2017-20 Strategic Mandate Agreement: Collège d'arts appliqués et de technologie La Cité collégiale
Read the agreement between Ontario and Collège d'arts appliqués et de technologie La Cité collégiale to understand its unique role in the province’s post-secondary education system.
Preamble
This Strategic Mandate Agreement between the Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Development and La Cité outlines the role the College currently performs in Ontario’s postsecondary education system and how it will build on its current strengths to achieve its vision and help drive system-wide objectives and government priorities.
The Strategic Mandate Agreement (SMA):
- Identifies and explains the shared objectives and priorities between the Ontario government and the College
- Outlines current and future areas of program strength
- Supports the current vision, mission, and mandate of the College and established areas of strength within the context of the College’s governing legislation
- Describes the agreed-upon elements of the new College funding model, including:
- a College’s enrolment plans and the initial midpoint levels of weighted funding units that will be funded in the corridor funding model during the period of this SMA; and
- differentiation areas of focus including metrics, and targets.
- Provides information on the financial sustainability of the institution; and,
- Informs Ministry decision-making and enables Ministry to align its policies and processes to further support the College’s areas of strength
The term of the SMA is from April 1, 2017 to March 31, 2020.
The agreement may be amended in the event of substantive policy or program changes that would significantly affect joint commitments made in the SMA (e.g., Major Capacity Expansion and Highly Skilled Workforce). Any such amendment would be mutually agreed to in writing, dated, and signed by both signatories.
Ontario’s vision for postsecondary education
Ontario’s colleges and universities will drive creativity, innovation, knowledge, skills development and community engagement through teaching and learning, applied research and service.
Ontario’s colleges and universities 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 economy.
La Cité Vision, Mission and Mandate
Institutional mandate, mission, and vision statements describe where an institution currently is and where it sees itself in the future.
The French-language college of the 21st century — against a backdrop of success, access, productivity and innovation, the mandate of La Cité is:
- To provide a customized learning environment and applied training designed to develop each student’s creativity and commitment and help them succeed
- To support the social, cultural and economic development of the Ontario community by a strong presence and actions
Mission
In a French-speaking setting, La Cité is training a competent, committed and creative workforce that will contribute to the economic, social and cultural development of Francophone Ontario and of society as a whole.
Vision
A French-language educational leader — La Cité stands for success.
2018-2023 strategic planning
La Cité is starting a strategic planning initiative in 2017-2018. The goal is to draw up a new five-year strategic plan for 2018-2023, which will end at the same time as SMA 2020-2023.
At present, La Cité’s mandate, mission and vision are unchanged and will remain so for the first year of SMA 2017-2020.
La Cité will inform the Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Development (MAESD) of the new objectives as soon as La Cité’s Board of Directors ratifies them, which will be in April 2018. SMA 2017-2020 will provide context for La Cité’s next strategic plan.
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.
Institutional aspirations
Viability And Vitality — Becoming the college of the future now, while at the same time making the best possible use of resources and maintaining financial viability.
- As a minority Francophone institution, La Cité often has to deliver a wide range of different training programs to small groups. Systematic programming review and the introduction of new delivery models in work settings, online or in a hybrid format, make for program viability
La Cité is currently testing the MobiliCité delivery model (described in Section 2.2.) in Toronto. This model makes it possible to deliver, in the work setting, the same programs given to micro-cohorts on the main campus, without a major investment in facilities. During SMA2, La Cité wishes to expand this model to other programs and establish it in other regions of the province to be able to respond to occasional needs.
- The student-college relationship is also redefined in terms of creativity and innovation. Transforming the programs based on a competency-based pedagogical model divided into learning units — some of them online —provides more flexibility and mobility. The processes have also been made more fluid, allowing students to concentrate on their studies. Work on this large-scale SWITCH (see section 2.2) began in spring 2017 and will continue through to 2021
- La Cité aspires to increase enrolment from non-traditional populations, including international students, Indigenous students, students from immersion programs and adults. Those pools provide ways for La Cité to offset the decline in enrolment from high schools, and even to increase its total student body
Admit, Access, Attract — Promote La Cité’s brand to make it more attractive, enhancing the student experience and strengthening its place in the community.
- La Cité is redefining the student-teacher relationship and giving it a guidance component. New learning and teaching methods are being used, customized to the students’ needs. Learning technologies support the teacher-guide and boost student success
During the period covered by this agreement, the College plans to implement a process to encourage staff to make the transition in their professional practices and to evaluate the impact of these new methods.
- La Cité takes an inter-professional approach, providing full, timely and customized guidance to all its students. The student-employee relationship is thus redefined and each staff member has a precise and recognized role to play in the students’ success. La Cité will put in place inter-unit teams (see section 1.2) based on the matrix management structure used by some businesses
- The student-community and labour market relationship is being transformed. By incorporating the four La Cité competencies (commitment, creativity, bilingual capacity, and sense of initiative and entrepreneurship) into the graduate profile in all programs, the college has carved a niche for itself in the labour market; it is using new, innovative delivery models that use the work place as an important training component, bringing La Cité closer to the community and the students closer to the workplace. La Cité will integrate evaluation systems linked to the four skills (defined in section 2.2) in all of the college’s programs. During the period covered by this agreement, and based on the analysis of all of its programs, the College will integrate learning experiences and evaluations linked to the four La Cité key skills
Shared objectives and priorities for differentiation
Student experience
This section captures institutional strengths in improving student experience, outcomes and success. This section recognizes institutions for measuring the broader learning environment, such as continuity of learning pathways; retention; student satisfaction; co-curricular activities and records; career preparedness; and student services and supports.
Institutional approach to improving student experience
La place
In April 2017, La Cité launched construction of its new immersive technology centre, La Place, which is scheduled to open in fall of 2018.
