial government to their own board of governors. In the financial front, the 1980’s are marked by the introduction of a Supplementary Enrollment Fund for Post-Secondary funding in 1982, which factored in enrollment increases to allocate provincial financial resources.^[7]

The 1990s are regarded as a time of change for the post-secondary system in Alberta. These changes included significant financial restructuring imposed by the provincial government, and the introduction of a new and targeted funding model that emphasizes accountability and demonstration of results.^[8] These developments were part of the province’s deficit reduction strategy. The 1990’s were characterized by the introduction of funding caps and reduction in overall support for post-secondary programs. As a result, Alberta went from being the province with the highest per-capita funding for post-secondary education in 1984 to being the ninth, or second to last in 2000.

In terms of institutional capacity, the past decade can be described as a time of substantial growth in teaching and research activities. An increase in the diversity of programs and services offered, as well as new delivery technologies and methodologies were also observed.

During this period, institutional competition for the provision of credentials increased. Public colleges sought approval to grant baccalaureate degrees while public universities expanded their range of certificates and diplomas offered. In addition, private university colleges requested authority to offer graduate studies. These events prompted policy changes under the government’s Campus Alberta initiative and represent a response to post-secondary sector’s competitive landscape.

[edit] Chronology

1905 The province of Alberta is created out of the North West Territories.

1906 The Alberta legislature passes an act to establish a provincial university.^[9]

1911 The legislature authorizes the incorporation of a Calgary College but denied it degree-granting powers. This college closed its doors.

1916 The Provincial Institute of Technology and Art is established in Calgary to train returning World War I veterans. This institution is known today as SAIT

1931 Mount Royal Junior College in Calgary is affiliated by the University of Alberta.^[10]

1946 The Normal School at Calgary is renamed the Faculty of Education of the University of Alberta at Calgary.

1958 In April, the Public Junior Colleges Act is passed by the Alberta government.

1959 The government of Alberta announces decision to build a facility in Edmonton to supplement the province's capacity for apprenticeship and vocational training, which was being handled solely by the Provincial Institute of Technology and Art (PITA) in Calgary, established in 1916.

1960 The Technical and Vocational Training Assistance Act results in the creation of the North Alberta Institute of Technology(NAIT) in 1962 and the transformation of PITA into the South Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT)

1960 -1966 Several colleges are established in smaller urban centres in Alberta: Red Deer College (1964), Medicine Hat College (1966), Grande Prairie College(1966), and Mount Royal College(1966).^[11]

1966 The province of Alberta begins providing operating grants to post-secondary institutions based on full-time enrollments and weighing by program.^[12]

The University of Calgary becomes an autonomous university. This is the realization of a long-denied dream for Calgary.

1967 Alberta creates the Board of Post-secondary Education to oversee post-secondary institutions other than universities.^[13]

1969 Alberta passes the Colleges Act, making colleges partners in higher education in the province. The act aims at solidifying the newly created colleges of the province.^[14]

1970 The Alberta government establishes the Banff Centre for Continuing Educationunder the trustee of the University of Calgary.

Athabasca University is created by an order in council of the Government of Alberta as a distance learning centre that specializes in the delivery of distance education courses and programs.^[15]

1972 The Ministry of Advanced Education is established.^[16]

1973 The provincial government introduced a new funding mechanism – a grant system based on the projection of three-year operating costs.^[17]

1974 The Council in Admissions and Transfer (ACAT)is established to guide the transfer of academic credit among provincial post-secondary institutions.^[18]

1976 The Alberta government incorporates a block grant using the previous year’s base grant and the rate of inflation to determine funding.^[19]

1982 Bill 98, the Technical Institutes Amendment Act is proclaimed. The Technical Institutes Act becomes law and governance of NAIT is transferred from government of Alberta to Board of Governors.^[20]

The government announces decentralization of apprenticeship programs. Community Colleges receive funds to establish apprenticeships training programs.

