The Program Awards recognize excellence in university continuing education programs in Canada and aim to nurture the concept of the scholarship of practice inherent in the program development process.  A call for awards submissions goes out to members in mid-November of each year.

These awards honor credit and non-credit university continuing education programs and courses at CAUCE member institutions for excellence in achieving their educational objectives. The awards also aim to nurture the concept of the scholarship of practice inherent in the program development process.

Up to six awards are made annually, distributed over the four programming categories. Non-credit contract training can be considered for the non-credit awards and should be submitted to the appropriate hours-based category. If fewer than six applicants are deemed worthy of awards, then fewer awards are made.

The deadline to submit an entry is February 28.

The Program Awards Committee will adjudicate the entries following the entry deadline and winners will be notified on or before March 13.

Criteria for Nomination

The nominated program or course must be a credit or non-credit program or course offered by a CAUCE member institution within the last two years: March 1, 2021, to Feb 28, 2023.

The program or course must have completed at least one cycle to be considered.

Institutions can submit multiple entries.  

1. An abstract (not exceeding 200 words)
2. The program description, not exceeding three (3) pages. (Be selective; please do not include a detailed curriculum of all the course materials.)
3. A statement that substantiates why the program or course warrants nomination by addressing each of the adjudication criteria noted below, not exceeding three (3) pages. Nominators should clearly identify the specific award category (i.e. credit or non-credit; over or under 48 hours).  
4. A copy of the promotional material(s).

• Value/Service: What value and/or service does the program provide to the student clientele, institutional or community collaborators or partners, as well as the home institution?  What are the indications of its value? 

• Complexity: What is the degree of complexity in program development; for example, negotiations with partner institutions, agencies or target groups, financing or delivery challenges, diversity of students, marketing strategies, and evaluation? 

• Ingenuity and Innovation: Is the program innovative, imaginative or unique in terms of its overall concept, or in terms of specific curriculum?  The focus of this criterion is on the ingenuity of the content, process, and delivery.

• Innovation in Delivery: Has the program developed innovative ways to deliver content or to support students to take the program? The focus of this criteria is on how the program is delivered to meet the needs of non-traditional students.

• Profile of Continuing Education: How does the program enhance the profile of continuing education within its home university and the community in terms of research, practice or service?

The deadline to submit an entry is February 28.

The committee will adjudicate the entries following the entry deadline and winners will be notified on or before March 13.

• Submit an entry

We are very proud to share the winners of our annual program awards competition. In addition, a great big thank you to all of our members who enter the program awards competition each year.