Part 1 – Mandate Statement

ALGONQUIN COLLEGE

FINAL STRATEGIC MANDATE AGREEMENT

Last Updated: October 5, 2012

Part 1: Algonquin College – Proposed Mandate Statement

In developing our new five-year Strategic Plan (2012–2017), we at Algonquin College spent the past nine months reimagining—with our stakeholders—what it means to be a postsecondary institution in the 21st century. We have identified two essential ingredients for producing the kind of graduates Ontario needs to compete in today’s global knowledge economy. The first is authentic experiential learning. The second is digital connectivity. To a large degree, these are inseparable.

The rapid proliferation collaborations between higher education and industry—such as iTunes U, MIT and Harvard’s EdX, Coursera, Udacity, and the Khan Academy—demonstrate we are in a new and exciting time in education. Institutions are testing new concepts and sharing efforts in a bid to increase access, improve quality and lower cost. In our view, the combination of applied education and technology-enabled learning has the potential to transform Ontario postsecondary education.

Strategic mandate
Our strategic mandate mirrors our vision of being a global leader in personalized, digitally connected, experiential learning. It is rooted in our belief that our mission as a college is to democratize education, To transform hopes and dreams into lifelong success.

Algonquin College empowers the communities it serves by providing highly flexible, engaging and accessible applied education and training built on informed programming choices and smart investments in technology, pedagogy and professional development—delivering the best combination of face-to-face, online and mobile modalities.

This approach to learning is outcome-focused. It yields graduates who can apply what they know even in situations they’ve never encountered before. It gives them the practical and theoretical abilities to make sense of complex environments and communicate their understanding to others. Connecting students to peers, professional contacts and the broader community, it is the foundation of lifelong learning.

Making a strong Ontario PSE system even stronger
Algonquin recognizes the urgency for all postsecondary institutions in Ontario to contribute to the development of a sustainable and fully integrated education system. In keeping with the Minister’s call to action, and building on Algonquin’s strengths and experience, this strategic mandate agreement identifies three priority objectives. Two of these support transformation of the system; the third defines Algonquin’s differentiation regionally. With support from the Government of Ontario, Algonquin will;

  1. Create an Ontario Institute for Digital Education (OIDE). A consortium of individuals, institutions, and organizations committed to quality online education, the OIDE will leverage Algonquin’s experience to build a member-sustained, not-for-profit organization. It will focus on analysis, advocacy, community building, professional development, and on advancing cost-saving collaborations in technology-enabled learning to help transform higher education.
  2. Develop the initial business model and serve as the implementation partner for the Ontario Online Institute (OOI). Capitalizing on the College’s existing experience in delivering quality online education, Algonquin will partner with the Ministry, OntarioLearn and leading-edge technology companies to develop and deploy an initial working business model for the Ontario Online Institute. Once operational, the scalable, student-centric model will be made available to all Ontario postsecondary institutions, delivering on the Government of Ontario’s commitment to build the Ontario Online Institute.
  3. Launch “Algonquin Connects”. Creating a centralized mechanism for facilitating entrepreneurial thinking, community partnerships, and other socio-economic activities, this program will simplify partners’ access to Algonquin, increase student mobility, and ensure all full-time students have the opportunity to obtain work experience prior to graduation.
Impact
Delivering on these three objectives will:

  • Lower the total cost of education for students.
  • Increase access, improve the quality of education and reduce costs of operation through the introduction of new models for curriculum development, online program delivery, credit transfer, prior learning assessment and recognition, data mining and more.
  • Promote creativity and innovation in teaching and learning.
  • Build a system that supports a paradigm shift.
  • Provide Ontario institutions with a robust framework for the effective delivery of online education.
  • Establish a central repository for industry best practices.
  • Deliver immediate benefits—including cost efficiencies—through shared curricula, research, open education resources, and services.
  • Test the environment for delivering shared services.
  • Provide the government with a model for institutional business analytics and data sharing.
  • Embed entrepreneurial thinking throughout Algonquin.
  • Provide business and community partners with a single point of contact for engaging College support