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Higher Education Policy and Legitimacy Building: the Making of a New Academic Credential in O ntario
Author(s) -
Hurley Peter,
Sá Creso M.
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
higher education quarterly
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.976
H-Index - 42
eISSN - 1468-2273
pISSN - 0951-5224
DOI - 10.1111/hequ.12010
Subject(s) - credential , legitimacy , government (linguistics) , bachelor , higher education , public relations , public administration , political science , higher education policy , public policy , education policy , law , philosophy , linguistics , politics
C anada's province of O ntario introduced a new policy in 2000 allowing community colleges to offer a new type of undergraduate degree. This decision was a significant policy change for the government considering the nature of O ntario's binary system, where a rigid separation has historically prevailed between the university and college sectors. Drawing on multiple sources of data, this study indicates that the decision to create a new type of applied bachelor's degree generated a series of uncertainties and challenges for higher education institutions, students and government agencies. The paper highlights the need for policy makers to consider the socio‐cultural aspects of higher education systems in policy design, particularly the role of legitimacy.