Canadian Journal of Higher Education

A Critical Mapping of Community Engaged Learning (CEL) in Canadian Public Universities

Wed, 25 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Community engaged learning (CEL) is an increasingly important collaborative form of experiential learning (EL) within Canadian higher education. This article critically examines the landscape of CEL within publicly funded universities across Canada. As EL gains traction across the country, CEL emerges as a unique response to varied social exigencies amidst the corporatization of academia. Ethically coordinated CEL can address societal challenges and nurture conscientious citizens, but navigating the complexities of CEL programming demands substantial resources and a commitment to reflective practices. Through a comprehensive scan of university websites and strategic plans, our research reveals myriad approaches to CEL terminology, institutional commitments, and community engagement. The study identifies key pathways for future research and calls for the establishment of a national network to facilitate collaboration and advance the collective understanding and impact of CEL in Canada.

Charting the Course: Strategic Planning for Knowledge Mobilization in Research-Intensive Universities

Stephen MacGregor, Aloysius Maduforo, Emily Coombs, Kristi-Mari Fedorko-Bartos — Wed, 25 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This study examines the strategic knowledge mobilization (KMb) planning resources employed by research-intensive universities. Focusing on four universities that participate in a professional network dedicated to KMb, the analysis identifies distinctive approaches to KMb, highlighting key features such as impact assessment, global challenge alignment, knowledge exchange, and needs-based infrastructure development. Key differences across the institutions include the specificity of implementation plans, the degree of stakeholder engagement, and the strategic use of resources. Drawing on resource-based view, institutional theory, and social learning theory, this study underscores the importance of tailoring KMb strategies to local contexts while leveraging broader institutional goals and theoretical perspectives. These findings offer valuable insights for university administrators and emphasize the need for further research to build an evidence base for KMb and to strategically integrate it into core institutional functions for addressing complex societal challenges.

Why the Rankings are Wrong: Lessons from Data Underlying U.K. University League Tables

J Paul Grayson, Kyle Grayson — Thu, 05 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This article uses high-quality data from the United Kingdom to critically examine the assumptions underpinning university league tables in Canada and elsewhere. Particular attention is given to research quality and value added in learning (VA). Unlike many global ranking systems, U.K. rankings incorporate measures that allow for robust assessment. Based on these data, we show that league table positions in the United Kingdom are weakly associated with research quality and largely unrelated to VA. Furthermore, research funding bears little consistent relationship to research quality. At both institutional and departmental levels, notably in Politics and International Studies, highly ranked universities do not necessarily deliver superior learning outcomes or research quality. These findings challenge the validity of using inputs such as research grants or student awards as proxies for institutional quality. Although U.K. data cannot be generalized automatically, they provide a valuable reference point for other countries. As a result of these findings, we argue that Canadian rankings, and others like them, must be treated with considerable skepticism.

La cote de rendement au collégial en question : une analyse des injustices interactionnelles, distributives et procédurales dans l’accès aux programmes universitaires contingentés au Québec

Stephane Moulin, Marie Blain, Flora Solé — Tue, 17 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This article aims to analyze the injustices associated with the college performance score formula (R score), used as a selection tool for admission to competitive university programs in Québec. Theoretically, the analysis draws on the framework of organizational justice to distinguish three dimensions of justice perceptions: interactional, distributive, and procedural. Empirically, it relies on a mixed-methods approach combining quantitative analysis of administrative data with qualitative interview analysis. The findings identify three forms of injustice: an interactional injustice stemming from a lack of clarity, transparency, and communication; a distributive injustice linked to the violation of the meritocratic principle whereby individuals with the best results should obtain the highest R score; and a procedural injustice tied to the special treatment of atypical pathways, which contributes to distortions. The article concludes by outlining three avenues for reform of the current system of evaluation and university admissions.

L’insécurité alimentaire chez les cégépiens

Éric Richard, François Régimbal — Tue, 19 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This article examines the issue of food insecurity in higher education in Quebec, focusing on the CEGEP context. The aim of this contribution is twofold. First, to explore the situation of food security in a sample of CEGEPs and identify student profiles that are at greater risk of experiencing food insecurity. Second, to assess the impact of food insecurity on variables that are not generally considered in this type of analysis: self-efficacy and academic satisfaction. Based on data from a questionnaire survey conducted on a sample of 2,127 CEGEP students enrolled in six colleges in the fall of 2024, the analyses reveal that 43.9% of participants experience some form of food insecurity and that certain student profiles are at greater risk. The findings on self-efficacy and academic satisfaction suggest that food insecurity influences these two variables: students experiencing food insecurity report both lower satisfaction with their studies and a reduced sense of self-efficacy. Further research that considers the diversity of local realities of institutions, adopts a longitudinal approach, and uses a food well-being analysis framework is necessary to better understand the overall relationship between CEGEP students and their diet.

