This document provides an overview and summary of the findings of 14 separate studies conducted as part of a project to evaluate the impact of the nine British Columbia community colleges with respect to students, the higher education system, and the community at large. In the course of the four-year project, data were gathered on academic ability…

Discusses the Canadian community colleges' quest for a status level reflecting their individual identities, objectives, aspirations, and quality measures distinct from universities. Looks at trends in public attitudes toward the community colleges, the organizational structures adopted, and ways community colleges can demonstrate their quality and…

The history, successes, and future of public community colleges in Canada are examined in this paper. After explaining the conditions that precipitated the conception, birth, and rapid growth to maturity of Canadian community colleges between 1965 and 1975, the paper describes their essential characteristics, e.g., a comprehensive curriculum,…

This report contains a brief description of data collected on the socio-economic background of post-secondary students in British Columbia. A survey of over 11,000 first year college and university students was completed in the fall of 1971. The survey included three parts: a socio-economic survey, an opinion survey, and an achievement test of…

Traditional assumptions about the educational goals and future plans of students who transfer from community colleges to universities are explored. The roles of the academic programs of community colleges in British Columbia and empirical data on transfer rates and enrollment in transfer programs are described. (SW)

Describes a study of variance in the innovative activities of 15 Canadian community colleges and the correlation between organizational characteristics and institutional innovativeness. Innovativeness varied among institutions, and an inverse relationship existed between centralized authority and innovation. Findings regarding innovation in the…

A study of Canadian community college goals as perceived by their chief executive officers and the provincial personnel responsible for college development shows continued emphasis on early development goals and goals reflecting provincial differences in priorities. In general, the results show diversity in community college role and contribution.…

British Columbia's community colleges' university transfer programs provide the opportunity for students to earn credits toward a university degree, but only a small percentage of these students actually transfer to a university. A study of students who complete transfer courses, but do not continue their study, is discussed. (Author/MLW)

This paper documents the development of a unique institution in Canadian higher education, the university college in British Columbia. From its roots as a comprehensive community college, the university college was confronted with numerous legislative and policy changes which culminated in its current claim to be called a regional university. In…

The community college as it has developed in Britsh Columbia is examined with special attention to the social and historical context, the forces which lead to its establishment, and the particular form of institution which emerged. How the college attains its objectives and major problems and issues for the future are discussed. (JMF)

A study examined the extent to which Canada's community colleges have retained their 1960s founding principles in adapting to economic and socio-political change of the 1980s. It found much of the original idealism and innovation, but also several diverse ways of adjusting and a variety of techniques for managing those changes. (MSE)

The financial restraint of the last 3 years and the related rhetoric of accountability, productivity, cost effectiveness, and retrenchment have introduced new levels of trauma into the educational scene in British Columbia, exercising a particularly powerful impact on the community college sector. In a financial context that requires governments…

As socio-cultural imperatives change, as political agencies reassess their priorities, and as the demographic pattern of society fluctuates, Canadian community colleges must redefine their roles in the context of their history. Most provincial college systems have enjoyed less than 20 years of evolution. However, it is not simply a lack of…

Although prison inmates in Canada can choose education as a regular activity during their incarceration, only about 20% of the 9,500 inmates in federal penitentiaries are enrolled in educational programs. This may be due to the variation in the types and quality of programs available; problems of security, transfer policies, variations of…

This report provides an account of the transfer and articulation process within British Columbia's postsecondary education system, from 1963 to the present. It focuses on five factors in policy development: (1) a critical decision was the creation of a system of colleges and universities that would cooperate to ensure that students who met stated…