Education matters Spring 2013 www.pwc.com/ca/education

www.pwc.com/ca/education
Education
matters
Spring 2013
Contents
Foreward1
Education and slipping budgets
2
In conversation with Donna Quan
5
Creating loyalty on the applicant journey
8
Contact10
Welcome to
Education matters
Welcome to the first edition of Education matters, our regular publication
where we’ll share our insights on issues affecting students, teachers and faculty,
administrators and institutions today.
Education institutions and provincial governments are feeling the pressures of
being asked to do more with less. Educational institutions play a critical role in
preparing the next generation to address the challenges in our society, government
and economy. Investment in education has never been more important as Canada
faces the tightening of purse strings from kindergarten to grade 12 and into postsecondary. Finding efficiencies are essential to providing quality services and
programs.
In our first set of articles, we’ll explore how education institutions are finding ways
to address these challenges. We’ll look at how putting the needs of students first and
creating positive teaching communities can result in cost savings and efficiencies.
We’ll discuss blending virtual and traditional learning with the Toronto District
School Board’s Director of Education, Donna Quan. And finally, we’ll deconstruct
the post-secondary application process to showcase opportunities for institutions to
build better relationships with their stakeholders through defining moments.
We’re very proud of our longstanding history of assisting education institutions
in achieving their objectives. Through these publications, we hope to share
experiences and ways education institutions could meet and address future
education challenges.
I hope you enjoy this issue and I encourage you to reach out to any of the contacts
listed on the back page to help you in dealing with your education matters.
Sincerely,
Domenic Belmonte
Partner, Education Lead
www.pwc.com/ca/education
1
Education and
slipping budgets
Education is a direct line to our productivity as a nation. There’s arguably no
better place to invest – the key is to invest wisely. This is particularly important
today as jurisdictions across Canada face tightened education budgets from
kindergarten to grade 12 and into post-secondary.
1 in 50
children in North America
are on the autism spectrum
Technology has a big
role to play in what
students are learning,
how the curriculum
is delivered and
streamlining
processes.
2
Education Matters
The landscape
For decades, Canadian elementary and high
schools from coast to coast have enjoyed
funding increases in line with the annual cost
of living and then some. That has changed
since the global financial crisis of 2008.
While Canada has fared much better than
its global counterparts, budget pressures are
being felt in the classroom and at the school
board and provincial level. At a minimum,
there have been no funding increases and
in many cases budgets are being cut. At the
same time, costs are escalating and educators
are expected to do more. For example,
1 in 50 children in North America are on
the autism spectrum. This has implications
for the education system because added
services are required to meet the needs of
these students. In regions across the country
there’s also been a spike in the need to offer
English as a second language programs. In
rural areas you can see shrinking enrolment
numbers, a result of people having fewer
children and an aging population. This is
occurring in tandem with the trend to treat
each student as an individual learner, which
puts additional expectations on teachers.
Overlaying all of this is the strong push for
better development of 21st century skills:
critical thinking, communication,
creativity, collaboration and proficiency
with technology. As a result, there’s
an increased pressure on delivering
curriculum and updating professional
learning for teachers.
Start with the student
In this environment where education
systems must do more with the same
or less, the starting point is to put the
student at the centre of the conversation.
It’s important to understand student
demand – it will help determine the
programs and services the student
population in a given school needs. This
requires looking at the entire value chain:
the school, the board, the district and
the provincial ministry or Department of
Education. What programs and services
are delivered? How are they delivered?
How many students are using them?
Are they still relevant and do they add
value? Are there non value-added steps
or programs that can be reduced or
eliminated?
21st
century
skills:
critical thinking, communication,
creativity, collaboration and
proficiency with technology.
Start
with the
student
Put the student at the centre
of the conversation by
understanding their needs.
