Higher education in Newfoundland and Labrador

Accessibility

Adult learning

The aging population of Newfoundland and Labrador requires that Memorial University of Newfoundland (MUN) promote and raise the profile of adult learning among the general public. Its Division of Lifelong Learning offers an extensive selection of credit and non-credit courses and programs available online and on-campus. [ [http://www.mun.ca/lifelonglearning/index.php Memorial University. (n.d.). "Lifelong Learning Retrieved" on May 10, 2008] ] Consideration of adult learners is also of key interest at the College of the North Atlantic, which has all 17 campus locations offering some level of Adult Basic Education (ABE). [ [http://www.cna.nl.ca/ProgramsCourses/program-details.asp?cProgCode=337 College of the North Atlantic. (n.d.). "Adult Basic Education." Retrieved on May 7, 2008] ] The Comprehensive Arts and Science Transition program is designed for high school and ABE graduates who would like to improve their general employability skills or who are lacking either the academic courses or required grades for admission into their chosen college program. [ [http://www.cna.nl.ca/programscourses/program-details.asp?cProgCode=286 College of the North Atlantic. (n.d.). "Comprehensive Arts and Science College Transition." Retrieved on May 7, 2008] ]

Rural participation

Memorial University is an example of an innovative approach to education delivery from remote communities. It offers courses online (around 250), through correspondence, teleconferencing and satellite links. It has also partnered with the community college system to offer first year university studies at select college campuses throughout the province. Accessibility to rural areas is also facilitated through Cohort programs available through the university that combine distance and local delivery. The College of the North Atlantic has a Distributed Learning Service (DLS) [ [http://dls.cna.nl.ca College of the North Atlantic. (n.d.) "Distributed Learning Service." Retrieved on April 28, 2008] ] in each of the college’s 17 campuses. It offers programs and services through on-campus instruction, correspondence, mobile teaching units, distance education and community outreach. Students from rural areas have the opportunity to visit educational facilities such as Memorial University through the Intra-Provincial Travel Program. This program allows these students to realize the potential for opportunities beyond high school. [ [http://www.releases.gov.nl.ca/releases/2007/edu/0719n02.htm Newfoundland and Labrador. (2007, July 19). "Rural Students to Benefit from Improved Distance Learning Opportunities." Retrieved on April 28, 2008] ]

Apprenticeship training

The 2007 Budget allocated $300,000 for apprenticeship training to allow apprentices to be hired by health boards, school boards, and Newfoundland and Labrador Housing. In addition, Memorial University is being provided with $200,000, allowing them to hire an additional seven individuals through this initiative. Overall, almost $10 million was provided in 2007 to improve the apprenticeship system at different levels. [ [http://www.releases.gov.nl.ca/releases/2007/edu/0706n05.htm Newfoundland and Labrador. (2007, July 6). "More Apprentices to Work for Government." Retrieved on May 7, 2008] ]

Discrimination and Special Needs

Women’s participation

Memorial University is working to create opportunities for women in non-traditional fields. An example of this is its recent application to and permission granted by the Human Rights Commission to hire as many female apprentices as possible in the next round of hiring. [ [http://www.mun.ca/marcomm/gazette/issues/vol39no17/inbrief.php In Brief: Human Rights approves hiring female apprentices. (2007). "The Gazette." 39(17) Retrieved on May 7, 2008] ] Although general gender equity has been satisfied in Atlantic Canada’s higher education institutions, areas such as technology, science and engineering are still working towards achieving it. Memorial University's ‘Women in Science and Engineering’ is one such program offered to help attain this goal. [ [http://www.mun.ca/cwse Memorial University. (n.d.). "Women In Science and Engineering." Retrieved on April 28, 2008] ]

Aboriginal participation

Although the aboriginal population is growing, Newfoundland and Labrador faces challenges recruiting aboriginals because of low education attainment levels and low literacy rates among the Innu and Inuit adult populations. The Labrador institute of MUN and the Happy Valley-Goose Bay Campus of the College of the North Atlantic provide a College-University Transfer year option. This program is co-designed between the two institutions to promote better success for aboriginal students. Post-secondary offerings in Labrador include Adult Basic Education, transition and university transfer courses, business, applied arts, and trades and technology programs offered at the Labrador West and Happy Valley-Goose Bay campuses of the CNA. The 2008 Budget allocated $60,000 to establish an Aboriginal Literacy Development Consultant in Labrador. An additional $250,000 was allocated to assess facility requirements necessary to accommodate aboriginal enrolment at the College of North Atlantic in Happy Valley-Goose Bay. [ [http://www.releases.gov.nl.ca/releases/2008/edu/0429n08.htm Newfoundland and Labrador. (2008, April 29). "Investments in Education Promote a Strong, Secure Future for Province’s Youth." Retrieved on May 15, 2008] ] Memorial University continues to secure access to the Post Secondary Student Support Program (PSSSP) for members of the federation of the Newfoundland Indians and Labrador Metis Nation. The Aboriginal Human Resource Development Agreement (AHRDA) has helped to fund over 100 students in Newfoundland and Labrador in the 2007-08 school year. In mid November of 2007, thirty bursaries were given to Metis students attending university. [ [http://www.labradormetis.ca/home/12 Labrador Metis Nation. (2007). "Report from the President." Retrieved on May 17, 2008] ] Memorial University's Faculty of Education has developed a distance education program for Nunavut students as well as a professional development certificate program for their teachers. [ [http://www.mun.ca/marcomm/gazette/issues/vol39no17/inbrief.php In Brief: Human Rights approves hiring female apprentices. (2007). "The Gazette." 39(17) Retrieved on May 7, 2008] ] The College of the North Atlantic’s new Integrated Nursing Access Program allows Inuit students to stay in Labrador for the 3-year access program and the 2nd year of the BN (Collaborative) Program. Students will then do the 3rd and 4th years of the program at Corner Brook. [ [http://www.mun.ca/whitepaper/Final_White_Paper_October041.pdf Centre for Nursing Studies, Memorial University. (2004). "White Paper on Public Post-Secondary Education Commission." Retrieved on May 7, 2008] ]

