Introduction

Vanier College defines academic success as follows:

1. ACADEMIC SUCCESS in a PRE-UNIVERSITY PROGRAM at Vanier College is largely reflected in the student being accepted into the university and program of choice with the appropriate knowledge and skills to pursue the program successfully.

(1) Acceptance at a university in Quebec requires that the student have a D.E.C.; therefore the following factors are indicators of success:
a) graduation rate in the appropriate college program, defined as the percentage of students who graduate within two years and the percentage who graduate within four years of registering in the program;
b) the average grade and other standard performance indicators in the area of specialization and pre-requisite courses for acceptance into a program of choice;
c) the proportion of graduating students who are accepted into the university and program of their choice; and
d) the proportion of students who feel that Vanier adequately prepared them for their university studies.

(2) Acceptance at a university outside of Quebec does not require a D.E.C.; therefore the following factors are indicators of success:
a) the rate of admission into the university and program of choice, and
b) the academic average of the student while attending Vanier College.

(3) Some students attend pre-university programs while not intending to pursue a university education immediately. For these students seeking a broad-based general education, success is completing their program of study. An indicator of success for these students would be the percentage completing their program of study.

2. ACADEMIC SUCCESS in a TECHNOLOGY PROGRAM at Vanier College is largely reflected in the student acquiring the appropriate employment with the appropriate knowledge and skills to succeed in the job. For other students, access to a related university program indicates academic success. Indicators of success for technology students include:
(1) employment rates in jobs related to their program of studies,
(2) the number who create their own jobs based on the skills acquired,
(3) overall employment rates,
(4) graduation rates in the appropriate program, defined as the percentage of students who graduate within three years and the percentage who graduate within five years of registering in the program,
(5) success in acquiring the program-specific skills indicated by:
a) the average in program-specific courses, and
b) the overall average in all courses,
(6) the percentage of students accepted into university.

3. ACADEMIC SUCCESS in a TRANSITIONAL PROGRAM at Vanier College is largely reflected by these students having clarified their personal and educational objectives. Indicators of success for this group of students include:
(1) the proportion of students who achieve acceptance into the program of their choice at Vanier or elsewhere, and
(2) the proportion of students who change their goal in the course of the Transition Program but then receive a D.E.C in their revised program, or complete a diploma in a program at an appropriate educational institution.

Since its inception, Vanier College has been committed to supporting its students to succeed academically. This support has taken many forms and has been initiated by a wide range of individuals, departments and programs within the College.

Our Pre-University Programs, Technical Programs, Transitional Programs and specialized Majors and Honours profiles have been carefully designed and revised to support the success of Vanier students. These Programs are strong and our graduates are well-prepared for their future studies and/or careers. The effective delivery of the pedagogy by our faculty members is the keystone for the success of the students, but strong support services and programs are also essential for building academic success.

Furthermore, we have revised our Institutional Policy on the Evaluation of Student Achievement (IPESA) in order clearly to inform our students of what is expected of them in each course and in their overall program and to ensure fairness throughout the evaluation process.

Our revised Institutional Policy on Program Evaluation (IPPE) ensures regular in-depth review of programs so we may be assured that the education that we are offering our students is of the highest possible quality, that it is relevant, and that it is providing them with the skills and abilities that they will need to pursue further studies or to enter the workforce as effective employees.

We have established criteria for regular day-time students to be in good academic standing in the College and have determined how students who are declared not in good standing are to be considered.

Finally, although there are policies and practices at Vanier that render the college a strong proponent of quality in English language development and use, there is yet to be written an actual Policy on the Development of Proficiency in the Language of Instruction. This situation will be remedied as soon as possible.

All of these programs, support services and policies are the basis of our ongoing Academic Success Plan which is the core of our Strategic Management Plan (SMP).

Objectives

As in our last SMP, Academic Success remains our first priority and we have identified four major objectives for our new five year plan:

I. Given that research concludes with the importance of success in the first semester as a predictor of students' perseverance, success and graduation;

Provide all incoming students with coordinated assistance and challenges, monitor their results and make adjustments to the support systems.
Some strategies are the following:
• Program approach
• Emphasis on quality English across the curriculum
• Providing challenging opportunities for English speaking students to further develop their skills
• Continued focus on the needs of students for whom English is not their first language
• Making provision to guide all students and providing them with the skills and resources to facilitate their focus on their studies

II. Given the importance of challenging high achieving students, of providing them with enrichment activities and of ensuring their contribution to the college community;

Given the importance of supporting faculty and encouraging them to keep up with the knowledge and skills involved in teaching;

Develop a Centre for Learning and Teaching Excellence.
Some strategies are the following:
• Develop Pedagogical Experimentation
• Explore Honours Students' Society
• Cooperate with other services available to our students
• Cooperate with appropriate services for our Faculty

III. Given our revised Mission Statement and the College's Motion on International Cooperation, Exchanges and Training;

Support existing and explore new Local, Provincial, National and International projects for students, faculty and staff.
Some strategies are the following:

• Student/Faculty/Staff exchanges
• Networking and partnerships with other institutions
• Co-curricular trips
• Leadership opportunities

IV. Given that future demographics indicate a decline in Secondary V student population and resulting increased competition for students, we must;

Continue the recruitment of high calibre students for all programs of study.
Some strategies are the following:
• Find new markets for potential students
• Continue and enhance current marketing iniatives

Conclusion

We expect that new activities undertaken (by Faculty, Program, Department or Support Services) to meet these major objectives combined with the existing academic programs and the numerous services designed to support our students will continue to result in an added value to the richness of our educational offerings and in our graduation rates.

We will continue to generate and analyze the indicators for all our academic programs among others on the first semester success and the third semester re-registration. These will still be the primary tools necessary for the monitoring of our students in our search for the continuing positive results in our success plan.

We will continue to monitor our graduates in the acceptance to university in their fields of study and the job placement rate in their respective specialization.

Our SMP Annual Report will provide a status report on the activities undertaken and how they contribute to the attainment of our major objectives. We will also report on the first semester success, third semester re-registration and graduation rates for all our programs.