2014-17 Strategic Mandate Agreement: University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT)

Ontario’s Vision for Postsecondary Education

Ontario’s colleges and universities will drive creativity, innovation, knowledge,and community engagement through teaching and research. They will put students first by providing the best possible learning experience for all qualified learners in an affordable and financially sustainable way,ensuring high quality and globally competitive outcomes for students and Ontario’s creative economy.

University of Ontario Institute of Technology’s Vision/Mandate

Vision

With its foundation in technology, the sciences and professional practice, the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) advances the discovery and application of knowledge that accelerates economic growth, regional development and social innovation, and inspires graduates who will continue to make an impact on the world, as it is and as it will be.

Mission

• Provide superior undergraduate and graduate programs that are technology enriched and responsive to the needs of students and the evolving workplace
• Conduct research that creates knowledge, solves problems, results in economic and social innovation, and engages students
• Facilitate life-long learning that is flexible, inclusive and emphasizes college university transfers
• Develop academic and research collaborations with industry and community that stimulate and enhance the region and university at home and abroad
• Cultivate a dynamic learning environment for students by promoting social engagement, fostering critical thinking, and integrating experiences inside and outside the classroom

Preamble

This Strategic Mandate Agreement between the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities (the Ministry) and the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (the University) outlines the role the University currently performs in the postsecondary education system and how it will build on its current strengths to achieve its vision and help drive system-wide objectives articulated by the Ministry’s Differentiation Policy Framework.

The Strategic Mandate Agreement (SMA):

• Identifies the University’s existing institutional strengths;
• Supports the current vision, mission, and mandate of the University within the context of the University’s governing legislation and outlines how the University’s priorities align with Ontario’s vision and Differentiation Policy Framework; and
• Informs Ministry decision making through greater alignment of Ministry policies andprocesses to further support and guide the University’s areas of strength.

The term of the SMA is from April 1, 2014, to March 31, 2017. The SMA proposal submitted by the University to the Ministry has been used to inform the SMA and is appended to the agreement. The Ministry acknowledges the University’s autonomy with respect to its academic and internal resource allocation decisions, and the University acknowledges the role of the Ministry as the Province’s steward of Ontario’s postsecondary education system. The agreement may be amended in the event of substantive policy or program changes that would significantly affect commitments made in the SMA. Any such amendment would be mutually agreed to, dated, and signed by both signatories.

University of Ontario Institute of Technology’s Key Areas of Differentiation

The University of Ontario Institute of Technology is a driver of economic and community development in the Durham region and offers undergraduate and graduate careeroriented programs through technology-intensive delivery to students. UOIT focuses its attention on creating opportunities for college graduates to complete baccalaureate and graduate university degrees, collaborating significantly with Durham College to support student mobility. UOIT’s faculty and students partner with industry, business, and governmental and community organizations to engage in problem-focused research activities that contribute to the advancement of society by driving better understanding of social processes, scientific discoveries, and technical innovation.

Alignment with the Differentiation Policy Framework

The following outlines areas of strength agreed upon by the University and the Ministry, and the alignment of these areas of strength with the Ministry’s Differentiation Policy Framework.

1. Jobs,Innovation, and Economic Development

   This component highlights institutions’ collaborative work with employers, community partners, and regions, or at a global level, to establish their role in fostering social and economic development, and serving the needs of the economy and labour market.

   1. Areas of Institutional Strength

      Through career-oriented and technology-intensive education and collaborations with community and industry partners, UOIT is a key driver of economic development in the Durham region. This is illustrated by the following:

      • Durham region has named UOIT as one of the region’s key drivers of growth,highlighting such stimuli as its research and knowledge transfer productivity.
      • Between 2010 and 2015, estimates place the overall regional economic activity generated by UOIT to be valued at more than $1.1 billion dollars.