1982 The provincial government introduces a supplementary enrollment fund for post-secondary funding, which accounts for enrollment increases.^[21]

1990-1991 The provincial government introduces a tuition fee policy, limiting the amount of revenue that public post-secondary institutions can generate from tuitions fees to 30% of net operating expenditures by the year 2000.^[22]

1993 The Alberta government announces a plan to eliminate its provincial debt within four years. This announcement leads to massive changes in the post-secondary system’s funding and operations.

2000 The provincial government creates a K-16 model by combining K-12 and higher education into one department named Alberta Learning.^[23]

2004 On March 17, the Post-secondary Learning Act is proclaimed, amalgamating the former Universities Act, Colleges Act, Banff Centre Act and Technical Institutes Act into a single piece of legislation.

[edit] Access

[edit] Geographical

Post-secondary institutions in Alberta have been established in response to geographic population growth. In the beginning, there was only one university in the province, but satellite campuses were established as the population in other parts of the province grew. Later, these satellite campuses became universities that met the educational needs of the province’s growing urban centres. In the 1960’s, colleges sprouted, enabling access to higher education in rural areas.

[edit] Transferability

Improving access is done not only through geography expansion but also by increasing transferability or articulation of courses and programs between post-secondary institutions. Historically, students completed programs at a single institution. However, over time students have become increasingly mobile, attending more than one post-secondary institution throughout the course of their academic lives. The province has supported and encouraged this kind of student mobility by developing college programs that transfer to larger urban post-secondary institutions where degrees can be completed.

Initially articulation between the post-secondary institutions was conducted on a course by course basis. This approach proved to be laborious and inconsistent. As a result, Alberta post-secondary institutions and the provincial government collaborated to establish the Alberta Council on Admissions and Transfer(ACAT) in 1974.

Through ACAT, post-secondary stakeholders work cooperatively to ensure a smooth transition and transferability of courses and programs within the post-secondary system. ACAT also promotes assessment and recognition of prior learning assessment to recognize experiences outside of formal course requirements.

Through ACAT various types of transfer agreements exist. In program articulation, students in colleges and technical institutes’ programs can transfer to the first or second year of another institution’s program. Depending on whether the student is transferring after accumulating one year credits or two years credits, it is called a “one plus one” or “two plus two” transfer.^[24]

Credit transfer between institutions considers transferability at an individual course level. In some cases, a course may be considered the same at the sending institution as it is at the receiving institution (the course is a transfer course). In other cases, a course is considered sufficiently similar or meets discipline requirements even though there is not an equivalent course at the receiving institution (the course is considered transferable).^[25]

[edit] Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition - PLAR

Many Alberta post-secondary programs have Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR). PLAR recognizes learning can be obtained through means other than formal credit courses.

PLAR was in place prior to the change in the post-secondary act and is available in a wide variety of courses and programs. It continues to be a factor that aids in making post-secondary options accessible.^[26]

[edit] Future challenges and improving access

Changing demographics in Alberta are likely to have a profound effect on post-secondary education. The majority of the population growth in Alberta is its urban centres - Edmonton, Calgary, and Lethbridge - while the proportion of people living in small towns and rural areas is declining. Institutions based in rural communities will likely have challenges meeting enrollment targets while institution in urban centres will face pressure in having enough capacity.

With their Business Plan priorities, the Ministry of Advanced Education indicates that it is committed to increasing access to learning opportunities. One of their focuses is to target under-represented groups in post-secondary, most notably First Nations, Metis and Inuit learners. The Access Advisory Councilis a body appointed by the Ministry of Advance Education and Technology to provide advice in relation to the operation and reporting of the Access to the Future Fund.

[edit] Structure

[edit] Public post-secondary institutional structure

Alberta’s public post-secondary system consists of three different types of institutions: universities, colleges, and technical institutes. There are three campus-based universities; the oldest is the University of Alberta(est.1908) and one distance education university: Athabasca University(est.1970). There are fifteen public colleges and two technical institutes. Also included within the publicly funded system is the Banff Centre for Continuing Education which provides specific and advanced continuing education opportunities. Collectively, these institutions offer a comprehensive set of certificates, diplomas, applied degrees, bachelors, masters and doctoral programs.