tudents with disabilities

Memorial University, through The Glenn Roy Blundon Centre, established in 1992, is committed to providing and coordinating programs and services for students with disabilities so that they can achieve their maximum academic potential. [ [http://www.mun.ca/blundon/about/index.php Memorial University. (n.d.). "Glenn Roy Blundon Centre for Students With Disabilities." Retrieved on May 7, 2008] ] The College of the North Atlantic received funding in 2006 to hire six new Disability Service Coordinators to assist students with needs. The College has invested in initiatives to improve access to a range of services for students with disabilities at increased campus locations. [ [http://www.cna.nl.ca/about/publications/strategic_plan2006_web_may01.pdf College of the North Atlantic. (2006). "Strategic Plan." 2006-08 Retrieved on May 10, 2008] ] To ensure all learners have the opportunity to succeed, the College of the North Atlantic’s Access for Success (AFS) initiative is designed to improve both student access and student retention. AFS involves the assessment of students’ strengths and needs, the development of personal career plans, the use of a student success tracking computer program, and structured academic advising to ensure students are well suited to their program of choice, even prior to attending the college. [ [http://www.cna.nl.ca/AccessSuccess College of the North Atlantic. (n.d.). "Applicant Assessment." Retrieved on May 15, 2008] ]

Transferability

While there is a common application process for individual community college campuses within each provincial community college system, there is no common application across provinces or across universities. The Community College system partners with the University to offer first year university courses at a number of campuses as well as credit transfers within provinces across Atlantic Canada which have been maintained through individual articulation agreements. [ [http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/17/12/37884292.pdf Locke, W. et al. (2007). "Self Evaluation Report: Atlantic Canada." Canada OECD Retrieved on May 7, 2008] ]

Articulation, Transfer and Admission Committee (ATAC)

The committee’s main objective is to maximize student accessibility and enhance mobility among post-secondary institutions. It accomplishes this by coordinating the articulation process between public schools, Memorial University and the College of the North Atlantic as well as addressing province-wide issues that related to articulation practices, transfer and admission. ATAC compiles and distributes a print and on-line transfer guide, listing course-by-course and program block transfers. [ [http://www.edu.gov.nf.ca/council Council on Higher Education. (n.d.). "Home page." Retrieved on April 28, 2008] ]

Atlantic Provinces Community College Consortium (APCCC)

The APCCC comprises the four provincial college systems; Nova Scotia Community College, the College of the North Atlantic in Newfoundland and Labrador, Holland College in Prince Edward Island, and New Brunswick Community College. Its responsibility is coordinating activities among the four provincial college systems and sharing resources and expertise among the 50 education and training community colleges across the whole of the Atlantic Canada region. The APCCC produced a “Guide to Block Transfer Agreements” in 2006. These ‘blocks’ usually refer to a semester, year, diploma or certificate transferred from a college to a university. The Guide includes approximately 250 potential credit transfer arrangements. Students can choose from several course delivery mechanisms, including distance e-learning. [ [http://www.cna.nl.ca/oar/default.asp College of the North Atlantic. (n.d.). "College Research and Innovation Network." Retrieved on May 2, 2008] ] [ [http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/35/59/38455547.pdf Steve Garlick, S., Davies, G., Polèse, M. and Kitagawa, F. (2006). "Peer Review Report: Atlantic Canada." Retrieved on May 7, 2008] ]

Comprehensive Arts and Science (CAS) Transfer: College-University

The College of the North Atlantic (CNA) offers the CAS Transfer: College-University program (formerly known as the College-University Transfer Year) at their five campuses in Burin, Carbonear, Grand Falls-Windsor, Happy Valley-Goose Bay, and Labrador West. CAN and Memorial University of Newfoundland (MU) developed this program to provide university credit for specific College courses. Currently there are 36 courses which are transferable. The program provides students with the opportunity to complete a suite of courses for which they will gain credit from CAN as well as from MU. It has been developed through an agreement with Memorial; courses identified in this section are developed in collaboration with Memorial's respective departments. This enhances student access to courses that earn both University and College credits. It provides an opportunity for students to gain University course credit at locations close to their home communities. It allows students to choose career paths with maximum recognition of credit for work completed. [ [http://www.cna.nl.ca/ProgramsCourses/program-details.asp?cProgCode=245 College of the North Atlantic. (n.d.). "Comprehensive Arts and Science Transfer: College-University." Retrieved on May 15, 2008] ]

References