      UOIT's initiatives in this area include:

      Community and Industry Partnerships
      • UOIT’s collaborations with the Spark Centre, with the Northumberland Manufacturers Association, and with IDEAHub (an incubator in Port Hope, Ontario) facilitate entrepreneurship support services for students, new company formation, and knowledge application.
      • Led by IBM, UOIT participates in a consortium that is developing a high-performance computing infrastructure to better manage and analyse massive data sets.
      • UOIT students and faculty partner with more than 50 different healthcare professions and numerous school boards, governmental agencies, NGOs, clinics, and community agencies to provide opportunities for students to apply their knowledge in real-world settings.
      • Faculty, staff, and students engage in projects that address societal and scientific challenges. Partners include General Motors, IBM, Lakeridge Health, CAMECO, Ontario Power Generation (OPG) (in its tripartite partnership with Durham College), University Network of Excellence in Nuclear Engineering (UNENE), and the Southern Ontario Water Consortium.
      • UOIT maintains partnerships in the Faculty of Health Sciences with practicum students and research tutors from organizations such as Lakeridge Health, Ontario Shores, Durham Region Health Department, Durham Region Social Services, and other institutions (e.g., Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College).
      • UOIT provides non-degree programs through an Advanced Operations Overview Management (AOOM) course for managers at OPG, graduate diplomas for personnel in the nuclear community, and programs in safety, licensing and regulatory affairs, health physics, and radiological applications.
      • The Management Development Centre (MDC) provides opportunities for individuals to develop their skills while employed.
      Career-Oriented Education
      • In 2012-13, UOIT’s graduate employment rate, two years after graduation, was 95% with 90% employed in a job related to their field of study. This is attributed to UOIT’s responsiveness to the diverse needs of employers.
      • Innovation and entrepreneurship, and the integration of hands-on research are built into UOIT degree programs.
      • In the last two years, UOIT’s graduates have created more than 10 new companies and have located these companies in Durham and Northumberland.

   2. Additional Comments

      Institutional Strategies

      • UOIT is partnering with Ryerson University and Simon Fraser University in a new entrepreneurial venture, ZI2, a digital-media and green-technology incubator that will translate university-created knowledge bases into businesses and social ventures.
      • UOIT will enhance the entrepreneurial skills of students with the development of a student incubator, with an initial enrolment of seven student start-up companies.
      • UOIT will build its strengths by developing the Ontario Innovations Park that integrates and builds on two of UOIT’s most sophisticated research and development centres: the Clean Energy Research Laboratory (CERL) and the Automotive Centre of Excellence (ACE).
      • UOIT will increase by 30% the number of college graduates who are admitted to a UOIT undergraduate or graduate degree program.

   3. Metrics

      Institutional Metrics	System-wide Metricsfootnote 1[1]
      	Graduate employment rates Number of graduates employed full-time in a related job

2. Teaching and Learning

   1. Areas of Institutional Strength

      UOIT supports teaching and learning for students by focusing on faculty teaching strategies and flexible program-delivery models. Initiatives and outcomes in this area include:

      Teaching Strategies
      • The Teaching and Learning Centre (TLC) provides faculty with teaching supports, via an orientation prior to the start of classes, mentorship opportunities, and the activities of TLC staff.
      • Mentoring relationships are established between faculty and graduate and undergraduate students in research, innovation, and problem-focused experiential learning.
      Experiential Learning
      • Over 1,000 undergraduate students participate each year in life-learning experiential opportunities such as co-op placements, practicums, internships, and capstone programs. UOIT delivers these learning opportunities through its partnerships with over 220 governmental, industry, and community organizations.
      • UOIT provides over 400 work placements each year to students through its cooperative education and internship programs.
      • Students also participate in Ontario Global Edge Program, an international competitive internship program.
      Technology-Enabled Learning
      • In 2012, there were approximately 1,100 courses offered at UOIT with more than 10% in hybrid format and 8% offered entirely online. This resulted in almost 5,000 online registrations.
      • UOIT offers online degrees, including the Bachelor of Arts in Adult Education, the Bachelor of Allied Health Science (both of which are designed for college graduates), and the Master of Education.
      • UOIT offers 100% web-enriched courses and programs.
      • The implementation of a university-wide program emphasizing technology-enriched learning provides students with access to over 260 different “industry standard” software programs.

   2. Additional Comments

      Institutional Strategies

      • UOIT is proactively extending outcomes-based learning strategies throughout its programs. The greater emphasis on problem-, case-, project-, and team-based learning strategies will provide flexible opportunities for self-learning and better outcomes for students.
      • UOIT commits to developing an innovative program for students who would otherwise be required to withdraw from the university. UOIT seeks to improve year-one to year-two retention by 3% in the next three years.
      • Early intervention strategies to identify academically at-risk students will provide early assistance to those students who are in jeopardy of failing to meet academic standing. At present these efforts have been focused on courses that have high failure rates.

