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Open University Proposed for Ontario

Education Agency Shares Plans for Increasing Enrollment

Feb 14, 2009 Laura Steiner

As a way to deal with rising university enrollment, the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario (HEQCO) has proposed a "No Frills" university for the Toronto area.

The proposed institution would focus exclusively on undergraduate degrees, and conduct little research. Professors would spend up to 90% of their time in the classroom.

Open University Concept Based On Athabasca University

The idea of an open university isn’t new. Alberta’s Athabasca University is Canada’s first such school. It was established in June 1970 as a publicly funded institution. Now, 39 years later it serves over 37,000 students worldwide including up to 10,000 from Ontario as of 2006-07. It is a fully accredited university in British Columbia and is a member of numerous associations. In 2006 it became the first Canadian university to receive accreditation in the United States

In the GTA (Greater Toronto Area), where universities are already full to overflowing, such an institution would be welcomed. According to a February 13th Toronto Star article, "No Frills University Urged In GTA", Ryerson has little room to accommodate any more undergraduate students. They expect a 10% increase in applications this year alone. “If we can’t meet the needs of those students who want to study in the GTA, we must accept others who can,” Ryerson President Sheldon Levy commented later in the same article.

"Making College-University Cooperation Work: Ontario in a National and International Context" study co-author Glen Jones added in a February 13th Toronto Star article, “ Some institutions in US focused on undergraduate degrees have tremendous reputations.”

HEDQCO’s vision for the institution is that all who want to study will be able to, no matter their academic qualifications. It would be affordable, offer courses on a constant basis, and offer credit for real-life experience. It would be a completely online learning environment; something no other institution in Ontario offers.

Report's Other Reccomendations Include Colleges Offering Bachelor Programs

The report also advises that no new full-service universities be built in the area. In place of them, there is a proposal for a new breed of “poly-technical” institutions designed for higher-level technical educational programs. Allowing colleges to provide the first 2 years of 4-year degree programs is another option.

Alternatively the report purposes that colleges offer more bachelor programs. But this is capped at an additional two or three, something that is unpopular with Humber’s President John Davies. “It strikes me as a very university-centred view of the world considering colleges provide a type of access to post-secondary education that is hard for others to offer,” he remarked in the Toronto Star article.

Currently Ontario colleges allow students to complete degrees in Business, Justice Studies, and Science through Athabasca University.

Over the next 15 years, enrollment in post-secondary institutions is expected to increase by 25, 000 students. No decision has been made on a physical location.

The copyright of the article Open University Proposed for Ontario in Universities is owned by Laura Steiner. Permission to republish Open University Proposed for Ontario in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.