Mohawk College - Program Quality Assurance Process Audit

Criterion 5

To what extent does your college's quality assurance process ensure human, physical, financial, and support resources to support student achievement of program learning outcomes are available and accessible?

5.1 Teaching staff involved in the program:

The College has introduced a new Recruiting and Selection Policy (5.1.01) that applies to all employees below the level of president. As a general policy, it does not integrate specific practices or credential requirements for faculty. However, in actual practice, candidates considered for faculty positions must demonstrate a mix of industry experience and academic credentials appropriate for the discipline, with particular emphasis on the former. Generally, prospective faculty members require academic credentials at least one level higher than the program in which they will teach. Previous teaching experience is a definite asset.

New staff orientations are offered twice annually, and posted on the College website for ongoing reference. The Orientation session includes an overview of student demographics, the Strategic Plan, key College initiatives by division and employee processes. Human Resources has provided managers with a specific checklist to ensure that new staff receive an appropriate orientation. In addition, like all College employees, faculty are expected to uphold the Employee Code of Conduct (5.1.03), a multi-faceted behavioural standard that supports the College’s policy obligations and employment contracts.

The College is committed to promoting a culture of continuous professional development and supporting faculty through relevant, flexible programs and well considered organizational processes. A consistent evaluation process ensures that faculty competence is measured regularly. A Development and Performance Management framework (5.1.04) tailored specifically to faculty was introduced in 2012. It includes two components: an annual Development and Performance Management Plan (DPMP) (5.1.05a 5.1.05b 5.1.05c 5.1.05d) and a bi-annual Learning Environment Observation (5.1.06a 5.1.06b). Within the D & PMP framework, each faculty member is required to meet with his/her Associate Dean at the beginning of the year to discuss performance and collaborate on a Development Plan. Another meeting is scheduled at the end of the year to review progress and achievement of development goals. The performance management framework differentiates probationary faculty from full-time and casual faculty. Every two years, the Associate Dean is responsible for completing an Observation of the faculty member’s performance in the classroom.  Again, a template has been provided to ensure a consistent and comprehensive review that highlights the faculty member’s teaching strengths and provides feedback to enhance his/her performance as a learning facilitator. The Performance Management Framework is supported by a variety of academic tools to assist both managers and faculty to understand the purpose and the process. These are posted for easy reference under the Human Resources tab on Mocomotion.

The Student Feedback on Teaching Survey (5.1.07a 5.1.07b), administered every term, is another performance evaluation tool for faculty. Where appropriate, student comments delivered through this survey mechanism are used to inform the annual Development Plan for the faculty member.

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5.2 Teaching staff execute their professional responsibilities including, and not limited to:

The faculty member’s performance as a learning facilitator is a key focus of the Annual Academic Development and Performance Management Plan referenced in 5.1 above. The Plan addresses a wide range of professional responsibilities, including “teaching environment effectiveness”, “promoting student success”, “evaluation and assessment”, and “learning resource development”. The faculty member’s goals and achievements in planning, organizing and delivering effective instruction are referenced within this framework.

The Learning Environment Observation (5.2.01a 5.2.01b) , completed as phase 2 of the performance management plan offers the academic supervisor the opportunity to evaluate classroom performance. The faculty member’s competence in planning and delivering instruction is evaluated. His/her ability to provide constructive feedback, manage the class effectively, and create a positive, vibrant learning environment that encourages student participation are key elements of this Observation.

In addition, faculty members are encouraged to engage in ongoing reflection as a best practice for identifying instructional strengths and addressing weaknesses. Self-reflective practice has been formalized as a component of the faculty performance review. Consistency and structure are ensured with the inclusion of a template to guide and inform the practice (5.2.02).

The College supports professional development for faculty in a variety of ways. Probationary faculty are required to complete the College Educator Development Program (CEDP), a regional system initiative for full-time college educators offered in collaboration with six western region colleges (5.2.03). Delivered in 3 phases over two years, the program focuses on instructional design and delivery. Part-time and partial load faculty (5.2.04) – a two-day training initiative offered by Mohawk that addresses lesson planning, assessment, classroom management, blended learning and other essentials for college teaching.

