Credit where it’s due
The Continuing Education program’s town hall allowed students, faculty and administrators to discuss the possibility of offering credits towards a Concordia degree and other tools that might change students’ relationship to the university.
Ostensibly intended to solicit student proposals for new courses and programs (a feature already available at the website, concordia.ca/conted/), the discussion covered a wide range of topics, not least of which was the program’s future integration in the School of “General Studies”, proposed some 18 months ago.
The Feb. 20 session began with a presentation by Cont Ed director Murray Sang on the evolution of the program. The primarily business-driven program focuses on practical education of interest to potential employers. Now, there are personal interest courses, online courses and there will likely be more credit courses added, administered by the appropriate faculties, when the School of “General Studies” is established.
“As a non-credit program, we are entirely self-financing,” Sang explained. “We do not benefit from provincial transfer funding, but we are also not tied to government .”
This distinction, and its implications, became a major focus of discussion. Some students felt that they would gain a better sense of belonging, and access to the libraries and other services, if they had student ID cards. Sang pointed out that many of those services are paid for by student fees, not charged to Cont Ed students.
Students also raised the possibility of converting three certificates into a bachelor degree — the number of courses is equivalent, and this is already done in some francophone universities. Students felt this would also acknowledge the effort they make attending courses in addition to their work schedules.
Sang explained that creating degree equivalencies would require internal decisions at the Senate level, and government accreditation. The entry requirements (language skills, or prerequisites) might also change.
Now, with over 6,000 students taking an average of 2.2 courses per academic year, the program serves as skill-builder for those without a university degree (only about a third of the centre’s students have a degree) and an opportunity to access the education system for those arriving from other countries with little or no English or French (about 30 per cent of students are from abroad, Sang said).
Faculty member Robert Soroka pointed out that the courses themselves might change. “I teach MBA, undergrad, non-credit and CEGEP and the product is very different.
“Non-credit courses eliminate the theoretical and are intended to make you more productive in the work environment.”
Lance Evoy, of Cont Ed’s Institute for Management and Community Development, facilitated the discussion and summed up the situation by saying, “The sum of the parts should be greater than the whole. A combination of credit and non-credit opportunities will mean different doors for different needs.”
Increasing the periods when intensive courses are offered, offering courses on every second weekend and other scheduling adjustments were also raised.