Focus on the teaching
community
When we look at the highest performing
jurisdictions globally they have focused
on creating a positive culture for the
teaching community. A community
where teachers are well compensated
and have the resources and training
needed to prepare students for the
knowledge economy. South Korea, for
example, has placed a tremendous focus
on hiring the right teachers and investing
in their development. The 21st century
skills we want to develop in students are
the same skills we want to have across
the continuum of education, including
teachers and administrators. Finding
efficiencies in back office functions
such as HR, payroll, finance, IT and
operational services, which represent
10% to 20% of total costs, is one way
to save money and ensure funding is
directed to areas that will have a direct
impact on the classroom. But the real
gruel is in finding more effective and
efficient ways of teaching and being
disciplined with the depth and breadth of
services offered to students.
Go virtual
Technology has a big role to play in
what students are learning, how the
curriculum is delivered and streamlining
processes. Asynchronous learning and
virtual classrooms are already being
used to great effect, giving students in
remote locations access to courses and
programs they would not otherwise have.
Online and blended learning platforms
are growing at the high school and postsecondary levels as well because of their
convenience, affordability and ubiquitous
access.
Enhance collaboration
Educators provide additional services to
help at-risk youth who are typically also
accessing other community services. An
integrated service delivery approach to
help improve the quality of service to the
student, efficiency and cost avoidance is
worth considering.
If we put the student at the centre and
focus on what they really require, good
things can happen.
www.pwc.com/ca/education
3
Spotlight:
Edmonton Public School Board
puts the student first
The backdrop: The Edmonton Public School Board (EPSB)
is a sizable school board, serving about 80,000 elementary
and secondary students with an annual operating budget
of $1 billion. Unlike traditional boards where budgets are
centralized, the EPSB has given the day-to-day budget
authority to individual school principals.
This bold move has created a culture, where educators are acting as
entrepreneurs and assessing demand within their schools and creating
programming their students want. This decision was made in lock step
to remove school catchment boundaries and has led to the creation of
schools focused on specific interest areas, such as the arts, science and
athletics. The schools still follow the provincial curriculum, but innovation
and decision making now take place locally. Higher quality education
and higher enrolment numbers, usually allows for increased budgets and
expansion. The board has removed district boundaries, giving students and
their parents access to the schools and education they desire. The benefits
to the student are clear: greater engagement because students have a keen
interest in what they’re learning. The same is true of teachers, who are
selected because of their expertise in a given area. In each case, greater
engagement leads to better performance. It’s a win-win.
4
Education Matters
In conversation
with Donna Quan
It’s a brand new day for educators as traditional bricks and mortar
education is blended with online learning to better serve the
needs of today’s digital students.
new way of learning. In the past year,
we’ve had more than 5,000 requests from
students and teachers for e-Learning
courses and we anticipate that the
demand will be even greater next year.
This tells us they’re used to a mobile way
of thinking and a mobile way of learning.
This tells us they like to learn in a more
mobile environment and that we must go
to where the students are.
In order to take a look at the challenges and future of e-Learning and education
more broadly, PwC’s Maurice Chang, Director, Management Consulting, had a
discussion with Donna Quan, Director of Education with the Toronto District School
Board (TDSB), one of the largest school boards in North America and a leader in
e-Learning at the elementary and secondary levels. Here is an edited version of that
conversation.
What does
e-Learning look
like at the TDSB?
“In the education
world we don’t think
of K-12 anymore,
we think of a K-16
pathway because we
must educate beyond
the post-secondary.”
— Donna Quan
How does the
TDSB approach
e-Learning?
Student achievement is the priority. I
believe strongly that we educate students
not just for the TDSB but for the world
stage. Part of being on the world stage
means students must be progressive
with their thinking, their skills and
abilities. e-Learning is a platform for
students to access learning on their time
in flexible ways. As we move forward
we must recognize that the world of
student learning—how, what, when
and where they learn—has changed
and will continue to change. The world
of education must embrace the fact
that our students are living in an “Appdriven” world—a technologically driven
world—a world where there are multiple
gadgets at their fingertips at any time.
Our e-Learning programs allow for this
We incorporated e-Learning in our
system in 2007/2008. Our e-Learning
portal offers a variety of courses that
link to our seven e-Learning centres and
since last year, locally to our schools. We
have a blended learning program with
well over 17,000 student accounts. More
than 500 teachers have been trained to
engage in an e-Learning environment.
We’ve launched an online initiative to reengage students who have not earned all
the course credits necessary to graduate.