The Centre for Teaching and Learning (CTL) is an important in-house resource for ongoing faculty development. As mandated in the Professional Development for Staff Policy (5.2.05) CTL has primary responsibility for supporting the development of teaching competency. CTL, which received a commendation in the 2009 Audit Report, was recently restructured in a strategic move to clearly differentiate innovation and design from quality and compliance. Following completion in 2013 of a study by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) (5.2.06a 5.2.06b) , the College has begun to implement a series of recommendations to better align CTL services with the College’s Academic Plan (5.2.07). The goal of the new organizational structure is to position CTL as a centre of excellence focused on promoting leading educational practices and creating value through innovation, discovery and research for teaching and learning. Operating under the umbrella of Applied Research, CTL retains as its mandate curriculum development, teaching effectiveness and assessment. New program development, program modifications, blended learning and faculty development are CTL responsibilities. Program Quality and Compliance - specifically annual and comprehensive program review, PQAPA, Course Outlines, Metrics and Reviews are a separate focus, reporting to the Director of Operations and Program Quality.

Full implementation of the change has been slower than originally anticipated as the result of fiscal and staffing challenges. Ultimately, each academic Faculty will ideally have a CTL team with representation from Institutional Research, the Library and IT, as well as curriculum design specialists and instructional technologists. Within the new framework, CTL’s Faculty Development Specialists will provide consultation on instructional design and management, assessment, and presentation skills. They will also address other aspects of teacher/student interaction, such as advising, tutoring, discipline policies and administration.

Through the Student Success Plan, and a new Board Strategic Priority Initiative, Student Services initiated enhancements to the orientation program at the college. This included revisions and re-branding of academic orientation to a ‘Program and Career Launch’ focus. Rolling workshops for faculty and staff were provided on how to facilitate orientation in this new model. We have set a goal of having all full-time faculty to participate in this program by the end of the Summer of 2014. About 70% have participated to date.

In addition to these internal resources, the College provides financial support for department-specific professional development, conferences, tuition assistance, and professional development leaves. With a commitment to excellence and student focus firmly acknowledged as College values, the College continues to search for strategies to enhance faculty professional development. In fall 2012, the Vice-President Academic assembled a Task Force charged with responsibility for developing a robust faculty professional development plan that would align with the College’s new Academic Plan. Following development by the Task Force of a comprehensive series of recommendations (5.2.08), a college-wide consultation was undertaken to provide faculty with the opportunity to inform the process. The result is a well considered and ambitious strategy for promoting a culture of continuous professional development that will guide college decision-making regarding PD well into the next decade.

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5.3 Learning facilities (including Learning Resource Centres) and equipment support the promised modes of delivery and the learning process.

Since the 2009 Audit, Mohawk College has been engaged in the renewal of college facilities, particularly at Fennell Campus. Renewal was initiated in response to student Key Performance Indicator feedback. More quiet space and enhanced access to college computing facilities were among the priorities identified by students. Now, not only have these needs been addressed, but students have been provided with WhereENCampus (5.3.01), a convenient information portal that provides access to all bookable space on campus, and room dimensions so that they can book the most appropriate space for collaborative work or more private study.

In 2010 Mohawk began consolidating programs from Brantford to Hamilton in response to concerns raised by students about the quality of services available to them in Brantford. Key Performance Indicator survey results over several years revealed high levels of satisfaction with the quality of instruction, faculty, staff and programs but dissatisfaction with student services and student life activities. In fall 2010, the Skilled Trades and Apprenticeship programs offered in Brantford were transferred to the Stoney Creek Campus. In fall 2011, after an investment of over $1.5 million to create state of the art facilities, the Graphics Programs were relocated to Fennell Campus. In January 2013, Mohawk initiated a $16 million dollar capital development project to create the labs and classrooms to support relocation of the School of Justice and Wellness Studies to Fennell. By fall 2014, all remaining postsecondary programs from downtown Brantford will be consolidated to Hamilton. This strategy provides students formerly enrolled in Brantford with an enhanced college experience, with access to a full range of learning services, supports and amenities.

