V. 15 I. 7 – Jul 2015

Internationalization Requires More Than High Number of Foreign Students, Report Says

CIEC Author

Source: Full Report via Academica

Having a large cohort of foreign students does not make a university successfully “international,” says a recent report from the University of Warwick. The report critiques current UK internationalization rankings for placing too much emphasis on the quantity of international students at an institution and not giving enough weight to how effectively universities socially integrate these students with their domestic peers. The study found that general student satisfaction rates for both domestic and international students dropped as the proportion of international students on campuses rose. According to the authors, this effect is likely the result of too much institutional emphasis on the quantitative “structural” aspects of internationalization and not enough emphasis on the “social” aspects.

Canadian Immigration Lawyer Warns of Challenges for Foreign Students

CIEC Author

Source: Canadian Lawyer via Academica

Canada will have to closely monitor the performance of its shifting policies toward education- and business-based immigration if it wishes to preserve its fundamental diversity, writes Jennifer Nees, a Toronto-based business immigration lawyer. While the Pan Am Games have given Canadians recent cause to celebrate their country’s diversity, Nees adds that “the last seven months have shown a different story in terms of our current immigration policy.” While earlier systems might have offered a clearer path for foreign students to obtain work permits and begin new careers in Canada, Nees adds that “now, however, these students are getting lost in a maze of complex new systems with operating glitches and inconsistent processing.”

Business Dean Calls for Adaptive MBA Programs

CIEC Author

Source: University Business via Academica

MBA programs must capitalize on innovative educational technologies and rethink their traditional student bodies if they wish to keep pace with the changing demands of the international business world, writes Judy Bullock, University Dean of Business at American InterContinental University. For Bullock, a major part of this new shift will be for MBA programs to use part-time and online learning models to open their offerings to a broader range of students. These efforts will help MBA programs get past the paradigm in which they are reserved for “the elite, accessible only to those of a certain academic or professional pedigree who could dedicate themselves to a traditional, full-time program.” To this end, MBA programs need to “recognize the different learning styles, needs, and experiences” of those who can bring value to the business community.

SFU Partners with Online Course Provider

CIEC Author

Source: 24 Hours Vancouver via Academica

[CIEC Member] Simon Fraser University has partnered with the online education company Kadenze to offer SFU students access to online courses that might not be otherwise available through the university. The system will allow students to receive SFU academic credit for courses they take with recognized international institutions through the online portal. The program allows students to browse course offerings for free, then charges varying membership prices for services such as feedback on assignments or taking full-credit courses. Kadenze said that the cost of full courses starts at $300.

Canada and India Invest $3.7M to Address Infrastructure, Water Challenges

CIEC Author

Source: IC-IMPACTS via Academica

IC-IMPACTS, India’s Department of Science and Technology, and India’s Department of Biotechnology have invested a total of $3.7 M to fund nine research projects in the infrastructure and water sectors. Since 2014, IC-IMPACTS—a network of Centres of Excellence funded by the Federal Government of Canada—and India have partnered to strengthen innovation, especially through their Water for Health initiative. This past year, the project attracted 80 applications from 76 Canadian and Indian institutions. The initiative’s panel ultimately chose to fund nine research projects that address significant infrastructure and water-based challenges.

Minister Fast Encourages Ontario Companies to “Go Global” in India

CIEC Author

Source: Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada

International Trade Minister Ed Fast today hosted a Go Global workshop in Brampton, Ontario, to highlight tools available to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that want to take advantage of new export opportunities in India.

India is a priority market under the Government of Canada’s Global Markets Action Plan. During the workshop’s panel discussions, Minister Fast encouraged companies to leverage the many federal government tools available to support Canadian companies looking to export to India. The Minister also noted that Canada continues to work closely with the government of India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi to create new opportunities for businesses.  

Minister Fast announced that the Invest Canada – Community Initiatives (ICCI) and the Global Opportunities for Associations (GOA) programs are now accepting applications for an additional round of funding. The ICCI program provides support to Canadian communities seeking to improve their capacity to attract, retain and expand foreign direct investment. The GOA program provides funding to national associations in support of new or expanded international business development activities in strategic markets and sectors.

Three Canadian Universities Make the CWUR Top 100

CIEC Author

Source: Center for World University Rankings via Academica

The Center for World University Rankings (CWUR) has released its 2015 list of the world’s top 1000 universities. Three Canadian universities have made the top ten: the University of Toronto (#32), McGill University (#42), and UBC (#62). CWUR boasts that it is the only global ranking that measures quality and prestige without relying on surveys or submissions of data from the universities themselves. Altogether, there were 33 Canadian universities in the top 1000 in the world.

Improvement Needed in ON college recruitment of Underrepresented Students, Study Says

CIEC Author

Source: University of Windsor via Academica

Three University of Windsor researchers, with funding from the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario (HEQCO), have completed a survey finding that Ontario colleges need to improve their methods for recruiting and retaining students from underrepresented groups. The final report, titled The Recruitment of Underrepresented Groups at Ontario Colleges: A Survey of Current Practices, recommends that colleges address this need by implementing a collaborative provincial model, improving tracking systems, developing universal definitions, and expanding successful programs.

