Federalism and university governance in Canada

Abstract

There is increasing interest in how universities are governed, externally and internally (Austin and Jones 2016). Drawing on a comparative case study of the governance of six major Canadian universities and the literature, this article describes the impact of federal research and innovation policy and programs on universities and reflects on Ottawa's role. We suggest that the federal government participates in the external governance of universities, but in a way that differs significantly from provincial governments. Canadian federalism appears to be generally beneficial for university autonomy and examination of its operation sheds light on factors that enable universities to sustain their autonomy.

Visualizing the COVID-19 pandemic response in Canadian higher education: an extended photo essay

“…Before describing this documentary process and my reflections, it is essential to recognize that the Canadian university sector should be understood within the country's federal context (Eastman et al 2019), where intergovernmental measures have enormous influence over our day to day lives as citizens and academics, especially when it comes to the present pandemic condition. Considering that both higher education and healthcare in Canada are constitutionally described as provincial concerns, public health and public education responses to the pandemic are inextricably intertwined and localized.…”

Credit Transfer, Articulation & The Future of Work: Towards a Federal Strategy

“…However, we believe that there is a clear intersection of the federal government's interests in the country's economic development and global competi-tiveness-matters that do fall within their jurisdictionand PSE. Moreover, there is a long track record of federal involvement in skills development, research funding and student financial assistance (Eastman et al, 2019;Shanahan & Jones, 2007) that serves as clear precedent for their involvement in credit transfer. Carefully examining the institutional arrangements through which the federal government has historically been able to provide support and leadership in such spaces could help future scholars to theorize how their involvement in transferto address the upskilling and re-skilling needs of large pools of displaced workers-could play out.…”

“…They generally conclude that progress towards seamless transfer in Canada is uneven. This is unsurprising given that PSE in the Canadian political system, along with credit transfer and articulation, falls under provincial rather than federal jurisdiction (Eastman et al, 2019). As such, each province has been afforded the autonomy to craft its own solutions to improve intra-provincial student mobility.…”

Les pratiques managériales d’évaluation de performance en enseignement universitaire

“…L'étude du niveau macro-systémique nous informe qu'à partir du moment où l'accès aux études universitaires est devenu un enjeu de développement des nations, la massification par la démocratisation de la formation aux études supérieures est un enjeu de société traduit par les politiques publiques offrant une légitimité aux universités (Ricci 2009, Eastman 2019, Romainville 2000. À cet égard, l'écosystème québécois répond adéquatement en termes de gouvernance et de régulation externe aux universités.…”

“…1) Le développement du métier d'étudient-apprenant en tant que facteur incontournable pour assurer les apprentissages profonds et le développement de compétences transversales (Yeyde 2009, Rege Colet 2009, Fontaine 2009, Postiaux&Salcin 2009, Ricci 2009, Younès 2009, Romainville 2000, Michaut 2001); 2) La création d'un contexte de pratiquesinstitutionnelles (vie universitaire et académique, direction de recherche, activités de diffusion de recherches, de débats publics)favorisant une qualité de l'enseignement (Romainville 2000, Dill 2003, Parmentier 2006, Ricci 2009, Eastman 2019, Yeyde 2009, Younès 2009; 3) De maintenir l'évaluation appréciative par les étudiants pour des fins d'amélioration des pratiques pédagogiques (Bernard 2000, Rege Colet 2009. 4) La création de bons programmes d'études (Parmentier 2006, Postiaux&Salcin 2009, Romainville 2009); 5) L'évaluation par les étudiantsdevient un élément d'information et ne peut constituer la seule base d'évaluation de la qualité de l'enseignement des professeurs qui doit relever d'un ensemble d'éléments contributifs (dont la planification du contenu de l'enseignement, l'engagement des étudiants à l'apprentissage, la relation d'apprentissage, la prestation pédagogique de l'enseignement, des modalités d'évaluation des apprentissages et l'utilisation des dispositifs d'enseignements (Bernard & al.…”