Consistent with the College’s commitment to Innovation as a Strategic Priority, and the emphasis on “future-ready” students and facilities, there has been considerable investment in technology in the period since the last audit. The following provides a selective list of IT enhancements:

An ongoing commitment to technology is championed in the Academic Plan (5.3.02) which envisions the development of an open learning platform to encompass content management, assessment, learning, and collaboration and social networking. The development and introduction of technology tools will be complemented by initiatives to develop and enhance technological literacy among students and professional development opportunities to support optimal use of technology among faculty and staff.

Facilities Renewal

As referenced earlier, the College embarked on an ambitious facilities renewal at Fennell Campus intended to accommodate innovation in teaching and learning. H-Wing was the first significant addition. Opened in January 2011, the Learning Exchange houses the Cummins library, a state-of-the-art facility with over 65% of available resources in digital format, the Collaboratory, an innovative space that facilitates communication between students and collaboration on group projects, and 10 ‘smart’ classrooms equipped with the latest teaching technologies. The Learning Exchange is also distinguished as a sustainable building, constructed to LEED Gold standards, and offering a ‘living lab’ experience for engineering technology students.

Elsewhere throughout the College, large classrooms have been upgraded with the installation of lecture capture cameras and software, and faculty trained to use them effectively. At Fennell renovations to B-wing, C-wing, F-Wing and the former Gymnasium and Bookstore accommodated the transfer of Justice and Wellness Programs from Brantford. Renovations included new collaborative spaces, labs and classrooms, situational training, fitness and wellness areas and outdoor space for scenario and hands-on learning opportunities. In addition, the consolidation of “program districts” was increased with the addition of the new Digital Print Centre and graphics studios, the Journalism Lab, Television Studios and Radio Station providing an opportunity for a collaborative and multi-disciplinary living lab.

The Learning Support Centre (LSC) is an example of a space where there are many great programs and services being offered that contribute to student learning and success. It is centrally located on the Fennell campus with an open and accessible layout where staff and student leaders are readily available throughout the day. The space includes dozens of group work spaces and computers. There are a variety of free peer to peer tutoring and faculty tutoring programs and services that operate out of this space, including Course Based Peer Tutoring, Peer Assisted Study Sessions, the Writing and Communication Centre, the Math Learning Centre, and the delivery of some Continuing Education courses. Hundreds of students visit the space each day. And overall between 80-100 peer tutors work out of the centre each semester.

The McKeil School of Business has launched an innovative learning initiative named THE AGENCY. Both a concept and a facility, it offers a ‘living learning’ experience for students n Marketing, Advertising, Public Relations, Event Management, Graphic Design and Radio & Television Production. The mandate of The Agency is to get students involved in selected campaigns primarily for not-for-profit organizations. Student teams work together under the guidance of Mohawk College faculty and staff, creating and delivering comprehensive marketing communications solutions for actual clients in a professional environment that mimics the office environments in which graduates will work.

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5.4 Academic support and advising services meet the needs of the students and facilitate the achievement of the program learning outcomes.

Since the 2009 Audit, a particular focus on student retention and success has guided enhancements to the academic support and advisement services provided by the College. Guided by a new Student Services Model, in 2011, Student Services units were brought together in a new centralized location to improve the overall quality of service delivery to students. This included Admissions, Financial Assistance, Registration, International Student Services, Counselling, and Accessible Learning Services. This consolidation of services simplified access to services for students and contributed significantly to increases in student satisfaction.

In 2012, the Student Success Initiative was launched, a multi-faceted strategy which embodied faculty and staff training, enhanced student support services, and a new comprehensive data capture framework to leverage new advising technologies. This work was paired with detailed plans for the assessment, evaluation and research of student success outcomes. Over 75% of all full-time faculty participated in a training initiative focused on rebranding and repackaging academic orientation programs. A new focus on ‘Program and Career Launch’ has significantly improved students’ experiences on their first day at Mohawk and supported a successful start to their new program.

