Determine whether there are any substantial differences between the international and Canadian academic credential

Decide whether substantial differences exist between the international academic credential and the matching Canadian academic credential, focusing on the learning outcomes related to the purpose of the assessment.

• Identify the purpose of the assessment (e.g., further education, employment, professional licensure or registration, immigration).

• Consult your organization’s information system to ensure a fair and consistent approach.
  • Consult your organization’s policies on what constitutes a substantial difference in the key elements of an academic credential, such as:
    • the duration of study being shorter by more than one year;
    • giving access to employment rather than further education;
    • the quality of student performance (e.g., grades and GPA) not meeting minimum standards;
    • not leading to professional practice in the country of education;
    • the entry-to-practice program not meeting the minimum hours of supervised internship.
  • Consult precedents that share similiarities, such as:
    • the same type of academic credential;
    • an institution and/or program of the same category;
    • the same issuing country or a jurisdiction with a similar education system or sharing the same overarching qualifications framework.
• Document the rationale for your decision, such as how a substantial difference is identified or why an obvious difference is deemed not substantial, citing your organization’s policies and/or precedents.

In the process,

• review and update your organization’s policies on substantial differences, noting that:
  • a positive assessment outcome is based on the lack of substantial differences, rather than the presence of equivalences;
  • not every difference is considered substantial. For example:
    • a difference is substantial if it will likely prevent the academic credential holder from succeeding in a desired activity (e.g., further education, employment, professional licensure or registration, immigration);
    • a difference may not be substantial if it is only related to the input criteria (such as workload) but does not affect the overall learning outcomes;
  • a substantial difference may not be relevant to the purpose of the assessment;

• compare your findings with the range of outcomes identified by the pan-Canadian academic credential assessment community using CICIC’s Directory of Comparability Assessment Outcomes;

• consult other internal and external resources to support your process. CICIC’s tool box can support your research process and provide a space to consult with other members of the pan-Canadian academic credential assessment community.