Heads of more than 20 post-secondary institutions from across the province gathered at Queen’s University this week to discuss shared values, student skills, and learning outcomes at the 307^th meeting of the Council of Ontario Universities (COU). The council, chaired by Queen’s Principal and Vice-Chancellor Daniel Woolf, provides a forum for Ontario’s universities to collaborate and advocate in support of their mission to enhance the prosperity of students and their communities.

“It’s a pleasure to host my COU colleagues here at Queen’s University, especially for my last meeting as Chair of Council,” says Principal Woolf, who is leaving the role after a two-year term. “During my tenure, I have enjoyed our many lively discussions about shared opportunities and challenges our sector has faced, and have witnessed the true value of this group as a forum for knowledge-sharing.”

The major focus of this week’s meeting was a presentation by Queen’s Vice-Provost (Teaching and Learning), Jill Scott, entitled Student Skills and Learning Outcomes: Rethinking tools and assessments. During the talk, she discussed ongoing research into effective approaches to tracking and interpreting student learning outcomes being conducted by Queen’s University’s, in partnership with the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario (HEQCO).

“The teaching and learning landscape is evolving rapidly, and learning outcomes is a big part of that,” says Dr. Scott, who spoke together with Brian Frank, Queen’s Associate Dean (Teaching and Learning) and co-principal investigator for the research. “To remain successful in providing the most impactful and transformative learning experiences for our students, we must continually work toward a culture of valid and reliable assessment.”

Teaching and learning outcomes are two of many areas of focus for the COU. Others include advancing research; internationalization; diversity, equity, and inclusion; economic opportunities and skills training; and more. Learn more about the COU’s mission, and Teaching and Learning at Queen’s now.

Principal Woolf completes his COU Chairpersonship in advance of stepping down as head of Queen’s University in June 2019. COU colleague and current president of McMaster University, Patrick Deane, will then take over as Queen’s University’s next Principal and Vice-Chancellor.