Volume 4, Issue 2, 1999
Table of Contents

Serving Research in the Quebec Colleges

by Gérard Lombard
Association pour la récherche au collégial

Quebec has experienced remarkable growth in college-sector research during the past 25 years. Attributable in large part to the uniqueness of the college system, the increasing endorsements of college-based research activities is also due to the dynamism of the researchers themselves. College education in Quebec includes a component which is taught at the university level in other Canadian provinces. Consequently, the Quebec college network possesses highly qualified scientific personnel: close to 11 percent of college staff hold a doctoral degree, more than 50 percent have a master’s degree and close to ten percent hold a bachelor’s degree in leading-edge technology sectors.

A 1996 study conducted by the Fonds FCAR (Fund to Support Research and Researcher Training) - a public body created in 1984 to support scientific and technological development in Quebec - showed that the scientific productivity of college researchers is comparable to that of university researchers. In addition, the colleges have at their disposal first-class scientific equipment with an estimated value of one billion dollars.

The favourable conditions for pedagogical, technological or basic research in Quebec colleges were formalized in 1993, through the inclusion of research activity in the Colleges Act (Loi des collèges). The Act stipulates that a college may contribute to the development and completion of technological innovation projects; to the establishment and distribution of new technologies; and, to development in the region through work force training activities, applied research activities and the provision of technical assistance and information to enterprise. It also states that a college may conduct studies or pedagogical research and support college personnel who participate in funded research programs. Colleges can also provide services or permit the use of facilities and equipment for scientific activities during normal operating hours, with priority given to the needs of full-time students.

The integration of a research culture within Quebec colleges has also been assisted by various funding programs. The Program to Support Research in Education and Training (Programme d’aide à la recherche sur l’enseignement et l’apprentissage) and the Program to Support Technological Research (Programme d’aide à la recherche technologique) are administered by the College Education Department of the Ministry of Education. As part of the provincial Ministry for Research, Science and Technology, the Fonds FCAR not only provides support for basic research but also ensures that proposals solicited by the Canada Foundation for Innovation are scientifically evaluated prior to submission. Over one-third of the proposals which obtained funding in the last CFI College Research Development Fund were submitted by Quebec colleges.

Research conducted in Quebec colleges has focussed on many different disciplines and areas of expertise. However, the numerous benefits stemming from the work of researchers can be categorized in four main areas, including teaching, educational quality, the production and dissemination of scientific knowledge, as well as regional and national development. Some specific benefits have included the integration of college researchers into university research teams and research centres; the publication of numerous scientific articles in a variety of specialized journals; the creation of 23 college technology transfer centres; the development of welcoming and integration sessions for students experiencing learning difficulties; and, the establishment of learning assistance centres for French and Mathematics.

Notwithstanding the high degree of legislated support, the success of the college-based research movement in Quebec can also be related to the coordination and information sharing which exists between institutions. Established in 1988, the Association pour la recherche au collégial (ARC)/Association for College Research is the primary forum for college researchers. The ARC is mandated to:

	promote the development of research in the college sector;
	represent its members to the public as well as the authorities linked to research in the college sector;
	promote and defend the interests of researchers working in the college sector;
	encourage and facilitate the implementation of research policy and development plans, as well as effective procedures for the administration of research in the college sector; and,
	bring together, inform and encourage individuals who are interested in the development of college research.

Editor’s Note: Visit the ARC web site at www.microtec.net/~arc/ to obtain a range of information on the Association’s activities.