La Place will be a hub of meetings and exchanges and a centre of innovation and vitality. It will be La Cité’s entry point, with leading technology, and its contribution to creative technology in the business world. All students will have access to the facilities, which will enrich their learning experiences.
La Place will become the location of choice for experiential, multidisciplinary learning, artistic and digital creations and musical performances and lectures. Major events will be held at La Place, but it will also serve as a tool to make students familiar with entrepreneurial work through collaboration with entrepreneurs seeking to fine-tune their projects or their marketing campaigns. This centre will be a dynamic environment that will stimulate active and collaborative learning for students. It will also welcome visitors, partners and entrepreneurs who will be able to have co-creative experiences. The project also includes an upgrade of the sports complex, which may house major sporting events.
An integrative and corporate model to prime student success
La Cité has implemented a new student success strategy. This strategy is based on collecting qualitative and quantitative academic success data forecasts and finding new ways of incorporating them into new technology platforms that provide for feedback and individualized and targeted responses at different moments in each student’s learning cycle. This initiative makes the best use of existing resources and encourages students to stay in school, which in turn contributes to the financial viability of the organization.
La Cité’s integrated services support and guide students and teachers. Using an upstream intervention model, La Cité has created more than 40 innovative processes aimed at academic success and the development of local services in an attempt to get to know its clientele better and become closer to the students. These distinct intervention processes have been set up to support the students at critical points in their academic career. La Cité’s new intervention model uses students’ qualitative and quantitative data to guide their actions and track their progress at different phases of the academic calendar — from admission right through to graduation. Past experiences, perceptual clues from the students (such as how confident they are in succeeding) and personal characteristics are combined with real-time information generated by remarks recorded in the Système analytique et visuel d'observation, d'identification et de rétroaction (SAVOIR), which La Cité developed three years ago with the help of the Desire2Learn learning platform.
La Cité is very aware of how important it is for students to receive guidance throughout their academic careers. It also wants to make the administrative process more fluid, starting from the application for admission.
The quality of the student experience also depends on the commitment of all employees. Their concerns must be student-centred. The introduction of a guidance-focused culture will be backed up by adapting services to meet the needs of all La Cité’s clientele and by incorporating new services within each sector.
Examples of institutional initiatives
Transforming the student experience
Facing competition from other postsecondary institutions and starting with smaller and more widely dispersed potential student bases, French-language colleges must provide an ever-changing menu of programs and a student experience that is flexible and geared to individual needs and characteristics. La Cité is developing a plan to: revise its front-line strategy, starting in the Registrar’s office; reorient its digital strategy; rework its marketing strategy and propelling its brand by taking inspiration from retail marketing.
Career preparation
College La Cité provides many free job-search and placement-search services to all its students. In addition to employer canvassing and holding workshops and individual meetings to draft resumés and go over interview techniques, La Cité organizes a job fair every year for employers, graduates and students in their final year. The job fair is an opportunity for employers to meet and recruit highly qualified and motivated women and men who can meet the high expectations of the industry. It also helps students learn more about the realities of the labour market in the fields they are studying.
In 2017 the job fair attracted a record number of participants. La Cité plans to repeat the event in coming years and to add professional networking opportunities, virtual job fairs and sector showcases. These will allow employers to visit the facilities and meet graduating students and teachers in particular fields. La Cité held a very successful first sector showcase in March 2017, featuring the Canada Border Services Agency.
Inter-unit teams
Inspired by the matrix structure adopted by some organizations, La Cité will create cross-disciplinary collaborative teams devoted to improving or maintaining the quality of the student experience. With a focus on combining expertise, this new structure will designate cross-disciplinary collaborative teams in each sector. Program teams and students will have access to these new teams whenever necessary. For various projects — but especially the development of new programs, the assessment of existing programs, for the program teams and guidance for at-risk students — the expertise of employees who are spread among different project teams will be used continuously and immediately on a one-stop basis. The groups will be made up of cross-disciplinary specialists, each one chosen for their ability to contribute to the projects.
Student services and support - SAVOIR
The success of its SAVOIR system has prompted La Cité to develop an academic success program — including a platform for collecting, integrating and analyzing data — that could be used by all of the province’s postsecondary institutions.
La Cité has created an academic success program that contains more than 40 intervention processes, spread through the student’s entire academic cycle, that trigger targeted and concerted action at critical moments. Since introducing the program, La Cité has increased the retention rate of its lower performingt students (those with grade point averages of zero or F) by more than 10%.
La Cité’s success program is a three-step strategy that assesses each student’s chances of successfully completing postsecondary studies. The first step includes a multivariate analysis of the admission data. This analysis searches for students who present one or more of the risk factors La Cité has identified.The second step is to offer those students help and advice in a proactive way before the first term starts. The third step is to observe and measure the level of commitment and the progress of each student in the classroom, as reported by the teachers in SAVOIR. One of the program’s innovations is that all the players (students, teachers, facilitators) can work together and share relevant information on each student’s performance in real time on a common platform.
In a short time the new success initiative at La Cité has led to more frequent and intensive interactions among teachers, facilitators and students in a highly focused support environment that benefits all the students, not only those considered to be at greater risk. La Cité is developing an expanded version of this initiative, scheduled to be rolled out over three years.
To La Cité’s knowledge, SAVOIR is the first system that collects and centralizes the teachers’ opinions on the commitment and performance of all students in the classroom, so that at-risk students can be identified proactively.
