STRATEGIC DIRECTION 2: EXPERIENTIALLY FOCUSED

An unparalleled range of real-world student experiences is what sets Niagara College apart.

Our model of applied education, embedded in a world-renowned location, gives Niagara College graduates an edge as highly capable, community-engaged professionals. As post-secondary education moves toward more distant and remote program delivery, our strategic vision will strengthen the exceptional campus experience through experiential learning delivered by forward-looking faculty within specialized teaching environments.

Our new strategic vision builds on our history of providing hands-on, real- world experience enhanced by a range of educational technologies; providing practical experience and opportunities that align a graduate’s knowledge, skills and abilities with the evolving needs of employers. More than 80 programs offer formal work-integratedlearning, an approach our employers confirm as critical to graduate success. Programs now infuse applied research capabilities, global competencies and a focus on sustainability within the teaching and learning environment.

Niagara College’s integrated approach to the learning enterprise model provides experiential learning opportunities for students through active participation in the planning, operation and management of client-facing enterprises that generate revenue, build the brand, and, above all else, prepare our graduates for new and exciting opportunities as employers and entrepreneurs. This successful model combines applied research, academic programming and student experience to produce a truly unique, made in Niagara, applied learning offering. Niagara College will leverage its unique expertise to launch new learning enterprises, linking them to existing and emerging programs to provide a broader range of experiences for students in Canada and abroad.

STRATEGIES:

Expand our range of experiences and applied learning offerings including expanded learning enterprises – small businesses that give students the opportunity to provide products or services to the public;

Diversify student opportunities for work-integrated learning, in Canada and abroad; Develop the skills for lifelong learning; Build on our unique learning environment/location.

OUTCOMES:

Expanded learning enterprises;

A broader range of work-integrated learning opportunities beyond Niagara; Enhanced experiential learning outcomes developed through the program review cycle.