3. Offering high- quality, relevant programs and pathways | Plans and reports | Seneca Polytechnic

Principles and goals

3. Offering high- quality, relevant programs and pathways

Students come to Seneca for a relevant, high quality education. They expect their learning experience to be coherent and connected. They need flexible opportunities to learn within and outside of the classroom, online and face-to-face, across full-time and part-time programs. They want to apply their learning to real world situations and to learn from those with diverse thoughts and approaches. They expect their earned credential will be valued by employers and other postsecondary institutions. Some will want to move immediately after graduation to meaningful, challenging work. Others seek pathways to obtain additional credentials at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.

Building on the many pathways we already offer our students, we will continue to design forward-thinking programs which anticipate and respond to the global marketplace and promote life-long learning. We will build upon our existing strengths in faculty, curriculum and supports to develop high quality, innovative, and networked programming that is aligned with Seneca’s mission and vision. That means continuing to strengthen our focus areas of academic expertise, and building the collection of credentials that allow us to have robust pathways within, to and from the College. We will continue to expand our degree and graduate certificate programs where our academic excellence and relevant industry expertise combine to produce a compelling offering in the marketplace.

Assessment strategies will be aligned with learning outcomes and learning and teaching approaches. We will encourage assessment for learning, as well as of learning.

Clearly defined and efficient pathways will be part of every Seneca program. To this end we will continue to strengthen our institutional and academic collaborations, resulting in transfer agreements with universities and colleges known for excellence. Within our college we will make pathways between our programs a priority, ensuring Seneca is our students’ first choice for continuing their education. We will have a coordinated and connected approach across full- and part-time programs. External accreditation ensures our programs relevancy to employers. Continued recognition and endorsement of our curriculum by professional bodies enables graduates to obtain professional designations, increasing their marketability.

Goals related to this principle:

At the end of five years:

1. We will have implemented a renewed process of program evaluation based on continuous monitoring of student and societal needs.
2. We will have mapped and evaluated the Seneca Core Literacies as well as the cross-disciplinary and experiential elements in every Seneca program.
3. Every Seneca program will provide opportunities for students to transfer credits within or outside the institution through mechanisms such as laddered credentials and block credit exit points and transfer agreements.
4. All Seneca programs will support flexible delivery strategies to meet the varied needs of learners.