Metrics and targets
| System-wide Metrics | 2019-20 Target |
|---|---|
| Overall Student Satisfaction Rate | 83 - 86% |
| Student Satisfaction with Services (Q39) | 76 - 79% |
| Student Satisfaction with facilities (Q49) | 82 - 85% |
| Institution-Specific Metrics | 2019-20 Target Range |
|---|---|
| Proportion of programs of study whose student satisfaction ratings are above the satisfaction standard established by La Cité | 78 - 80% |
| Statistics from the Système analytique et visuel d'observation, d'identification et de rétroaction (SAVOIR): #student/employee users | 90% |
| Proportion of the provincial satisfaction survey respondents who would recommend their program of study to a friend | 85% |
Innovation in teaching and learning excellence
This section focuses on innovative efforts including pedagogical approaches, program delivery and student services that contribute to a highly skilled workforce and ensure positive student outcomes.
This section captures institutional strengths in delivering high-quality learning experiences, such as experiential, entrepreneurial, personalized and digital learning, to prepare students for rewarding careers. It includes recognition of student competencies that improve employability.
It begins to identify indicators of quality that are currently available and within an institution’s control.
Institutional approach to innovation in teaching and learning excellence
La Cité believes that students in postsecondary studies will choose their institutions based on both the type of program and the student experience. Students are looking for flexibility and agility as well as some mobility. That is why La Cité is starting, in 2017-2018, a systematic review of all its programs, which will be redeveloped as skill-based learning units within which more experiential learning will be introduced. La Cité is also aiming to bring 25% of the learning hours online.
La Cité’s ability to prepare students for the labour market and to integrate authentic learning situations will be key factors in the success of the student experience. By revising programs, La Cité will be able to focus on adapting to employer needs within the curriculum. La Cité is also testing an innovative model for training in a work setting, in which the employer also becomes the trainer.
There are three components to career preparation at La Cité. First, innovative and quality learning experiences inside and outside the classroom give students the technical skills required for their areas of study and the generic competencies related to La Cité’s Graduate profile. The students can then practise and fine tune the skills they have acquired in applied research projects or during placements in work settings, either in the industry or in one of La Cité’s in-house teaching enterprises. Finally, students are supported as they search for jobs and placements. La Cité helps them showcase their personalities, skills and work strengths to potential employers.
La Cité’s direction is in line with the recommendations in Building the Workforce of Tomorrow: A Shared Responsibility, the final report of the Premier’s Highly Skilled Workforce Expert Panel. The report makes recommendations on how the province can build on its world-class skills, education and training systems to prepare Ontario’s current and future workforce for the technology- and knowledge-based jobs of today and tomorrow. La Cité is convinced that experiential learning can have a positive impact on the labour market success of its graduates and on the province’s long-term economic prosperity. La Cité took the Premier’s Highly Skilled Workforce Expert Panel’s recommendations into account when creating several of the initiatives described in Section 2.2.
Examples of institutional initiatives
Mobilicité
La Cité is exploring the expansion of its a co-operative training delivery model in work settings that was started in Toronto in 2015-2016. The MobiliCité model inserts students into work settings on the first day of their programs. Throughout their academic journey, students are immersed in the labour market and have contact with the professionals who work there. This promotes experiential learning and the students can put into practice what they have learned at work.
Implementation of the MobiliCité model has started. But to get to the next level of documentation and review, La Cité needs to increase its program supply and invest additional resources to obtain sufficient relevant data so it can assess the delivery model. Recent MAESD funding has allowed La Cité to conduct research to produce evidence and point to promising effective and efficient practices for training Ontario’s workforce.
The MobiliCité project spans three years (from recruitment to entering the labour market) and will allow La Cité to produce assessment tools and evidence on the effectiveness of the new delivery mode and academic success.
The graduate profile: skills acquired in an experiential learning setting
The Graduate Profile is an example of how La Cité focuses on transforming the learning environment. It is an innovative approach that showcases students’ academic and extracurricular successes and their acquisition of the academic and generic skills required by the labour market. It represents La Cité’s commitment to forging tighter bonds between the curriculum and employers’ requirements. La Cité wants the labour market to recognize the value of its students and it does this by ensuring that graduates have acquired all the required skills, as promised at registration.
As a result of this research, La Cité’s Board of Directors adopted the Graduate Profile as the goal of its governance model. The Graduate Profile includes four key skills: creativity, sense of initiative and entrepreneurship, commitment, and bilingual capacity.
La Cité was inspired by similar initiatives in other postsecondary educational institutions for integrating these skills into its programs and appraising how graduates have mastered them. It adopted a system of electronic badges based on three achievement levels for each skill. The levels are exposition, integration and transformation. The exposition level is reached when the student passes a course with an identified Profile activity. The integration level involves greater reflection and commitment. Transformation refers to experiences that the student believes have transformed their life for the better.
Embedding the four skills in all of La Cité’s programs and marking the achievement of those skills are two parallel and interconnected approaches that are underway and will continue.
La Cité is working on the project’s technological component, which will allow it to document students’ progress. A customized platform will be built to provide electronic portfolio functions. The system will have the capacity to receive relevant data and objects from students. Students will be able to download their work assignments and their badges in other external platforms, such as LinkedIn. At this time, the technology is supported by institutional servers, but it will also have cloud storage capacity. Students will have continuous access to dashboards that contain all their activities and can be sent to potential employers.
VIRAGE
La Cité is undertaking a pedagogical upgrade known as VIRAGE. It will be part of a larger project called Transformation 2020. La Cité hopes to create and implement a new teaching model to orient the development and renewal of its programs, incorporating the notion of skills, the division of content into learning units, the integration of experiential learning and the integration of online components. At the same time, the standards set by MAESD will be respected.
The introduction of the SWITCH elements will make La Cité more agile at developing new programs quickly or adapting existing programs to meet the changing needs of the market.