In August 2013, the College completed construction of the new David Braley Athletic and Recreation Centre. This state of the art facility, and innovative management partnership with the YMCA, brings a new level of athletic, recreation and fitness opportunities to students and staff. This occasion was marked by welcoming all new students at the ‘President’s Welcome’ event in the new gymnasium, which included engaging speakers and activities that brought significant enhancements to student orientation.

Building on the physical and programming improvements to student support services, the College launched its first ever Student Success Plan in August 2013, as an important strategy to complement the Academic Plan with the goal of dramatically increasing student success, retention and graduation rates over 5 years.

Student support programs and services available to registered students include the following. The Learning Support Centre (5.4.01) is a Fennell-based service that provides students with access to free tutoring in mathematics, course-content and writing. Course-specific tutoring is provided through The Peer Tutoring Program. Students requiring additional assistance in specific courses are tutored by more senior students who have successfully completed the course. Depending on student needs, assistance is available through group tutoring, one-to-one consultation, on a drop-in basis or by appointment.

All students have access to Student Success Advisors (5.4.02), specially trained support staff, who meet individually with students to discuss a wide range of academic and other college issues and to eliminate barriers to student success. The SSA model integrates individualized, program -based academic advising.

In addition to personal counselling sessions, the Counselling Department (5.4.03) provides career counselling and academic skills counseling through individual, group and workshop formats at all campuses throughout the year

Mohawk College is committed to providing students with disabilities fair and equal access to educational programs, services and facilities. Through the Accessible Learning Services department (5.4.04), specially trained Case Managers work with students with documented disabilities to coordinate learning supports appropriate to the student’s unique situation. Available academic supports include testing accommodations, reduced course loads, peer or other assistance, specialized tutors, adaptive technologies, interpreters or computerized note takers, and course materials in alternate formats. Students with disabilities also have access to Learning Strategists, trained faculty who are experts in various tools to assist students in becoming more effective learners. In addition, enhanced services are available in specific programs – as part of the Career Pathways Certificate Program, for example, a dedicated learning strategist in a dedicated lab provides specialized academic support to students registered in the program. Similarly, in the Community Integration through Co-Operative Education Certificate Program, intended for individuals with intellectual disabilities, two dedicated learning facilitators work with students to enhance achievement of the program outcomes.

As well, in compliance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, the 2013-2015 Accessibility Plan (5.4.05) has identified an ambitious strategy for ensuring universal accessibility to the College’s facilities, programs, and information resources. A wide array of student leadership, volunteer and employment opportunities is offered on campus through the Student Engagement Office and the College Student Employment Program. In August 2013 the first ever Mohawk Student Leadership Academy brought together approximately 100 students for a 2-day intensive leadership camp. These student leaders supported orientation activities and generated interest among new students in getting involved. Another 100 student leaders participated in a one-day leadership training program in January 2014; these student leaders then supported new students at the Program Launch and President’s Welcome activities the following day.

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5.5 Leadership, organization, and management of programs, include:

Given that budget challenges are an ongoing reality for the College, delivery efficiencies receive particular emphasis. However, the onus is on academic leaders to introduce a balanced approach that maintains program quality and addresses student needs, while realizing desired efficiencies. Optimization of human resources in program delivery is addressed through differentiated staffing models. Working within the role definitions articulated in the Collective Agreement, Mohawk College uses professors, instructors and technologists to deliver specific courses, particularly in Health Sciences and Technology. Staffing decisions are the responsibility of Associate Deans and Deans, who use metrics associated with student contact hours and teacher contact hours together with workload calculations to determine optimum staffing patterns. Increased use of instructors and technologists has allowed the College to maximize the role of professors, and in many instances, to maintain high teaching staff-to-student ratios for laboratory classes, realizing benefits for students as well as economic advantages for the College.

Some efficiencies have been realized through innovative scheduling. For example, implementation of a cross-disciplinary approach to scheduling of mandatory Communications courses, rather than a program-specific delivery model, has enabled the College to realize efficiencies in class sizes and scheduling. As an added advantage, the potential for cross-disciplinary collaboration and innovative thinking presents benefits for students. The model also has potential for application in the delivery of mathematics courses in some program areas such as General Arts and Sciences and Pre-Technology.

