durham_chronicle_16-17_issue08
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6 The Chronicle January 24 - 30, 20<strong>17</strong> <strong>chronicle</strong>.<strong>durham</strong>college.ca Campus<br />
Michelle Cole, Manager of Program Development and Quality Assurance at Durham College, at work in her office.<br />
Photograph by Toby VanWeston<br />
Managing our success<br />
This is one in a series of conversations with experts at UOIT and Durham College<br />
Michelle<br />
Cole<br />
manages the<br />
programs<br />
students<br />
take at<br />
Durham<br />
College<br />
Toby VanWeston<br />
The Chronicle<br />
Michelle Cole is the Manager of<br />
Program Development and Quality<br />
Assurance at Durham College.<br />
She has been in this position for<br />
four years, and has overseen the<br />
development of existing programs<br />
and the addition of new programs<br />
during this time.<br />
In 2011 she won an Outstanding<br />
Research Award from the Ontario<br />
College Administration Staff Association<br />
(OCASA) for Student<br />
Perceptions of Faculty Classroom<br />
Practices the Influence Student<br />
Persistence.<br />
Cole’s job is to make sure the student<br />
experience is as positive and<br />
fulfilling as possible.<br />
Can you explain what you do<br />
and how you do it?<br />
Sure. I work with the executive<br />
deans and the associate deans in<br />
each of the schools, since you know<br />
we have seven schools, to work out<br />
a plan for new program development.<br />
So in my role, I guide the new<br />
program development process and<br />
I support the deans through that<br />
process. We have a five year roster<br />
of programs that is fluid, so every<br />
year we review the plan, and revise<br />
as needed.<br />
It’s fundamentally based on<br />
labour market needs, and student<br />
demand also, so taking both into<br />
consideration, we will develop a<br />
plan accordingly.<br />
[In regards to her OCASA<br />
award] Would it be accurate<br />
to say that finding ways for<br />
students to succeed in their<br />
academic careers is a passion<br />
of yours?<br />
It sure is. The other part of<br />
my role is the quality assurance.<br />
I would say now that I am doing<br />
this work, there is an enhanced passion<br />
for it. I have the opportunity<br />
through program review to interview<br />
students and I love that.<br />
I would say that the only reason<br />
I’m here is to ensure that students<br />
have a good experience while<br />
they’re on campus, that they’re<br />
learning, that they’re meeting the<br />
expectations of their education,<br />
that they find value in their education,<br />
and they see the importance<br />
at the end of the day.<br />
And then of course that they<br />
find jobs. So that they leave here<br />
well-equipped, good citizens and<br />
mature, so they can go and find<br />
work in their field.<br />
And if it’s not in their field that’s<br />
OK too, because they have skills.<br />
They shouldn’t leave here without<br />
having something that they can be<br />
proud of.<br />
Can you tell me about your<br />
background and how you ultimately<br />
arrived in Oshawa?<br />
I went to school at Brock University,<br />
started working in Toronto,<br />
then moved to Whitby. I worked for<br />
a member of parliament in Whitby.<br />
I enjoyed that experience very very<br />
much. We were unelected by the<br />
people [laughs]. And so when the<br />
new member of parliament came<br />
in, I applied to the college and was<br />
successful.<br />
I’ve worked at the college for ten<br />
years now. I started in the President’s<br />
office as an administrator.<br />
I was an executive assistant to the<br />
vice-president of Student Affairs.<br />
And when this position came up I<br />
got very excited and I applied and<br />
got it.<br />
They shouldn’t<br />
leave here<br />
without having<br />
something that<br />
they can be<br />
proud of.<br />
What’s your favourite part of<br />
your job?<br />
I do enjoy the process stuff, I’m a<br />
bit of a geek that way. I like the order<br />
of things, and so helping people<br />
get to an end result, I do get a kick<br />
out of that. And I do enjoy, when I<br />
can, meeting with students.<br />
What’s the toughest challenge<br />
you are faced with in this positions?<br />
Working with faculty [laughs].<br />
No, it’s more about timeliness. We<br />
have a short window of time to get<br />
the program to the point where we<br />
can present it to the Ministry. The<br />
challenge is getting that approval.<br />
Are there any new programs<br />
that you are trying to trying<br />
to get off the ground right<br />
now?<br />
Yes there’s a few of them. I can<br />
tell you what we just launched for<br />
20<strong>17</strong>, which is really exciting.<br />
We’ll have a new program in Office<br />
Administration Real Estate. So<br />
considering the real estate market<br />
as it is, that’ll be exciting for those<br />
who are interested in the real-estate<br />
market but may not want to<br />
be agents.<br />
Massage therapy is coming to<br />
Durham College, which is a big<br />
deal.<br />
I’m looking forward to as many<br />
free massages as I can get, I will be<br />
that guinea pig [laughs].<br />
The other one that’s really cool<br />
too is called Mechanical Technician,<br />
Elevating Devices. So your<br />
lifts, elevators, that kind of thing.<br />
Right now the industry is literally<br />
taking people off the streets, without<br />
experience.<br />
This way, with a post-secondary<br />
diploma, they would have a lot of<br />
experience with the mechanical<br />
and electrical side, so that they<br />
could start their apprenticeship<br />
with some knowledge. With a twoyear<br />
under their belt, they will be<br />
very successful.<br />
This interview has been edited for style,<br />
length and clarity.