COTR Recognized for Best International Student Experience for Third Consecutive Year

CIEC Author

Source: COTR via Academica

The International Graduate Insight Group has recognized the College of the Rockies [CIEC Member] as the best institution in the world for overall international student satisfaction. This is the third consecutive year COTR has been named the top school in Canada in this regard and the second consecutive year it has received the title for best in the world. The designation draws upon the Graduate Insight Group’s International Student Barometer, the largest annual survey of international students in the world, covering the four categories of student arrival experience, learning, living, and support. Among the 183 institutions from 18 countries rated, COTR ranked first in all four categories.

CUSC Releases 2015 Results of Survey of Graduating Students

CIEC Author

Source: Canadian University Survey Consortium via Academica

The Canadian University Survey Consortium (CUSC) has released the results of its 2015 Survey of Graduating Students. The survey is based on results from over 18,000 graduates from 36 universities. Overall, the majority of students (59%) said that their experience “met their expectations,” with a further 23% saying it “exceeded their expectations”; just 18% said that their university experience “fell short” of their expectations. Almost nine in ten students were satisfied with their decision to attend university, and 88% of students would recommend their university to others. In terms of life-skills development, universities contributed most to the ability to interact with people from backgrounds different than their own (64%).

uWindsor’s Business School Announces World Health Innovation Network

CIEC Author

Source: uWindsor via Academica

The Odette School of Business at the University of Windsor has announced the launch of the Odette World Health Innovation Network (WIN), reportedly the first Canadian health innovation centre with formal collaborative ties to the US. The centre will use these ties to spur health system innovation to support the commercialization of health and life science products. The centre will be led by Anne Snowdon, formerly the academic chair of the International Centre for Health Innovation at Western University’s Ivey School of Business.

ON Commits to Funding International Graduate Students

CIEC Author

Source: Globe & Mail via Academica

Ontario has announced that it will extend funding for graduate studies to international students. Although no new funds are attached to the deal, the province plans to reallocate up to 130 graduate funding spots for international students starting this fall. The policy will give relief to the province’s universities, many of which currently cover the tuition and living costs associated with international students. University of Toronto President Meric Gertler said he hopes this new funding will help alleviate the frustration some Ontario professors have felt at being unable to work with international students due to lack of funds. He added, “we’ve been worried that frustration would cause them to look elsewhere, so this is for us a faculty retention and attraction strategy as well as a PhD student strategy.”

Carleton President Advocates the “Right” Funding Model for Ontario

CIEC Author

Source: Ottawa Citizen via Academica

Carleton University [CIEC Academic Member] President Roseann O’Reilly Runte writes in the Ottawa Citizen that “the ability to pursue one’s education makes Ontario and Canada special and offers hope and motivation to all. Thus, funding for accessibility must continue.” To this end, she offers suggestions for how Ontario might build upon the Strategic Mandate Agreements (SMAs) it approved for each university last year, setting measurable goals and accountabilities for universities while emphasizing collaboration. Rather than “destabilize the system at a time when resources are not abundant,” Ontario should introduce new funding for an “incentive program” that might require universities to find matching funds from the private sector in order to access new government money. Under this model, Runte says, “the province would double its investment” in higher education.

International Permit Wait Times Creating “Competitive Disadvantage”

CIEC Author

Source: Edmonton Journal via Academica

According to the Edmonton Journal, Alberta’s international students are facing wait times of up to three months and are consequently being kept from presenting their research at conferences around the world. These students currently cannot leave the country without renewing their Canadian permits and visas unless they risk significant delays upon re-entering the country. These delays can affect their standing in university programs where many have studied for several years. Marcella Cassiano, a third-year PhD student in sociology at the University of Alberta, said, “International graduate students are highly mobile people. We cannot afford to be grounded in Canada for five months waiting for document renewal and miss the opportunity to present our research in international conferences.”

BC Universities Show Fastest Growth in Federal Research Funding

CIEC Author

Source: Vancouver Sun via Academica

BC’s research universities have experienced the fastest growth rate in federal research funding, according to the Research Universities Council of British Columbia (RUCBC). RUCBC’s figures show that in 2012–13, BC universities attracted more than $700 M in research funding from outside the province and increased their per capita share of federal research grants by 148%, which is almost double the Canadian average. RUCBC Chair and [CIEC Member] Simon Fraser University President Andrew Petter said, “the fact that we’re seeing this level of growth and the fact that we are outperforming other jurisdictions I think is evidence that we’ve done a good job of hiring the best and the brightest.”

Indian Higher Ed Commission Releases List of Fake Universities

CIEC Author

Source: Times of India via Academica

The University Grants Commission (UGC), the regulatory body for higher education in India, has published a list of 21 “fake” universities operating in that country. Indian law prohibits any institution from describing itself as a “university” without obtaining the proper government permission. Eight of the 21 “universities” are in Uttar Pradesh, with a further six in Delhi. While the UGC’s decree prohibits these institutions from continuing to grant degrees, it is worth noting that many of the institutions on the new list were also on an earlier list.

India: Leading VET Chain Pairs with MOOC Platform

CIEC Author

Source: The PIE News

India’s largest vocational education provider, AISECT, has partnered with online learning platform, ALISON, in a bid to extend its reach in providing skills-based learning to rural and semi-urban populations.

Under the partnership, ALISON and AISECT will provide a free e-learning platform to students offering internationally recognised vocational courses, which will be free of charge and open to all.

AISECT director Abhishek Pandit said the partnership “will allow us to integrate our extensive network and resources with ALISON’s proficiency in open and distance learning to build ‘hands-on’ skills to bridge the demand-supply gap of skilled individuals in the country.”

To read the full article, visit The PIE News.