General
This Update will include 3 parts: First, the broad review of the three areas of concern; second, updates on the 8-point table; and a paragraph on progress achieved during the year.
Three areas of concern
MGE identifies three primary areas of concern as noted by the ERC that influence the status and quality of the program.
- An increase in published and peer-reviewed research output and more and better funding opportunities provided by the Department of National Defence
2022-2023 peer-reviewed research output stood at: 2 peer-reviewed academic journals articles; 2 review and resubmit and 2 in the editorial process plus on peer-reviewed DRDC report. Noting that, of the tenured faculty, one is on sabbatical, another on half-academic load running the City of Kingston as Mayor.
- Teaching workload be fair, comparable and equitable
In 2002-2023, the economics departement had (more than) 2 full-time equivalent of sessional/contract instructors teaching courses whereas one faculty members was on sabbatical. One full-time equivalent of collegues were teaching courses for the professional degree MBA and MPA, and now the CPA, programs. Although collegues did not complain about the fairness, comparability and equity, teaching in these external programs affected the core economic program negatively by reducing OCdt exposure to regular faculty, which eventually affects economic graduates' capstone paperwork in their 4th year. As the original IQAP report noted, the position removed from economics to facilitate an ex-principals return to the department has still not been returned to economics. In addition, the lack of Military Faculty renders members' workloads heavier as administrative duties can not be spread over reasonably.
- The necessity of lab space for faculty and students to conduct reseach
Whereas the statistics/ecometrics lab remains reasonably accessible to facuty and students, as the new chair of economics, I would like to see a common room open to a routine interaction of students and faculty. Of course, it would be a better use of resources if both wings of the department can benefit from such a facilty. This would be particularly important for higher year students in terms of couse selection as well as capstone paper research inputs whereas lower year students can gain familiarity with faculty as well as interacting with upper year students. Such a facilty ought to have been in the agenda.
Implementation Plan
| Recommendation | Proposed Follow-up and Resource Implications | Responsibility for Leading Follow-up | Timeline for Addressing Recommendation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. The ERC Committee recommends an increase in human, physical and financial resources for the Economics program in order to ensure a learning environment for students that is comparable to Joint Business Administration/Economics programs at civilian universities. This includes more tenure track and sessional instructors, and more general support personnel, more physical facilities and greater financial resources to support faculty development, research and student activities. | Economics may have found a MILFAC. Also, hoping to repatriate the position lost to politics. |
Chair of Economics and Politics |
Target 2024-2025 |
| 2. The ERC Committee recommends an increase in resources for library services, in particular to support subscriptions to academic journals at the College. The ERC also recommends an increase in resources to support College Information Services in order to improve the quality standards of the campus information system in line with other universities. Finally, the ERC recommends increased financial support for research. | Access to on-line academic journals and the College information system has already improved since ERC visit. Interior research funding, through restricted, is efficiently run. Members have to be more active to recieve further exterior funding | Chair of Economics. In terms of research funds, the higher College administration may have to be involved. | Given that College administration, (all Deans and up) will be completely renewed this summer 2023, one would expect a more active research support policy from 2024. |
| 3. The ERC Committee recommends that faculty members should be encouraged to stay active in research so that they remain current in their area of specialization. The ERC also supports recommendations for more funding for research activities and for an exemption for faculty conducting research related travel from the Events Policy. | Events policy is fast easing. We'll take up reseach related course relief recommendation. | Chair of Economics, VP Research | Advocacy starting 2023-2024 |
| 4. The ERC committee recommends that the College level services offering writing assistance and especially math assistance, be more widely advertised so that both faculty and students are aware of that this help exists. The ERC also recommends that more resources be devoted to these assistance services, particularly to address the reduction in resources for the writing centre over the last five years. | Writing Centre lately and Math Assistance Centre as of this year have made progress. For economics, especially the latter. | Chair of Economics | Starting 2023-2024 |
| 5. The ERC Committee recommends that the Arts core be reviewed to find ways of changing, removing or modifying courses so that students will have more choice in upper years. | Reducing the Arts core curriculum was attempted this past year. Pressure should continue. | Chair of Economics and VPR | Continuing 2023-2024 |
| 6. The ERC recommends that scheduling for the Joint Business Administration/Economics programs be prioritized in order to ensure conflict-free timetabling. The ERC also recommends clear communication to prospective students that course choices are limited because of the nature of these joint programs. |
Recommendation implemented for both scheduling and information transmitted to students. |
Chair of Economics | Continuing 2023-2024 |
| 7. The ERC Committee recommends a review of the feasibility of requiring the Economics seminar course ECE 492 as a component of the Joint Business Administration-Economics program, when students are not required to take either ECE 342 or ECE 442 as supporting preparatory courses. | ECE492 is no longer compulsary for Business Admin stream. | Chair of Economics | Continuing 2023-2024 |
| 8. The ERC Committee recommends that the Department explore the benefits and costs of offloading the introductory statistics requirement to the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, by exploring the potential equivalence between ECE 242 and MAE 102. | Attempted to offload ECE 242 to Math department through a faculty initiative but didn't work. Keeping in-house seems a better option. | Chair of Economics | Continuing 2023-2024 |
| 9. The ERC recommends that the benefits and costs of the current merged Department of Management and Economics be weighed against other structural alternatives, and that this discussion involve all members of the Department. | Economics moved to Politics & Economics with Economic gaining complete academic independence. | Chair of Economics | Continuing 2023-2024 |
Progress in the academic year 2022-2023 and 2023-2024
1. DL courses 103, 104, 224, 206, 242, 244, 246 ready towards Certificate in Economics. 310 will be added in 2023-2024.
2. The new option course ECE442 Applied Econometrics will be delivered the first time in winter 2024.