   3. Metrics

      Institutional Metrics	System-wide Metrics
      	Student Satisfaction Survey results Graduation rates Retention rates Number of students enrolled in a co-op program at institution Number of online course registrants, programs, and courses at institution

3. Student Population

   1. Areas of Institutional Strength

      A large proportion of UOIT students originate from the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and Durham/ Northumberland, and UOIT focuses on the following student groups:

      • First generation postsecondary students
      • Immigrant groups
      • Indigenous communities
      • Students on OSAP

      Initiatives and outcomes of UOIT's focus include:

      • In 2012-13, system-wide metrics reflect the large proportion of full-time first generation postsecondary students (46.3%) and the proportion of students receiving OSAP (70.0%) enrolled at the University (as a percentage of the total student population). Services are provided to specific student populations to address their unique transitional needs, including, for first-generation students, UOIT’s Peer Tutor program that offers students the opportunity to work one-on-one with a trained peer tutor. These sessions allow students to receive help based on their individual needs at the appropriate pace and level of instruction. This also enhances engagement by helping students meet and share experiences with colleagues with similar backgrounds. This program is also offered for mature and college-to-university transfer students.
      • Indigenous students are offered special programs as well, such as access to an Indigenous Resource Centre staffed by First Nation, Métis, and Inuit (FNMI) counsellors who have developed culturally relevant services to link academic and cultural teachings.
      • UOIT has a strong commitment to funding work-study programs where eligible students can obtain up to 14 hours a week of employment at the University.
      • Upper-year and graduate students engage in the design and delivery of a wide range of co-curricular programs and services tailored to the needs and interests of UOIT’s diverse student population.

   2. Additional Comments

      Institutional Strategies

      • UOIT will provide opportunities for peopel who are in meid-career and desire up-skilling and/or reskilling. UOIT is committed toworking with community and industrial partners to support the needs of these mature learners.

   3. Metrics

      Institutional Metrics	System-wide Metrics
      	Number and proportion of Aboriginal, first generation, students with disabilities, and francophone students at an institution Number and proportion of international students enrolled in Ontario (as reported in annual institutional enrolment reporting) Proportion of an institution’s enrolment that receives OSAP

4. Research and Graduate Education

   This component identifies the breadth and depth of institutional research activity (both basic and applied), and will identify institutional research strengths from niche to comprehensive research intensity.

   1. Areas of Institutional Strength

      UOIT has particular research strength in the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) areas with a focus on Advanced Manufacturing, Informatics, Sustainable Energy, and Social Justice. This is demonstrated through the following:

      • Research centres, including the Clean Energy Research Laboratory (CERL) and the Automotive Centre of Excellence (ACE), support economic development in Ontario.
      • Informatics and entrepreneurship are incorporated directly into many research areas, as researchers in all faculties work with information and communication technologies (ICT) and engage industries (from student start-ups to CISCO and IBM) to build tools, services, and products. For example, UOIT research won an Information Technology Association of Canada (ITAC) Ingenious award in 2013 for a first-of-its-kind, stream-computing platform that was developed to capture and analyse real-time data from medical monitors, alerting hospital staff to potential health problems before patients manifest clinical signs of infection or other issues.
      • UOIT works with government services and not-for-profit organizations to address and resolve persistent economic, social, and health challenges arising from homelessness, an aging population, and, especially, the need for elder care. For example, UOIT has a research program to develop and test interventions aimed at reducing disability related to musculoskeletal pain in Canadians. These conditions are responsible for nearly half of all disabilities experienced in Canada, and the related health-care costs continue to skyrocket. The number of Canadians reporting a disability between 2001 and 2006 grew by 750,000 people.
      • UOIT has a focus on developing smart communities that are socially inclusive, innovative, digitally enabled, and economically and culturally robust. For example, UOIT hired in 2013 a Canada Research Chair CRC (Tier 2) in Linguistic Information Visualization who will help his research team address issues surrounding society’s growing challenge with “information overload”.

