On Monday May 17th, the OUSA Research Team were pleased to attend a session of the Conversations series, co-hosted by the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities. The topic of concern was the interim results for the Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) Pilot Project, an early intervention strategy aimed at increasing student success and access to university, which is currently underway in BC. The program targets middle-achieving high school students through an elective class that provides students with the support and skills required to take on more rigorous course loads. The objective is to reduce the academic barriers facing these students and encourage them to take on the more challenging pre-requisite courses necessary for entry to postsecondary education (PSE).
The presentation was led by Dr. Reuben Ford, a Research Director at the Social Research and Demonstration Corporation (SRDC), the organization charged with assessing the impacts of the AVID program. Dr. Ford focused heavily on the strict research methods employed in the evaluation, along with a discussion of the applicability and potential modifications required in adopting a US designed project. Interim results show an increase in the take up of more rigorous classes among program participants, however it is still inconclusive whether this translates into greater student interest and acceptance into university.
The implementation of early outreach programs that target under-represented groups within the PSE system has long been a priority of OUSA. This summer our Early Outreach policy paper is undergoing a review and will be updated to incorporate the latest research. This most recent session in the Conversations series reaffirms the government’s continued commitment to research and to exploring new innovative strategies that increase student access to PSE. OUSA would like to thank MTCU for the invitation, and we look forward to the full impact report of the AVID pilot, scheduled for release October 2012.
To learn more about the AVID program and the Social Research and Demonstration Corporation, visit www.srdc.org or read the report at http://www.srdc.org/uploads/AVID_EIR_full_report_eng.pdf . To read about OUSA’s position on early outreach programs, visit OUSA on the books: Early Outreach at http://www.ousa.ca/policy/policy-papers/.
Morgan Campbell
Research Team
morgan@ousa.on.ca