- Competency based – a student-centred approach: La Cité is heading toward a new pedagogical model: competency-based approach. This new model puts the students at the core of the design and delivery of La Cité’s training programs. This new focus on learning means programs will be designed around the activities of the student learner, not mainly on the content to be taught
- With its skills-based pedagogical model the students become the lead players in the learning process and the teachers guide and help them shape their studies. The focus on skills will be accompanied by a skill-appraising framework that will allow La Cité to guarantee to employers that its graduates have actually been given the opportunity to acquire the skills the labour market expects of them
- Learning units: La Cité’s main innovation with VIRAGE is to divide the courses into learning units so that students can create their own learning paths based on their needs, experience and skills. Dividing the course content into learning units entails:
- Deconstructing a skill into a learning unit that is an independent whole; the division into learning units means reassigning the learning activities that mark the development of skills and providing one-off training modules, if necessary
- Creating self-supporting and online training materials that are customized to meet the needs of all types of students
- Offering training courses that make learning easier and help students better adapt to training environments, no matter where they are and what time it is
Programs with a co-op option
In 2016–2017, 12 programs offered a co-op component. Eighty-five% of students who were enrolled in these programs found a paid internship. One La Cité team offers students internship preparation training, canvasses companies and manages the logistics of student placement in internships.
For the duration of SMA2, La Cité plans to add a co-op option to six new programs. In addition, over the next three years, La Cité would like to place a focus on intern recruitment.
Metrics and targets
| System-wide Metrics | 2019-20 Target |
|---|---|
| Graduation Rate | 67 - 70% |
| Number of students enrolled in an experiential learning program (WIL) | 1,800 – 2,000 |
| Total number of registrations in ministry-funded courses offered in eLearning formats (2016 baseline: 5,667) |
6,500 – 7,000 |
| Total number of ministry-funded courses offered in eLearning formats | 300 - 350 |
| Total number of ministry-funded programs offered in eLearning formats | 25 - 27 |
| Retention rates (Yr1 to Yr2) | 64 - 72 |
| Retention rates (Yr2 to Yr3) | 75 - 80 |
| Student satisfaction rate (overall) | 83 - 86% |
| Student satisfaction with knowledge and skills | 91 - 94% |
| Student satisfaction with learning experience | 85 - 88% |
| Institution-Specific Metrics | 2019-20 Target |
|---|---|
| Number of students enrolled in programs under the MobiliCité model | 42 |
| Number of programs transformed based on the skills-based approach | 52 |
Access and equity
This section recognizes institutions for their efforts in improving postsecondary education equity and access. Institutions play an important role in providing equitable and inclusive environments that make it possible for students from diverse communities to thrive and succeed.
Institutions will also be recognized for creating equitable access opportunities that can include multiple entrance pathways and flexible policies and programming, with the focus on students who, without interventions and support, would not otherwise participate in postsecondary education. Examples include outreach to marginalized youth, transition, bridging and access programs for adults with atypical education histories and who did not meet admissions requirements.
Institutional approach to improving access and equity
Francophones
Improving access and equality for francophones in college education is the core of La Cité’s mandate. It is still very hard to reduce the gap between what English-language and French-language postsecondary institutions can offer, despite La Cité’s efforts to increase its number of programs. Between 2004 and 2015, English-language colleges greatly expanded the number of courses offered, so the gap has not been reduced as much as anticipated.[1]
However, the proportion of francophones studying in French has increased, which indicates that they are attracted by the college experience as much as they are by specific programs.
La Cité intends to redirect its efforts toward customizing and optimizing its existing programs, focusing on agility and flexibility and innovative and distinct experiential learning, while still providing a wide range of programs.
Non-traditional students
La Cité runs several programs and develops many practices to increase its ability to welcome non-traditional students, including first-generation college students, Métis and Inuit and people with disabilities. La Cité also intends to make efforts to attract and serve students from immersion schools and programs.
Examples of institutional initiatives
Aboriginal students
La Cité recognizes the importance of promoting and raising awareness about Aboriginal values and traditions. To this end, Aboriginal students are invited to take an active role in activities held throughout the year. These activities are always well received by the whole college community.
La Cité will put in place measures to increase the number of self-identifying Aboriginal students, notably by collecting data during student events. Examples of activities that could attract more students from the Aboriginal community include: activities organized by the working committee in conjunction with Aboriginal liaison officers of the region’s French-language school boards and with Aboriginal liaison officers at postsecondary institutions; participating in various lodges and community activities; meetings with elders; sessions with provincial government representatives and participation in the provincial francophone EDU-MAESD table with a focus on the education of First Nations, Métis and Inuit students; information sessions led by Aboriginal leaders and training workshops aimed at raising awareness of Aboriginal culture among college employees.
First-generation postsecondary students
Twenty-seven% (803 out of 2,993) of La Cité students enrolled in their first year in September 2015 self-identified as first-generation students. Orientation and integration days for first-generation students were very successful. In August 2016, 357 first-generation students attended orientation days and 43 first-generation students participated in the Réussir ses études information sessions. In January 2016, 141 first-year La Cité students self-identified as first-generation. This made up 30% of first-time students. Sixty-four of these students attended the orientation day.
La Cité awarded college diplomas to 357 first generation students in June 2016. This result confirms that the measures put forth to foster success in college among first-generation students are effective. The development of new online support resources for staff who work with first-generation students largely contributed to the increased use of digital tools for monitoring student achievement. As a result, concerted actions have been more rapidly implemented to assist first-generation students. Examples include:
- Training of academic staff to ensure that all professors, full-time faculty members and contract teachers can navigate SAVOIR and other tools so they can assist first-generation students. A total of 370 full-time and part-time professors consulted the resource
- Coaching for first-generation students who are five courses (or fewer) short of being awarded a diploma. Program Coordinators meet with first-generation students and develop an action plan so the students can graduate as soon as possible. In 2016-17, La Cité followed this approach with first-generation students with three or fewer courses to complete in order to obtain their diploma. La Cité is currently analyzing results of this work to determine if it increases the number of first-generation graduates
Communication with first-generation students is an ongoing challenge. La Cité has come up with creative solutions, including face-to-face communication between first-generation students and college staff. It intends to try reaching first-generation students via other means to interest them in campus activities or encourage them to meet with stakeholders who will support them in their academic development. Every year, strategies will be developed over the summer and implemented at the beginning of the next academic year.