   2. Additional Comments

      System-wide metrics reflect UOIT's focused activity in this area

   3. Metrics

      Institutional Metrics

      System-wide Metrics

      Research Capacity Total sponsored research Number of research chairs Number of graduate degrees awarded Research Focus Graduate degrees awarded to undergraduate degrees awarded Graduate to undergraduate ratio PhD degrees awarded to undergraduate degrees awarded Research Impact Normalized Tri-Council funding (total and per full-time faculty) Number of publications (total and per full-time faculty) Number of citations (total and per full-time faculty) Citation impact (normalized average citation per paper) International Competitiveness Ratio of international to domestic graduates (used by Times Higher Education Rankings) Aggregate of international global rankings

5. Program Offerings

   This component articulates the breadth of programming, enrolment, and credentials offered, along with program areas of institutional strength/specialization, including any vocationally oriented mandates. This component also recognizes institutions that provide bilingual and/or French-language programming for students

   1. Areas of Institutional Strength

      Current program areas of strength include:

      1. Engineering
      2. Informatics
      3. Health Sciences
      4. Social Justice
      5. Commerce
      6. Sustainable Energy
      7. Professional Arts (i.e., Digital Communication and Educational Studies)
      8. Forensic Science and Psychology
      9. Life Sciences
      10. Nuclear Engineering

      Proposed program areas for growth include:

      1. Advanced Manufacturing and Energy
      2. Informatics
      3. Social and International Justice
      4. Health Sciences
      5. Natural Sciences

   2. Additional Comments

      • The Ministry notes that a large number of new engineering degree programs areproposed province-wide, which will have an impact on the Ministry’s review of newengineering program proposals.
      • The Ministry has concerns about proposals for the expansion of education-relatedprograms at the undergraduate and graduate level as we consider that there issufficient capacity in the Ontario system at this time.

   3. Metrics

      Institutional Metrics	System-wide Metrics
      	Institution-specific and provincial Key Performance Indicators, including employment rate after two years, percentage of students completing the degree, and OSAP default rates for each area of strength Program enrolment

6. Institutional Collaboration to Support Student Mobility

   This component profiles partnerships between institutions that ensure students have access to a continuum of learning opportunities in a coordinated system. This may include, but is not limited to, credit transfer pathways and collaborative or joint programs between or within sectors.

   1. Areas of Institutional Strength

      In partnership with other postsecondary education institutions in Ontario, UOIT provides a postsecondary campus environment that is supportive of continuous learning, student mobility, and access. Examples include:

      Durham College
      • UOIT engages in academic partnerships such as a Nursing program that received a 7-year accreditation report (highest possible) in 2014.
      • UOIT built business courses into the Durham College curriculum such that students could complete a focus in accounting in 8 terms instead of 9.
      • UOIT also engages in capital collaborations with Durham College to create efficiencies.
      Trent University
      • UOIT partners with Trent University to offer joint graduate and undergraduate degrees such as Master’s and PhD programs in Materials Science.
      • Trent students can directly enter the third year of UOIT’s Kinesiology program following completion of two years of study at Trent.
      Other Ontario Postsecondary Educational Institutions
      • UOIT’s business program accepts applications from every 2-year Ontario college diploma. This program enables students to complete a degree in two years after a bridge term.
      • All Ontario College of Applied Arts and Technology (CAAT) programs are eligible to enter UOIT programs as the University works to sign more formal agreements with colleges.
      • Two online degrees (Bachelor of Allied Health Sciences and Bachelor of Arts in Adult Education) are open only to degree-completion students.

   2. Additional Comments

      Institutional Strategies

      • UOIT and Durham College are engaging in joint Campus Master Planning, with the goal of creating shared physical spaces that are dynamically allocable and economical. UOIT will investigate how this shared-service model and space planning apply to collaborations (e.g., with Trent) with the goal of promoting innovation in teaching, research, and administration.
      • As part of the Trent-UOIT Co-operation Agreement and the Memorandum of Understanding, UOIT will expand this collaboration through the funded Productivity and Innovation Fund project, Synergy, to examine inter-institutional efficiencies. The Synergy project will establish a new jointly funded position with a mandate to explore opportunities for further academic partnership, enhance existing programs, and examine ways to reduce overheads and enhance and/or share administrative practices.