More than 200 students are part of this
new initiative. The course demand for
online programs more broadly is strong
both within the TDSB and outside, with
more people coming to the portal. Our
goal is to capture the demand while
meeting the academic rigor of these
courses. At this time, these courses
are only available to secondary school
students. But we’re exploring pushing it
down to the intermediate grades. In Asia,
they’re exploring the same offering.
www.pwc.com/ca/education
5
What are the
challenges of
moving to a
more mobile,
blended learning
environment?
Some of the challenges of e-Learning are
teacher training, access to technological
tools, tracking of courses, course content.
Going forward it’ll be critical that the
infrastructure supports a blended
learning environment. The content
must be rich while meeting academic
rigor. e-Learning provides a different
emotional connection to learning and
we have to take that into account. The
TDSB isn’t unlike any other organization
when it comes to change. There’s the fear
of the unknown, the fear of one’s own
skills. In any new initiative, selecting the
right people with a passion to engage
is critical. We have 6,000 teachers at
the high school level. There are enough
within that group that will want to
move in this direction and experiment.
We also need to hire teachers who have
grown up or have a comprehensive
understanding of this digital world to act
as champions and trailblazers. But when
there are challenges, we have to work
with the labour relations groups to help
the unions understand that change takes
time. When it comes to funding, we know
a significant portion of people prefer
e-Learning over traditional classroom
learning. We have to shift our funding
and energy towards building a pathway
to learning that reflects that.
Do you have a
target in terms
of reaching
certain levels
of blended
learning?
We always have ambitious goals and
these go beyond e-Learning. We want
to provide programs that meet the
demands of students and engage them
and that meet academic rigor. Our goal
is to increase choice for students through
blended learning. We aim to educate
students so they remain curious and they
have a love for learning that goes well
beyond their time with us.
“We have to change the way, when, where
and how we deliver education. We have
to go to where the student is and to where
the world is right now.” — Donna Quan
6
Education Matters
What role can
technology
play and how
important is it
for teachers to
understand that
role as it relates
to educational
pedagogy?
Today we had a conversation about cloud
computing and putting all of our 260,000
learners on a Google account and what
the impact of that would be in terms of
homework, group projects and home and
school collaboration. The importance lies
in how we communicate the effectiveness
of using a particular technological tool,
whether it’s Google, tablets, the cloud,
chromebooks. Last year we rolled out
17,000 netbooks for our students across
the district as part of our mobile strategy.
We are moving into a world where
students are bringing their own devices
in. What’s critical is that we don’t think
that the tool is the answer to learning.
What’s more important is that students
feel an emotional connection to learning
and have the skills that will allow them
to move forward with their learning – to
seek, use and analyze information so
they become critical thinkers and wise
consumers of that information without
the technology.
If students are part of
the conversation about
innovation, whether it’s
developing apps, new
courses, how blended
learning might look
then we’re more likely
to be successful. We
need their voices.
What new
initiatives are
you most excited
about?
We have a generation that has grown
up with no other lens except the digital
world we’re in. We have the first grade
9 cohort graduating who doesn’t know
life without a cell phone and iPads. We’re
thinking of launching an innovation
strategy by students for students. If
students are part of the conversation
about innovation, whether it’s developing
apps, new courses, how blended learning
might look then we’re more likely to be
successful. We need their voices.
What
opportunities
does e-Learning
offer going
forward?
It’s not just about opportunities. It’s
appreciating this is the way we must go.
As a public school board we don’t have
an option. If we don’t offer e-Learning,
someone else will. Students can go to a
variety of sources to get their education.
We have to change the way, when,
where and how we deliver education.
We have to go to where the student is
and to where the world is right now.
For more information
on e-Learning at TDSB
visit www.tdsb.on.ca/elearning
Click here to watch the full interview
with Donna Quan. u
www.pwc.com/ca/education
7
Creating loyalty
on the applicant
journey
The application process can be both exciting and
scary. For most students exiting high school, they
feel overwhelmed with having to choose a school
or major that will be the foundation for their
future career.
That’s why it’s important to make the process as
easy and seamless as possible – and by building
trust in the application journey.