International students and recent immigrants
La Cité intends to pursue the internationalization of its activities via the deployment and promotion of its international mobility agreements for its students. Currently, several mobility options are offered to La Cité students, across several areas of study, including journalism, administration, photography, biotechnology, culinary arts, hotel management, environmental studies, mechanical engineering and 3D animation.
The integration of newcomers into Ontario’s francophone community is an ongoing priority. La Cité has well-established bridging and integration programs for newcomers and it aims to expand its service offering to include employment integration, entrepreneurship and computer accessibility components to better serve its students who are new to our country.
Immersion program project
La Cité intends to establish a program to accommodate students from immersion programs and schools. According to Canadian Parents for French, "Enrolment in Ontario’s French Immersion programs has reached an all-time high at 200,258 students, a 6.7% increase over the previous year." According to the latest data from the Ministry of Education, the program has experienced an average annual growth rate of 5.7% for ten consecutive years. The program represents 10.5% of the total elementary and secondary student body in the 60 English school boards in Ontario[2].
La Cité has already begun discussions with Canadian Parents for French Ontario (who award Certificates of Bilingualism to graduates) to explore the possibility of establishing a continuum of immersion training to college level.
Metrics and targets
| System-wide Metrics | 2019-20 Expected Value |
|---|---|
| Number of students with disabilities enrolled | 440 – 500 |
| Proportion of students with disability enrolled | 10 - 11.5% |
| Overall student with disabilities satisfaction rates | 83 - 84.5% |
| Overall graduate satisfaction rates for students with disabilities | 81 - 84% |
| Employment rates for students with disabilities | 75 - 82% |
| Number of first-generation students enrolled | 900 - 1,400 |
| Proportion of first-generation students enrolled | 22.5 - 32% |
| Number of Indigenous students enrolled | 80 - 125 |
| Proportion of Indigenous students enrolled | 2 - 2.5% |
| Overall student satisfaction rates for Indigenous students | 82 - 85% |
| Overall graduate satisfaction rates for Indigenous students | 85 - 90% |
| Employment rates for Indigenous students | 90 - 92% |
| Number of French-language students enrolled | 4,528 |
| Proportion of French-language students enrolled | 100% |
| OSAP recipients as a proportion of all eligible students | 39 - 41% |
| Percentage of university graduates enrolled in college programs | 7.5 - 8% |
| Percentage of college graduates enrolled in university programs | 3.5 - 4% |
| Institution-Specific Metrics | 2019-20 Target |
|---|---|
| Number of secondary students enrolled in the Dual Credit Program (DCP) | 830 - 850 |
| Number of self-identifying FNMI students | 140 – 150 |
| Number of self-identifying handicapped students | 743 – 766 |
Applied research excellence and impact
This section captures institutional strengths in producing high-quality applied research that further raises Ontario’s profile as a globally recognized research and innovation hub.
Applied research projects create or improve products, services and processes. College applied research gives industry firms access to the skills and competencies of faculty and students, facilities and equipment and markets and networks through the colleges’ connections to local business and communities.
Institutional approach to applied research excellence and impact
Applied research is an important component of La Cité’s vision for the experiential learning opportunities it provides its students. Since 2008, La Cité has been developing its biotechnology research capacity for several reasons: the Bachelor of Biotechnology program, which has been available since 2003; research expertise among professors; campus infrastructure; and expansion in the field across the Ottawa region. La Cité is proud of its success in this field and it remains a priority. In March 2015, La Cité received the funding required to set up a technology access centre for the Innovation Program in colleges and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) community, allowing the College to increase its support to businesses in this field.
Following the creation of the Rural and Agri-Food Research and Training Institute, La Cité will be equipped to support innovation in these fields and meet the needs of the local community.
La Cité also partners with private companies on projects related to technology (computer engineering, mechanical engineering, electronic engineering and architecture), graphic design, marketing and construction.
Applied research initiatives are supported financially at the federal level by NSERC, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council and the Canada Foundation for Innovation. Private companies who partner with La Cité receive federal funding from the National Research Council Canada’s Industrial Research Assistance Program. The Economic Development Agency of Canada contributes financially to the La Cité research program through its FedDev Ontario program. At the provincial level, La Cité receives funding from the Ontario Centres of Excellence and the Ontario Ministry of Research, Innovation and Science. Lastly, private companies contribute financially to research projects.
Examples of institutional initiatives
Development of a bio-innovation technology access centre
A five-year development plan was drafted to incorporate the addition of human resources and the funding required to ensure the Centre’s sustainability. In particular, the plan proposes the hiring of additional research staff, such as researchers, research assistants and laboratory technicians.
Development of multidisciplinary projects
Recent projects have combined expertise such as computer engineering and graphic design, architecture and construction. These projects allow professors and students from these areas of expertise to work together on developing innovative prototypes. One such project involved developing a prototype touch screen to control a bathtub for the elderly.
Development of new local agri-food products
Culinary arts students and professors are working with local agricultural producers in the area to showcase produce by developing new local foods. The products developed include chocolate and hazelnut spread, vinaigrette/marinade made from local sunflower oil, flour mix (purple corn and barley) for nutritious pancakes, and hemp milk ice cream.