Each public post-secondary institution has a mandate outlining the institution’s direction in terms of programming, region and client group served. An institution’s mandate is one of the guidelines used when new credit programs are considered for approval by the Ministry of Advanced Education and Technology. Recently, the Ministry of Advanced Education proposed a model that defines institutions according to their credentials, type and intensity of research activity, and geographic focus. The model has six categories or institutional designations:

• 1. Comprehensive Academic and Research Institutions
• 2. Baccalaureate and Applied Studies Institutions
• 3. Polytechnical Institutions
• 4. Comprehensive Community Institutions
• 5. Independent Academic Institutions
• 6. Specialized Arts and Culture Institutions^[27]

[edit] Provincial legislation

Alberta has produced various acts to deal with post-secondary education over the course of its history. These acts were passed to regulate the development of different types of educational institutions established over time (see chronology). Most recently, the Ministry of Advanced Educationproclaimed the Post-secondary Learning Actin 2004. This act is now the singular piece of legislation that takes the place of four previous acts (the universities, colleges, Banff Centre and technical institutes acts). The rationale for combining all these acts is to establish a framework to expand offerings of baccalaureate degrees beyond the universities and private degree granting university colleges. Public colleges and institutes under this act can grant degrees as well. Another reason for this move is: to promote better coordination between public post-secondary institutions; avoid duplication of functions; move toward a single seamless post-secondary system; and ensure efficient allocation of resources. The creation of Campus Alberta Quality Council as the body that examines proposals for new degrees is also part of the consolidated Post-secondary Learning Act.

[edit] Campus Alberta

In 2002, Alberta Learning released Campus Alberta, a document about the province’s post-secondary system. Campus Alberta contains a set of guiding principles intended on fostering high quality, flexible learning opportunities for Alberta citizens. This document triggered changes in the post-secondary system, particularly to the acts that governed the different educational institutions. Campus Alberta advocates the principles of life-long learning in the context of a global economy. The key factors that encourage life-long learning are:

• A global tendency towards a knowledge-based economy
• Globalization of international markets and growing competitive pressures
• Industry’s need for an increasingly sophisticated and expanding workforce
• The positive impact education has on the individual and society at large.

Campus Alberta advocates for a learning system that is responsive and focused on the learner as well as innovative, collaborative, and accessible. In terms of accessibility and collaboration, the report recognizes the importance of both formal and informal learning opportunities as a way of earning credits for post-secondary education and encourages more articulation between post-secondary entities.^[28]

[edit] Governance

[edit] Ministry of Advanced Education

The public post-secondary system is overseen by the Ministry of Advanced Education. The ministry’s role is to provide oversight and leadership, facilitate partnerships, and work with post-secondary stakeholders. Credit programs are approved and administered by Alberta Advanced Education and Technology.

The Ministry of Advanced Education consists of two sections: the Department of Advanced Education and the Access to Future Fund. The Department of Advanced Education, which oversees post-secondary education, consists of two divisions: Adult Learning and Apprenticeship and Industry Training.

The Ministry of Advanced Education does not act in isolation but has a number of councils and boards to provide policies and guidelines. These include:

• Alberta Council on Admissions and Transfer
• Alberta Apprenticeship and Industry Training Board
• Campus Alberta Quality Council
• Students Finance Board

[edit] Public post-secondary institutions

Public post-secondary institutions in Alberta have a bicameral governance structure. According to the Post-secondary Learning Act, each institution is governed by an autonomous Board of Governors. This entity provides strategic direction, establishes program offerings, approves admissions requirements, and promotes the development of the communities served by the institution.^[29]

In addition to the Board of Governors, colleges and technical institutes have academic councils that make recommendations to and reports for the Board of Governors in academic policy matters, such as election and admission of students; review and provision of courses and programs of instruction; and academic awards.^[30]

