Purpose: The goals of this project are: (1) Identify existing components of academic integrity policies and procedures related to contract cheating; (2) identify gaps in existing academic integrity policies and procedures related to contract cheating; (3) evaluate the policies and procedures against existing standards for post-secondary education…

Standards in education have generated a great deal of dialogue. Many people who debate the question of standards in schools do not understand the term well; they do not know precisely what it is that has supposedly fallen or risen. In Ontario, even though there is not a great deal of evidence to indicate whether standards are rising or falling,…

This article highlights the work of Ontario teachers who use research and inquiry in the classrooms as part of self-directed professional learning. It positions action research within the work of the Professional Affairs Department at the Ontario College of Teachers. It begins with a narrative account of the researcher's work as a program officer…

This paper discusses the value of action research in professional learning, presenting political and practical questions from the work of a primary school teacher who conducted action research on literacy with at-risk students and an intermediate school teacher, now a program officer at the Ontario College of Teachers who is helping create…

In March 1991, the College Standards and Accreditation Council (CSAC) Establishment Board, created by Canada's Minister of Education, proposed wide-ranging reforms for college education and training. This paper reviews some of the ways in which Algonquin College (AC), in Ontario, is planning to interface and articulate with CSAC initiatives to…

This paper describes theoretical, political, and practical contexts for developing standards of practice for teaching, creating a framework for career-long professional learning and establishing a set of ethical standards for the profession. It positions the work of the Ontario College of Teachers within the broader context of Ontario education…

This paper provides an introduction to the mandate of the Standards of Practice and Education Unit of the Ontario College of Teachers and describes how the College is proceeding to address several challenging tasks. The tasks include the licensing of teachers trained in Ontario or other jurisdictions, disciplinary procedures, and in the…

This paper describes a validation case study of a new document, "Standards of Practice for the Teaching Profession," developed by the Ontario College of Teachers. As part of its mandate as a self-regulatory body, the College is to establish and enforce professional and ethical standards applicable to members of the College. Validation…

This paper focuses on the discussion of community colleges as baccalaureate-degree granting institutions. The discussion is based on research projects undertaken in both the U.S. and Canada that investigate the institutionalization of degree programs at community colleges. Colleges in British Columbia and Alberta are baccalaureate as well as…

Many national and provincial initiatives are underway to specify the technology skills that students must demonstrate at each grade level. The Government of the Province of Alberta in Canada has mandated the implementation of a new curriculum beginning in September 2000 called the "Information and Communication Technology Program of…

Discussions about whether to implement associate degrees in British Columbia (Canada) date back to the mid-1970's, with the debate focusing on transfer arrangements and the viability of community college diplomas. One of the first acts of the British Columbia Council on Admissions and Transfer, created in 1988, was the recommendation to create an…

This paper positions action research within the wider field of teacher education, raising problematic issues inherent in the process of institutionalizing this form of teacher research. The paper also offers a self-study of the researcher's own practice. It considers teacher education in its broad sense as a continuum of ongoing professional…

The Ontario College of Teachers licenses, governs, and regulates teaching practice. Its mandate includes providing leadership in developing standards of practice. This paper examines the mandate of the Standards of Practice and Education Committee and work of the staff in the Standards of Practice and Education Unit. After describing development…