Metrics and targets
| System-wide Metrics | 2019-20 Target |
|---|---|
| Number of externally funded applied research projects (2016-17 baseline: 67) |
67 |
| Number of partnerships / collaborations with community / industry firms (2016-17 baseline: 67) |
67 |
| Institution-Specific Metrics | 2019-20 Target |
|---|---|
| Number of students who participated in a research project | 254 |
| Total in research grants | $1,397,550 |
| Total received from clients | $266,200 |
Innovation, economic development and community engagement
This section recognizes the unique role institutions play in contributing to their communities and to economic development, as well as to building dynamic partnerships with business, industry, community members and other colleges and universities. It focuses on regional clusters, customized training, entrepreneurial activities, jobs, community revitalization efforts, international collaborations, students, partnerships with Aboriginal Institutes and a program mix that meets needs locally, regionally and beyond.
Institutional approach to innovation, economic development and community engagement
La Cité’s vision and mission clearly express its commitment to being a pillar of francophone Ontario and to making a significant contribution to the development and reach of the French-speaking community. Deeply rooted and engaged in francophone Ontario for nearly 27 years, La Cité always grounds its efforts in two principal aims: to train a specialized, highly competent francophone workforce that is capable of seamlessly integrating into the labour market; and, through its expertise and commitment, to contribute to the development and reach of the French-language community of Ontario.
Many activities take La Cité outside of its walls to partner with other players in the francophone community in Ontario and elsewhere — always to fruitful and mutually beneficial results. For example, in 2016–2017, La Cité worked with Algonquin College, Ottawa 2017 and Ottawa Tourism to develop an online tool to train people to welcome visitors to the celebrations of the 150th anniversary of Confederation. La Cité is an active member of the Consortium national de formation en santé (CNFS), a pan-Canadian group of 11 postsecondary educational institutions outside Quebec whose mandate is to train health professionals who deliver exemplary care and services to francophone minority communities in Canada. Among other things, the CNFS has created new clinical internship settings in Sudbury, Timmins and New Brunswick and has developed learning materials in French that are available Canada-wide.
The francophone community chooses the La Cité campus to hold important community events. For example, in 2016–2017, La Cité hosted a bilingual event titled “Together to provide better services for newcomers”, which brought together French- and English-language institutions that offer services to Ottawa immigrants. La Cité hosted the fifth edition of the national capital’s Espoirs culinaires culinary contest, sponsored by the Mexican Ambassador and jointly organized by La Cité and the Vanier Community Services Centre.
La Cité is participating in numerous projects with partners in other provinces and partners that are members of pan-Canadian organizations including, the Réseau des cégeps et des collèges francophones du Canada, the Association des collèges et universités de la francophonie canadienne and the Consortium national de développement de ressources pédagogiques en français au collegial.
Examples of institutional initiatives
Research projects
Between 40 and 60 research projects are undertaken each year in the fields of bio-innovation, culinary arts, social innovation, marketing, computer science and construction in partnership with dozens of private companies and community organizations. Examples include: the St-Albert Cheese Co-op for the re-engineering of their snack bar menu; Delta DNA Inc. in Ottawa for the development of a new technology to detect DNA in maternal blood; Fermes de Toit JPC in Mont-Laurier for the development of a gazebo kit. In total, almost 100 students were involved in these projects.
Mobilicité
Since September 2015, Journalism and Public Relations programs have been offered in Toronto via this delivery method to such employers as Radio-Canada and L'Express. (See section 2.2 for details)
Employers
Employers on Program Advisory Committees are an invaluable resource, guiding La Cité's decisions on program quality, experiential learning, equipment suitability and labour market needs. They also network in their field of expertise. In addition, a new electronic platform allows employers to post their job offers online and students to apply online.
Events
Other activities demonstrating La Cité's commitment to its community include: employment fairs at the Ottawa and Orléans campuses; Expo-Cité; networking activities; hosting the largest bilingual Google summit in education[3], gathering 1,400 participants, for the second year in a row; a second luncheon with the three Eastern Ontario school boards; hosting the Forum DRC for secondary schools in the region; biannual meetings of the Aboriginal education council and increased participation by La Cité in events and meetings to forge links with First Nations, Métis, and Inuit communities.
La Cité is currently constructing La Place, a college pavilion using advanced technology, as part of its commitment to the community. This pavilion will be a hub for meeting, exchange, and multidisciplinary interactions that bring about new ideas and innovation solutions. It will offer a space based on creative thought and use of technology that students will face in the business world. Partners, entrepreneurs and visitors will all be welcome for collaboration and sharing creativity with students and employees.
Metrics and targets
| System-wide Metrics | 2019-20 Target |
|---|---|
| Number of active Program Advisory Committees (PACs) | 38 |
| Number of employers engaged in PACs | 255 |
| Graduate employment rates | 83 - 86% |
| Employer satisfaction rates | 88 - 91% |
| Proportion of Graduates employed full-time | 65 - 68% |
| Proportion of Graduates employed full-time in a related job | 47 - 50% |
| Institution-Specific Metrics | 2019-20 Target |
|---|---|
| Number of students participating annually in the activities of La Cité’s Entrepreneurship Centre | 500 - 650 |
| Number of employers involves in programs offered under the Mobilicité model | 24 |
Enrolment strategy, program direction, sustainability and partnerships
Enrolment strategy and program direction
Enrolment plan
The purpose of this section is to identify institutional enrolment plans and aspirations. The enrolment projections are based on Sheridan’s plans and assumptions for the coming years.
As stated in the College Funding Formula Technical Manual, the introductory corridor midpoint in 2019-20 will be calculated based on the “three-year average, two-year slip”, the average of three years of enrolment two years prior to the funding year.
