May 18, 2022
The University of Saskatchewan’s College of Dentistry, the Northern Inter-Tribal Health Authority (NITHA), Northlands College, and Saskatchewan Polytechnic have collaborated to establish an accredited Indigenous dental therapy degree program. The program is offered in steps so that students can flexibly complete their studies, and will include learning opportunities at multiple campuses so that students can study where they live. Additionally, communities and organizations can choose to sponsor students’ training, encouraging them to return upon graduation to offer oral health services in their communities. The program is reportedly the first and only program of its kind in Canada, and it has received a $2.1M investment from Indigenous Services Canada.
News Wire (SK)
Queen’s University has updated its Degree Level Expectations to include supplementary skill sets focused on diversity. The new requirements will ensure that graduates are equipped with the ability to apply knowledge of methodologies/research and scholarship, communicate with others, and understand the limits of their knowledge. The skills that students must demonstrate in order to complete a degree include recognizing diverse worldviews, understanding the limitations of their methods and recognizing potential inequities, exploring problems from different perspectives, and ethically engaging diverse communities. Each program will be evaluated against the new requirements as they go through Queen’s cyclical review process.
Queen’s (ON)
EduNova has announced the launch of a new digital student resource hub called Discover Nova Scotia, which is specifically designed to address international students’ questions and concerns about studying in the province. The hub will offer information about academic and career opportunities, immigration pathways, and the labour market with the goal of ensuring Nova Scotia is a competitive choice for prospective students. “Not only will students feel more confident in choosing the province as their home away from home,” said EduNova President Shawna Garrett, “but they will also be able to determine which post-secondary institutions and career paths are the best fit for their future.”
EduNova (NS)
McGill University has officially inaugurated its new Outaouais campus in the Gatineau region. The campus will play an important role in training medical doctors in French and contributing to the delivery of quality health care in the region, according to McGill Principal Suzanne Fortier. The campus will offer a four-year MD program, residency programs, and an MD preparatory year. In total, about 150 doctors in training will be supported by the campus as they study and work in clinical settings across the region. The campus was developed in partnership with the Université du Québec en Outaouais (UQO), the Centre intégré de santé et des services sociaux (CISSS) de l’Outaouais, and the Government of Quebec.
Radio Canada |
McGill (QC)
12 postsecondary institutions in British Columbia have come together to produce Canada’s first suicide prevention videos targeted toward postsecondary students. Vancouver Community College states that the clips and stories were developed as part of the Healthy Campuses initiative in order to provide evidence-based approaches for supporting someone facing challenges with suicidal ideation and to encourage students who are struggling to reach out. “These videos are an important tool to encourage more open and honest conversations and connect students to the supports that they need,” said Sheila Malcolmson, BC Minister of Mental Health and Addictions. The video series is a joint project between Capilano University, Douglas College, Justice Institute of British Columbia, Langara College, North Island College, Northern Lights College, Okanagan College, Royal Roads University, the University of British Columbia, Vancouver Community College, Simon Fraser University, and the University of the Fraser Valley.
VCC |
Healthy Campuses (Project) (BC)
Mount Royal University has stepped up to ensure the Foundations for the Future Charter Academy - South High School Campus has a location for in-person learning after a fire damaged the charter school’s building. Foundations for the Future will rent space in MRU’s Roderick Mah Centre for Continuous Learning until June 24th. The spaces include 15 classrooms, two computer labs, and two boardrooms, which will allow students to complete all classes and exams in person. “Calgary is our community and we know the value of in-person learning,” said MRU President Tim Rahilly. “We are doing what we can so that these students can complete their programs and be able to write final and diploma exams in the coming weeks.”
CTV News (AB)
The École nationale de police du Québec is unable to train enough police officers to meet the demand, reports
Le Nouvelliste. Part of the police training backlog was created when the institution was forced to close from March to June 2020. While the institution has gradually been increasing the number of students since reopening in June 2020, it has graduated 355 fewer students over the past two years. ENPQ has announced that it will train 108 additional students each year to address the backlog, and that it will maintain this new training rate to address an expected additional demand from Quebec police organizations.
Le Nouvelliste says that institutions offering college diplomas in police techniques must also train more students, as ENPQ requires applicants to have a college diploma in police techniques.
Le Nouvelliste (QC)
Members of CUPE Local 3906 (Unit 2), which represents sessional instructors at McMaster University, have voted 85% in favour of a strike mandate. Local president Chris Fairweather said that the meetings slowed during the fall and winter, and that McMaster recently requested that Ontario appoint a conciliator. ‘[W]e’ve actually been at the table now for basically a full year,” said Fairweather. Key issues include job and retirement security for sessional instructors.
Niagara Falls Review |
CUPE 3906 (PDF) (ON)
The Northern Alberta Institute of Technology has received a $1.27M grant from Alberta Innovates to support new product testing. The funds will enable NAIT’s Centre for Advanced Medical Simulations (CAMS) to expand its product development services. The expansion will provide small- and medium-sized healthcare-focused enterprises with a cutting-edge space for developing and testing new health technologies. “Testing, refining and improving new health and medical technologies in simulated clinical scenarios is essential to patient safety,” said CAMS Director Kerri Oshust. “The Centre for Advanced Medical Simulation has the experience to build that bridge to bring new value to our health ecosystem.”
NAIT (AB)
Online MBA programs in the United States have overtaken in-person programs in terms of popularity as their enrolment numbers and reputation continue to grow, writes Liam Knox. Knox writes that the pandemic has accelerated a slow growth in online MBAs. At some institutions, the improved accessibility and lower cost of online MBAs has resulted in much more diverse program demographics than seen in residential programs. The author also notes that though online programs were once thought to be of a lower quality, the pandemic has changed employers’ and the public’s biases by making online learning much more widespread. Knox writes that as online MBAs have been embraced, and that this provides a model for institutions to follow when developing other online programs.
Inside Higher Ed (Editorial)
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