Universities in Alberta have a senate whose main duty is to inquire into any matters that might benefit the university and enhance its position in the community. The senate also deals with academic matters. Reports on various matters are provided to the senate by the academic councils defined by the current legislation: a) General Faculties Council; b) Deans’ Council; and c) Faculty and School Councils. The senate also requires reports from entities representing the student body such as the Council of Students Association and the Council of Graduate Students Association.^[31]

[edit] Funding

[edit] Responsibility and sources

The provincial government of Alberta provides monetary support to all post-secondary institutions - the Banff Center for Continuing Education and four private university colleges, through Alberta Learning. Although Alberta Learning provides the majority of funding, post-secondary institutions raise additional funds by generating tuition and student fees; offering fee-based services; and offering non-credit and off-campus credit programming.^[32] A third source of funding comes from donations, sponsored research funding from provincial and federal agencies and private industry, and investments.

In principle the funding of post-secondary education in Alberta is a responsibility shared by students, their families and society. In a context of rising student costs, the Alberta government has set in place policies in areas such as tuition fees and financial assistance to ensure adequate levels of access and affordability.^[33]

[edit] Tuition fee policy

In order to ensure a reasonable contribution by the students to the costs of post-secondary education, the Alberta government regulates the payment of tuition fees. The tuition fee policy introduced in 1990 and amended in 1995 ensures that this direct monetary contribution does not exceed 30% of the cost of their education. This policy requires public post-secondary institutions to charge the same fee to all residents of Canada and to impose a surcharge of 100% to all foreign students. Although students now contribute proportionately more toward the costs of their post-secondary education than they did in 1994-95, societal contributions have also increased.^[34]

[edit] Financial assistance

Alberta’s student loan program is structured on the shared-cost principle. Loans are awarded on the basis of student need and parental contributions. Society contributes through loan forgiveness and servicing costs. Alberta’s student financial assistance program has increased student loan levels as well as the number and value of non-repayable forms of financial assistance in a context marked by the rising cost of post-secondary education.^[35]

[edit] Research funding

The Ministry of Advanced Education and Technologysupports the research function of universities through base operations grants and envelope funding that finance the overall infrastructure required for research in the province. The research infrastructure includes not only physical resources, such as facilities and equipment, but also human resources, such as faculty and graduate students. In addition to the aforementioned mechanisms, a specific type of activity called sponsored research is supported externally by: a) federal research granting councils, b) non-profit, and c) industry sources. However, a significant proportion of this research is sponsored by provincial government sources as well. The allocation of resources for sponsored research is based on the experts’ assessment of the qualities and potential of a particular project.^[36]

[edit] External links

[edit] Public Post-secondary Institutions

Alberta College of Art and Design (ACAD) Bow Valley College

Grand Prairie College

Grant MacEwan College

Keyano College

Lakeland College

Lethbridge College

Medicine Hat College

Mount Royal College

Norquest College

Northern Lakes College

Portage College

Olds College

Red Deer College

Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT)

Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT)

Athabasca University (AU)

University of Alberta (U of A)

University of Calgary (U of C)

University of Lethbridge

Banff Centre

[edit] Faculty

Association of Academic Staff University of Alberta (AAS:UA)

Athabasca University Faculty Association(AUFA)

Confederation of Alberta Faculty Associations (CAFA)

University of Lethbridge Faculty Association (ULFA)

[edit] Government

Alberta Apprenticeship and Industry Training Board (AAITB)

Alberta Council on Admissions and Transfer (ACAT)

Access Advisory Council

Alberta Learning Information System (ALIS) Provincial portal for learning and employment information and services provided through a provincial government partnership of Alberta Employment, Immigration and Industry, Alberta Education, and Alberta Advanced Education and Technology.

Campus Alberta Quality Council (CAQC)

[edit] Students

The Alberta College and Technical Institute Student Executive Council (ACTISEC)

Alberta Graduate Council (AGC)

Council of Alberta University Students (CAUS)

University of Alberta Students Union

University of Calgary Students Union

University of Lethbridge Students Union (ULSU)

[edit] References

[edit] Glossary

PLAR an assessment process comparing an individual’s existing knowledge and experiences to outcomes and standards required by a course or a program.^[1]