   3. Metrics

      Institutional Metrics	System-wide Metrics
      	Number of college and university pathways and/or articulation agreements (college-college, college-university, university-college) Number of transfer applicants and registrants Number of college graduates enrolled in university programs

Aspirations

The Ministry recognizes the importance of supporting institutions to evolve and acknowledges the strategic aspirations of its postsecondary education institutions; the SMA is not intended to capture all decisions and issues in the postsecondary education system, as many will be addressed through the Ministry’s policies and standard processes. The Ministry will not be approving any requests for capital funding or new program approvals, for example, through the SMA process.

Enrolment Growth

The strategic enrolment and planning exercise is in the context of a public commitment in the 2011 Budget to increase postsecondary education enrolment by an additional 60,000 students over 2010-11 levels. This government has demonstrated a longstanding commitment to ensuring access to postsecondary education for all qualified students.

Baseline Projected Eligible Full-Time Headcounts

The planned enrolment forecast, as expressed in this baseline eligible enrolment scenario, is considered reasonable and in line with Ministry expectations, based on the current and projected demographic and fiscal environments.

Graduate Allocation

The Province committed to allocate an additional 6,000 graduate spaces in the 2011 Budget. The allocation of the balance of the 6,000 graduate spaces is informed by institutional graduate plans, metrics identified in the differentiation framework, and government priorities. Based on these considerations, the allocation for the University of Ontario Institute of Technology is provided below.

Note: For a detailed breakdown of graduate space allocations, see Appendix.

Financial Sustainability

The Ministry and the University recognize that financial sustainability and accountability are critical to achieving institutional mandates and realizing Ontario’s vision for the postsecondary education system. To this end, it is agreed that:

• It is the responsibility of the governing board and Senior Administrators of the University to identify, track, and address financial pressures and sustainability issues. At the same time, the Ministry has a financial stewardship role. The Ministry and the University agree to work collaboratively to achieve the common goal of financial sustainability and to ensure that Ontarians have access to a full range of affordable, high-quality postsecondary education options, now and in the future; and
• The University remains accountable to the Ministry with respect to effective and efficient use of provincial government resources and student resources covered by policy directives of the Ministry, or decisions impacting upon these, to maximize the value and impact of investments made in the postsecondary education system.

The Ministry commits to engage with the sector in spring 2014 to finalize the financial sustainability metrics to be tracked through the course of the SMAs, building on metrics already identified during discussions that took place in the fall of 2013.

Ministry/Government Commitments

Over time, the Ministry commits to aligning many of its policy, process, and funding levers with the Differentiation Policy Framework and SMAs in order to support the strengths of institutions and implement differentiation. To this end, the Ministry will:

• Engage with both the college and university sectors around potential changes to the funding formula, beginning with the university sector in 2014-15;
• Update the college and university program funding approval process to improve transparency and align with institutional strengths as outlined in the SMAs;
• Streamline reporting requirements across Ministry business lines with the goals of (1) creating greater consistency of reporting requirements across separate initiatives, (2) increasing automation of reporting processes, and (3) reducing the amount of data required from institutions without compromising accountability. In the interim, the Multi-Year Accountability Report Backs will be adjusted and used as the annual reporting mechanism for metrics set out in the SMAs;
• Consult on the definition, development, and utilization of metrics;
• Undertake a review of Ontario’s credential options; and
• Continue the work of the Nursing Tripartite Committee.

The Ministry and the University are committed to continuing to work together to:

• Support student access, quality, and success;
• Drive creativity, innovation, knowledge, and community engagement through teaching and research;
• Increase the competitiveness of Ontario’s postsecondary education system;
• Focus the strengths of Ontario’s institutions; and
• Maintain a financially sustainable postsecondary education system.

Appendix

University of Ontario Institute of Technology - Summary of Graduate Space Allocations to 2016-17, FTEs

Notes:

1. Adjustments to Graduate Targets (pre 2015-16) include: (i) 2013-14 approved fungibility requests; (ii) 2014-15 final Master’s allocations; (iii) resets of graduate targets, if any; and, (iv) other Ministry commitments, including further conversions.
2. General Allocation Envelope includes all metrics-based space allocations for 2015-16 and 2016-17.
3. Priorities Envelope includes: (i) Ministry and institutional priorities; and, (ii) approved spaces for identified niche programs.
   1. Note: The 10 Master’s spaces allocated as part of the Priorities Envelope are provided to UOIT's growth in the niche area of Advanced Manufacturing.