Domestic projected funding eligible enrolment
Projected eligible full-time head count
| Level | Actuals 2015-16 | Actuals 2016-17 | Projected 2017-18 | Projected 2018-19 | Projected 2019-20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ontario College Certificate | 389 | 358 | 376 | 377 | 377 |
| Ontario College Diploma/Advanced Diploma | 3,569 | 3,466 | 3,536 | 3,540 | 3,547 |
| Ontario College Graduate Certificate | 53 | 68 | 62 | 62 | 62 |
| Baccalaureate Degree in Applied Area of Study | 53 | 41 | 51 | 51 | 51 |
| All other funding activity in full-time equivalent (FTE); Part-time, Tuition short, Prior Learning and Assessment Recognition (PLAR) | 358 | 350 | 360 | 370 | 380 |
International projected funding-eligible enrolment
Projected eligible full-time head count
| Level | Actuals 2015-16 | Actuals 2016-17 | Projected 2017-18 | Projected 2018-19 | Projected 2019-20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ontario College Certificate | 14 | 23 | 26 | 31 | 36 |
| Ontario College Diploma/Advanced Diploma | 185 | 245 | 311 | 367 | 422 |
| Ontario College Graduate Certificate | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Baccalaureate Degree in Applied Area of Study | 2 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
International strategy and collaboration
The international clientele at La Cité has grown from 112 students in 2012-2013 to 316 students in 2016-2017, despite the challenges posed by recruitment in the less affluent and politically unstable francophone areas of Africa, West, Maghreb and Haiti. In 2017, Colleges and Institutes Canada indicated that the visa refusal rate for candidate from West Africa was over 81%. La Cité must therefore deal with a situation that puts it at a disadvantage compared with English-language colleges, since the college cannot count on a clientele that is as large as the latter. The financial impact resulting from international student enrolment is therefore not the same for college in a minority setting.
Over the next few years, La Cité will pursue its recruitment efforts in collaboration with the consortium of Francophone post-secondary institutions, Avantages Ontario, while reinforcing its development in the new markets of Francophone Europe and Latin America. The college will also seek to establish a digital recruitment strategy similar to what English-language colleges have been introducing for several years.
Strategic areas of program strength and expansion
Program areas of strength
- Advertising and Design
- Health Miscellaneous
- Resources
- Technology Miscellaneous
Program areas of expansion
- Advertising and Design
- Health Miscellaneous
- Resources
- Technology Miscellaneous
Apprenticeship
La Cité College offers hands-on training programs in the following fields:
- Brick and Stone Mason
- General Carpenter
- Electrician - Construction and Maintenance
- Machinist
- Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Systems Mechanic
- Industrial Mechanic Millwright
- Plumber
- Child Development Practitioner
- Welder
- Automotive Service Technician
La Cité College intends to continue offering these apprenticeship courses, diploma apprenticeship and co-operative placements and also offer more training for activities in the field of electricity. The laboratory infrastructure was upgraded during the 2016-2017 academic year to accommodate more apprentices in this field. Similar objectives have been pinpointed for training in plumbing, and infrastructure upgrades in the Alphonse-Desjardins campus in Orléans have been scheduled for 2017-2018.
Several other fields of training will also be explored, with the aim of offering a wide range of opportunities to francophones in Ontario and complying with labour market needs. These fields include:
- Sprinkler and Fire Protection Installer
- Construction Craft Worker
- Drywall Finisher and Plasterer
- Ironworker - Generalist
- Tractor-Trailer Commercial Driver
- Cabinetmaker
- Railway Car Technician
- Light Rail Overhead Contact System Linesperson
- Truck-Trailer Service Technician
- Cook
- Hairstylist
- Machinist (agriculture)
La Cité intends to invest in promoting its learning opportunities via a series of measures that include continued support of the Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program (OYAP) and raising awareness of non-traditional trades among female students.
Financial sustainability
The Ministry and La Cité 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 Board of Governors and senior administrators of the College 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 College 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.
The College 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.
| System-wide Metrics | Benchmark | 2015-16 Actuals | 2016-17 Actuals | 2017-18 Projections |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annual Surplus (Deficit) | >0 | $2,237,280 | $1,357,746 | $0 |
| Accumulated Surplus (Deficit) | >0 | $23,191,053 | $24,548,799 | $24,548,799 |
| Net Income to Revenue Ratio | >1.5% | 2.3% | 1.36% | 1.22% |
| Net Assets to Expense Ratio | >60% | 108.43% | 106.21 % | 103.98% |
| Quick Ratio | >1 | 1.45 | 2.05 | 1.52 |
| Debt Servicing Ratio | <3% | 1.63% | 1.57% | 1.51% |
| Total Debt to Assets Ratio | <35% | 20.43% | 19.78% | 18.0% |
Institutional collaborations and partnerships
Ottawa, the education city
Algonquin College, Carleton University, La Cité and the University of Ottawa will work on a pilot project for the next three years to develop a unique learner-driven partnership focusing on flexible, personalized delivery and career pathways. Stackable, non-degree credentialed offerings will focus on developing the skills required to meet the highly skilled workforce needs of business and industry in Ottawa and Eastern Ontario.
We intend to be innovative and conceive of ways of sharing our location and unique strengths to achieve common goals of excellence in academic pursuits, increase transferability opportunities and the management and operations that underpin them, while pursuing partnerships with eCampusOntario and ONCAT. Students will be connected more than ever to work-integrated learning, pathways to employment and labour market information through a unique partnership with Magnet, LinkedIn and the Ottawa Local Employment Planning Council.
One of the results of these partnerships and collaborations will be short, outcomes-based delivery providing
stackable badges and certificates. Faculty members from each institution will be brought together to explore better understanding of the curricula of each institution.
All four postsecondary education institutions in the City of Ottawa have demonstrated a commitment toward working with Indigenous communities on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s calls to action. This partnership will work to embed Indigenous ways of knowing in its framework for the benefit of all students.
This will be the first umbrella partnership among four institutions in one city, offering college and university courses in Canada’s two official languages, and will turn Ontario’s second-largest city into a living lab for flexible, personalized postsecondary education program delivery and career pathways.