Have you considered how to create loyalty
in your applicant base – from the very first
interaction through to registration?
With increased fees, changing student
expectations, the necessity to deliver access
agreements and increased competition from
the private sector, universities and institutions
overseas, it’s becoming increasingly important
for Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) to
consider each stage of the applicant journey to
help you get the right student on the right course
for the right level of input.
The application journey is part of a wider student
lifecycle. PwC has identified some monumental
stages in the applicant journey that can either
start that process of creating loyalty or give a
reason to apply somewhere else. We call these
defining moments.
The applicant journey
Attract/
Research
Apply
Assess
Decision
Conditional
offer
Acceptance
Each of these stages has the ability to either make or break the applicant experience.
While each institution has its own unique set of defining moments, there are key
stepping stones which impact both the applicant and in the structures and processes
an institution needs to put in place.
8
Education Matters
Defining moments to different student groups:
Attract
Open house
• How do applicants source
information?
• Attend university/college
fairs?
• Channel preference?
• How do applicants make
decisions?
• External perception of
University?
• Do you use segmentation
analysis to target applicants?
• Do you use social media?
• Do you use university
student reps?
• Do you create courses with
employability in mind?
• How does your timeline fit
into the school year?
• Who’s involved?
• How are they managed?
• Are there guided campus
tours?
• Do you use current students
for Q&As?
• Are professors available to
discuss programs?
• How are applicants
targeted?
• What’s there for parents?
• What feedback is collected
and how is this dealt with?
• What follow up?
• What data do you have on
conversions?
Application
process
• Have you registered with
OUAC or OCAS?
• Easy online access?
• What support/advice is
there?
• Is there a difference per
different faculty?
• How are requests for
supplementary applications,
based on specific programs,
sent out?
• Interview, resume or portfolio
upon request only for
specific programs?
• Transcripts?
• How are offers made?
• Personalized portal?
• What follow up after
application – and when?
Collection of
acceptances
• Have final transcripts been
submitted?
• Have students met all
conditions of offer?
• How do you support
unsuccessful applicants?
• How interactive is this
process?
Data
Follow-up
The diagram above indicates some of the areas that impact on different student groups
(e.g. home, overseas, full time, part time, undergraduate, postgraduate, employer-based).
However, there are still a number of gaps relating to defining moments that need to be
addressed to create a more seamless applicant journey:
• There’s a lack of understanding about applicants’ decision-making processes (mostly seen
outside of main urban areas)
• IT and data infrastructure is often fragmented and inefficient in places
• Key systems are not fully integrated and the functionality isn’t being fully used
• Staff are working hard – but they need the systems in place to enable them to work smarter
• Student information is not updated in data systems
• There’s inconsistency across faculty, with applicants receiving different experiences
The next edition of Education matters will describe how to identify defining moments in your
current student base to help improve retention and create long term relationships.
www.pwc.com/ca/education
9
Who to call
Domenic Belmonte
Partner, Education Lead
416 687 8660
[email protected]
British Columbia
Mike Harris
Partner, Consulting
604 806 7711
[email protected]
Winky Whelan
Managing Director, Consulting
604 806 7832
[email protected]
Alberta
Jean McClellan
Partner, Consulting
403 509 7578
[email protected]
Manitoba & Saskatchewan
Kevin Berry
Director, Consulting
204 926 2439
[email protected]
Ontario
Suzanne S. Bays
Partner, Consulting
613 782 2982
[email protected]
Maurice Chang
Director, Consulting
416 941 8435
[email protected]
Editorial Committee
Domenic Belmonte
Maurice Chang
Sebastien Doyon
Craig MacDonald
Mike Harris
Dale S. Zorgdrager
Partner, Assurance
519 640 8008
[email protected]
Quebec
Sebastien Bellemare
Partner, Assurance
514 205 5311
[email protected]
Sebastien Doyon
Partner, Consulting
514 205 5382
[email protected]
Atlantic
Craig MacDonald
Director, Consulting
902 491 7418
[email protected]
© 2013 PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, an Ontario limited liability partnership. All rights reserved. PwC refers to the Canadian member firm, and may
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