Perceptions of Intimate Student–Professor Relationships

Nina Gregoire, Kimberley Kaseweter, Ethan Klukas, Paul Davies — Fri, 07 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Previous research indicates that university students generally disapprove of intimate student–professor relationships (ISPRs), largely due to power imbalances. Further, students may lose faith in their academic abilities and abandon their studies following sexual overture from a professor. The present research used two studies to explore undergraduate student perceptions of ISPRs. Study 1 employed a 2 (Gender of the Initiator: Male or Female) by 2 (Status of the Initiator: Professor or Student) between-groups vignette design. Study 2 employed the same design as Study 1, adding a third variable—the quality of a reference letter (Overly Positive or Negative) provided by the professor for the student in the relationship. Both studies included sexism as a covariate. Participants were asked to rate four dependent variables: the degree of sexual harassment, power imbalance, impacts on others, and the appropriateness of consequences. In Study 1, participants in the Professor as Initiator conditions rated sexual harassment, power imbalance, and impacts to others more severely, regardless of gender. In Study 2, participants in the Overly Positive Letter conditions rated the power imbalance more severely, regardless of gender or status. Adding the reference letter component in Study 2 resulted in participants rating all four dependent variables more severely than those in Study 1, as predicted.

Trajectories of and Risk Factors for University Students’ Emotional Well-Being and Distress Across the Academic Year

Tue, 19 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +0000

In recent years, post-secondary students’ mental health has become an important public health concern. Guided by the dual-factor model of mental health, this study examined average mental health fluctuations and associations with a comprehensive list of pre-existing risk factors in Canadian undergraduates (N = 1,004, 61% women, 36% visible minority) followed 16 times throughout the 2020/2021 academic year during the COVID-19 pandemic. We used piecewise latent growth curve modelling to specify patterns of emotional well-being (positive affect) and distress (depressive and anxiety symptoms) across the year. We also examined stressful life experience and sociodemographic risk factors as predictors of baseline levels of emotional well-being and distress in September. Mental health declined in the first half of each semester, remained stable until the end of each semester, and improved over the winter break. Mental health history, past and recent stressful life experiences, age, gender, sexual orientation, visible minority status, subjective social status, and current financial strain predicted baseline mental health at the start of the academic year. This study offers novel insights into patterns of change in students’ mental health and associated risks important for campus programming and intervention efforts.

Social Support and a Growth Mindset: An Autoethnography of a Vietnamese Doctoral Student in Canada

Thu Thi Kim Le — Thu, 05 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This autoethnography study examines how social support and a growth mindset shape the adaptation and resilience of a Vietnamese doctoral student in Canada. Grounded in social capital theory and growth mindset theory, it explores how bonding, bridging, and maintained forms of social capital interact with agency to mitigate academic, financial, and emotional stress. Drawing on personal narratives, reflective journals, and memory work, three interconnected themes emerged: (1) family emotional support and cultural continuity, which provided psychological grounding and a sense of belonging; (2) academic networking and institutional support, which fostered esteem, professional identity, and scholarly collaboration; and (3) professional growth through a growth mindset, which transformed challenges into opportunities for development. Findings reveal that growth mindset is not merely an individual trait but also a relational process enacted through networks of emotional, informational, social companionship, and instrumental support. It operates as a mediating force that activates social capital and situates agency within supportive contexts. This research contributes to international doctoral education by offering a nuanced understanding of social capital, social support, and mindset as interdependent dimensions of adaptation. It emphasizes inclusive, relational environments that empower international students to thrive academically and personally.

The Canadian Bureau for International Education: Innovator in the Higher Education Policy Landscape or Temporary Filler for Internationalization? 1966–2004

John Allison — Tue, 17 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This article will examine the Canadian Bureau for International Education (CBIE). This non-governmental advocacy organization along with the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada (CMEC), and the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC, now Universities Canada) have been responsible for internationalizing higher education (HE) in Canada. It was and remains very significant to international higher education policy. This article will examine the history of the CBIE as it fills this important area of policy making in Canada. It will look critically at the early development of the organization, its fight for financial sustainability as a non-governmental organization (NGO), and lastly, its responses to continuing and emergent issues through to the 2000s. The need for an advocacy organization to fill this niche in Canadian international education policy continues today—what was the CBIE’s approach, and is the CBIE now a permanent fixture responsible for internationalizing higher education in Canada?

Cooperative Education as a Catalyst for Retaining Talented International Students in Canada: A Qualitative Exploration

Idris Ademuyiwa, David Drewery, Anne-Marie Fannon — Mon, 16 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This study explores how cooperative education (co-op) influences international students’ decisions to immigrate to Canada. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 25 former international students who graduated from the University of Waterloo’s co-op program between 2014 and 2022. Through a thematic analysis of transcripts, we identified co-op’s impact on immigration through school-to-work transitions. Participation in co-op enhanced skill development, clarified career preferences and pathways, and strengthened professional networks, resulting in early post-graduation employment, sometimes with a previous co-op employer. Most participants reported that their Canadian employment motivated their application for permanent residency, with some altering their initial plans to return to their home countries. However, immigration intentions were moderated by perceived barriers in Canada’s immigration system, sociocultural factors, and aspirations for opportunities abroad. These findings highlight the pivotal role of co-op in supporting Canada’s talent import strategy.

Book Review of "Women and Leadership in Distance Education in Canada"

Dianne Conrad — Tue, 31 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Book Review of "Juggling Rhythms: Working-Student Life in the 21st Century"

Justin Charles Michael Patrick — Tue, 31 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Introducing Volume 56, Issue 1

Michelle McGinn — Tue, 31 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000