In line with the labour market
La Cité provides high-quality training in line with the needs of the labour market in its experiential learning program. The creation of lasting and credible partnerships has improved the student experience. For example, healthcare programs are supported by hospitals in Eastern Ontario, including Montfort Hospital, The Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario and the Hawkesbury General Hospital. Programs are also supported by hospitals across Ontario and Canada that provide services in French.
Transfer pathways
La Cité presented its strategy for the transfer pathways of francophone and bilingual students (Stratégie institutionnelle de parcours de transfert francophones et bilingues) to the Ontario Council on Articulation and Transfer in March 2017. La Cité’s development plan provides for a significant increase in partnerships with the eight other francophone and bilingual postsecondary institutions in Ontario over the next three years. These agreements will include:
- The recognition of a considerable number of college credits in university programs (more than the 30 credits currently recognized)
- An increase in the number of transfer pathways developed under the 2 + 2 model. This model recognizes 60 credits and students must obtain 60 credits to obtain their university degree
- The possibility of an accelerated Bachelors degree (2 + 2 model)
- The integration of university modules into the offerings of college courses
- The development of transfer pathways to other French- and English-language institutions in Canada and worldwide
Partnerships with school boards
Student mobility begins at the secondary level. La Cité is particularly interested in the transition from secondary school to college and then from college to university. The Dual Credit Program and a range of career exploration activities encourage students to enrol in college or training programs. To support this mobility, La Cité will invest in promotional activities (website, workshops, communication tools), intervention (student-teacher meetings), support services (a workshop on the transition between college and university and a website to ensure a smooth transition from college graduation to university).
La Cité's IT department has signed a partnership agreement with the conseil scolaire catholique Franco-Nord (CSCFN). The CSCFN agreed to develop a provincial registration system for the Dual Credit Program. This software program will be available in secondary schools across the province and will automate the transfer of information required to process the application. This new system will be more secure and will eliminate transcription errors. In exchange, La Cité agreed to assign public IP addresses to the CSCFN.
Partnerships for developing online training
La Cité has partnered with other colleges to benefit from grants that allow it to fully fund the development of new programs and online courses. Over the past three years, La Cité has been awarded such grants through partnerships with Collège Boréal, Algonquin College, Durham College, Seneca College and St. Lawrence College.
Through its participation in the Réseau d’enseignement francophone à distance network and the PAL network (politique d’aménagement linguistique), La Cité is part of a community of practice along with other francophone online training institutions in Canada. This has led to fruitful partnerships and collaboration on best-practice projects that foster efficiency.
Ministry/government commitments
- The SMA2 process has focused on implementing the first stages of the new funding model and demonstrating the ongoing commitment by all colleges and universities to student success. Future growth will only be funded through negotiated changes to an institution’s funded enrolment corridor. Through the SMA2 cycle, the ministry will continue to work closely with institutions to ensure all dimensions of the funding model are implemented.
- In a memo to colleges and universities dated March 7, 2017, the ministry committed to using the SMA2 (2017-20) process as a transitional phase to commence the collaborative and joint development of performance metrics and targets, tied to funding, for SMA3 (2020-23). The ministry reiterates this commitment and reaffirms that metrics and targets included in SMA2 are not tied to funding at this time and are a beginning point for further discussions with the sector prior to their application in SMA3. Colleges and universities will have the opportunity to reset and realign metrics prior to the application of metrics in SMA3. The ministry will also engage other stakeholders as part of discussions on a broad metrics strategy.
- The ministry commits to establishing a joint working group with each of the sectors and to begin detailed discussions in fall 2017 on metrics/targets and to seek input on the performance measurement methodology for SMA3.
- Colleges, universities and the ministry all benefit from processes that are transparent and non-duplicative. The ministry commits to work with colleges and universities to continue to streamline processes and seek opportunities to further reduce red tape (in part through increased access to other tools), including reducing or eliminating duplicated reporting requirements.
- Through SMA2 discussions, the ministry has heard concerns about the challenges of delivering breadth in programming for Francophone and Francophile students, including the cost and funding of such delivery. Starting in fall 2017, the ministry commits to consulting institutions who have a formal mandate for bilingual and/or French-language delivery to review the delivery of French-Language programming and consider these concerns
- In 2016, an extension of the existing tuition policy framework was announced to support a major reform in OSAP. The ministry will engage with both the college and university sectors around the next tuition policy framework, including examining the issue of tuition anomalies in certain professional programs as a result of past changes to tuition policy, and, for colleges, examining tuition levels relative to competitive college tuition frameworks in Canada.
- In recent years and during the SMA process, there has been an increased interest in the creation of a new polytechnic designation in the Ontario postsecondary education system. Starting in fall 2017, the ministry commits to undertake a review that examines whether improved benefits for students and employers are sufficient to make such a change. The ministry commits to working collaboratively with institutions across the sectors on this review.
- The ministry acknowledges a request by Ontario’s colleges to explore how to support more flexible delivery of programming, including reviewing part-time funding levels. The ministry commits to working collaboratively with colleges to review this issue, including identifying implications for credentials.
- The ministry commits to continue to work collaboratively with colleges to review the eligibility criteria and allocation method for the Small, Northern and Rural Grant to help target funding to best meet sustainability challenges.
[1] Through SMA2 discussions, the ministry has heard concerns about the challenges of delivering breadth in programming for Francophone and Francophile students, including the cost and funding of such delivery. Starting in fall 2017, the ministry is committing to consulting institutions who have a formal mandate for bilingual and/or French-language delivery to review the delivery of French-Language programming and consider these concerns.
[2] Source: Canadian Parents for French Ontario, September 8, 2016
[3] Source: edinnovation2016.collegelacite.ca
2014-17 Strategic Mandate Agreement: Collège d'arts appliqués et de technologie La Cité collégiale