The move to three semesters of teaching has also proved to be advantageous. The introduction of multiple intakes provides greater flexibility for students while increased enrollments in the Spring/Summer semester ensures more efficient use of college resources.

The introduction of Blended Learning is another delivery strategy that introduces flexibility and offers win/win benefits for the College and for students. The use of technology enables a different level of interaction between students and teachers, accommodates different learning styles and provides students with control over when and how they learn.  Mohawk College is committed to implementing blended learning into all of its program offerings. In most current applications, this means that one hour of course content per week is delivered online, while the remaining hours are delivered in the more traditional classroom format (5.5.01).

Phase 2 of the Space/Scheduling Optimization Project is focused on identification of strategies for using College facilities more efficiently. Plans include identification of low-use laboratory facilities that can be repurposed, efficient methods for accommodating the blended learning framework to free up classroom space for other activities, development of a space prediction tool to inform effective cohort sizes in the planning stages, and support for a space costing model under development by the Finance Department to inform program costing and evaluation. In addition, metrics on space usage are used to support review and enhancement of policies and procedures and will contribute to consistent application of scheduling guidelines, with ultimate benefits and support for student learning. Finally, changes have been made to the scheduling process to support online course registration, providing clear indication of online delivery options in situations where students have choice, and clearly identifying online delivery of core courses.

The Brantford closures are a particularly significant example of efficiencies in the use of resources. The relocation of Brantford apprenticeship students to Stoney Creek as phase one of the strategy, followed by the relocation of postsecondary programs to Fennell Campus has generated efficiencies in programming, student services, and facilities management, and realized considerable benefit for students. The move also supports the Strategic Priority of Sustainability – reduction of environmental impacts was a significant consideration both in new construction and in renovation projects undertaken at Fennell.

Future facilities renewal projects include selective renovation of the existing E-Wing at Fennell Campus to enhance learning opportunities for Engineering Technology students, a phased campus renewal at Stoney Creek campus and a phased campus renewal at the Institute for Applied Health Sciences. All of these projects will be undertaken with the same goals that drove the Fennell renewal – the maintenance of quality teaching and learning experiences with tangible benefits for students within a fiscally responsible and sustainable model for the College.

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Assessment of Criterion #5

Does the evidence provided for each of the 5 requirements indicate the criterion is Met, Partially Met, or Not Met using the definitions provided on Page 20 of the PQAPA Orientation and Training Manual?

In the event the Criterion is rated as Partially Met or Not Met, what plans are being identified to improve on this?

Mohawk College is able to demonstrate convincing evidence for each of the 5 requirements of Criterion # 5. As a result, it is our conclusion that this Criterion has been met. The extensive renovations undertaken at Fennell Campus have transformed the teaching and learning experience at this campus. The structural renewal has been complemented by technology enhancements intended to deliver on the promise of future-ready College and future-ready students. Program delivery efficiencies have been made within a context that balances fiscal concerns with maintenance of academic quality and attention to student needs. In addition, a well considered and structured approach to student support has provided a sound foundation for student achievement.

The introduction of a robust and multifaceted performance management framework has reinforced the underpinnings of excellence in academic program design and delivery. It is acknowledged that continued enhancement of professional development initiatives is essential. Full implementation of restructuring strategies for the Centre for Teaching and Learning and Task Force recommendations for professional development will ensure a responsive, high quality professional development strategy that will contribute to academic excellence well into the next decade.


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The chart below identifies initiatives currently in progress or planned to enhance quality assurance at Mohawk.

Initiative

Responsibility

Timeline

Current Status

Develop Human Resources Strategic Plan

Human Resources

2014/15

Consultation Phase

Campus Renewal at IAHS and Stoney Creek

Facilities

2014/15

Design & Planning; Work commencing summer 2014.

Accessibility Plan

Human Resources / Student Services

2013-2020

Approved annual and long-range plans

Mohawk College | Program Quality Assurance Process Audit