Education
Red Deer Polytechnic Open House this Saturday!
Red Deer Polytechnic welcomes prospective students and community to visit campus during Open House
Red Deer Polytechnic (RDP) will showcase its range of programs, student services and facilities at the post-secondary institution’s Open House:
Saturday, October 28 | 9 am – 1 pm
Red Deer Polytechnic Main Campus
Attendees are encouraged to register to attend (drop-ins are also welcome)
“We look forward to welcoming prospective students and their supporters, who are looking to explore a variety of careers, to attend RDP’s Open House,” says Lindsay Engel, Vice President, Academic and Student Experience. “At Red Deer Polytechnic, we are proud to offer more than 80 programs across a range of credentials that prepare students for rewarding careers and that contribute to Alberta’s diverse workforce.”
Through collaboration with industry, RDP students receive enhanced work-integrated learning and applied research opportunities while making connections in their field. The Polytechnic also offers diverse cultural, social and health and well-being opportunities for students.
“Through Residence life, student groups, intramurals and much more, Red Deer Polytechnic has many opportunities for students to have a robust post-secondary experience and meet new people in fun and supportive environments,” says Ms. Engel. “Alumni often share their fond memories of attending RDP, making life-long friends and achieving their personal and professional goals.”
During Open House, RDP is pleased to offer no charge for credit program applications submitted by domestic prospective students for future admission to a program, meet faculty and staff at program exhibits and to take in-person and self guided campus tours. Attendees will also have the chance to win prizes.
More information about Red Deer Polytechnic’s Open House is available at: rdpolytech.ca/openhouse.
RDP is currently accepting applications for students wishing to attend Winter Term (starting in January 2024), Spring Term (starting in May 2024) and Fall Term (starting in September 2024).
Visit Us
Open House
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 28 | 9 AM – 1 PM | MAIN CAMPUS
If you’re graduating high school or looking at different career options, you won’t want to miss this event!
Red Deer Polytechnic has more than 80 programs that will challenge you, inspire you and prepare you for your future. Join us on October 28 to learn more about our programs and discover the wide array of student services that are available. This is your opportunity to learn all about what student life is like at Red Deer Polytechnic.
There will be free applications for credit programs during the event, program exhibits, campus tours and a chance to win prizes.
PLAN YOUR DAY!
- Free parking for all attendees
- Visit our main entrance to find assistance with wayfinding and answer any questions you may have
- Speak to the experts – Come equipped with questions to interact with faculty representing all programs offered at RDP (located in the Kevin Siros Gymnasium and Main Gymnasium)
- Attend a demonstration – Check out booths, classrooms and labs offering demonstrations of what you can learn and do to make the most of your talents at RDP
- Take a tour – Campus tours will start at the Student Connect Centre (room 1102) and will be offered from 9:15 AM – 12:15 PM
- Apply to attend – Visit the Library Computer Lab to receive assistance completing your application for admission to RDP through ApplyAlberta at no charge (some restrictions apply)
- Learn about services – Interact with staff to learn more about the services RDP offers to students including, health and wellness, food services, bookstore, funding, awards and even employment opportunities with RDP (located across campus and in the Forum)
- Enjoy lunch on us – Dig into a free bowl of soup at the FarSide Bar and Grill operated by the Students’ Association of RDP (while supplies last)
We look forward to welcoming you to campus and thank you for your interest attending RDP.
Book an In-Person Tour
In the heart of central Alberta, Red Deer Polytechnic is the best place to start your future!
Select from our tour options below, or you may use our Welcome to Red Deer Polytechnic Campus Maps brochure to tour the institution yourself.
- Main Campus: Interested in a tour of Red Deer Polytechnic’s Main Campus building and facilities? Check out our calendar to view available tour dates and times. Book your personalized tour now!
- Residence: Email [email protected].
Visit Us Virtually
From near or far, we invite you to get to know Red Deer Polytechnic (RDP)!
Red Deer Polytechnic’s new Virtual Tour is a great way to see all that our beautiful campuses have to offer. Featuring 100 different areas and 360-degree views, you will be able to imagine yourself learning and living here. You can also visit Red Deer Polytechnic’s YouTube channel to be introduced to our campus, facilities, programs, students and much more.
Want to stay social? You can also say hi and stay connected with us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn.
Red Hot Science Workshops
Red Hot Science workshops at Red Deer Polytechnic provide a variety of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) experiences for youth groups and school groups in central Alberta.
Red Deer Polytechnic students can volunteer to help lead Red Hot Science activities, too.
Red Deer
Judge upholds sanctions against Red Deer Catholic school trustee who opposed LGBT agenda
From LifeSiteNews
Monique LaGrange was ousted last December from the Red Deer Catholic Regional Schools’ board for comparing the LGBT agenda targeting children to brainwashing.
A Canadian judge ruled that a school board was justified to place harsh sanctions on a Catholic school trustee forced out of her position because she opposed extreme gender ideology and refused to undergo LGBT “sensitivity” training.
Justice Cheryl Arcand-Kootenay of the Court of King’s Bench of Alberta ruled Thursday that the Red Deer Catholic Regional Schools (RDCRS) Board’s sanctions placed against former trustee Monique LaGrange will stand.
LaGrange had vowed to fight the school board in court, and it remains to be seen if she can take any further actions after the decision by Judge Arcand-Kootenay.
The judge ruled that the RDCRS’s policies in place for all trustees, which the board contended were breached, were “logical, thorough, and grounded in the facts that were before the Board at the time of their deliberations.”
As reported by LifeSiteNews, the RDCRS board voted 3-1 last December to disqualify LaGrange after she compared the LGBT agenda targeting kids with that of “brainwashing” Nazi propaganda. As a result of being voted out, LaGrange later resigned from her position.
The former school board trustee initially came under fire in September 2023 when she posted an image showing kids in Nazi Germany waving swastika flags during a parade to social media, with the bottom of the post showing an image of kids waving LGBT “Pride” flags along with the text: “Brainwashing is brainwashing.”
After her post went viral, calls for her to step down grew from leftist Alberta politicians and others. This culminated in her removal as director of the Alberta Catholic School Trustees’ Association (ACSTA).
In September 2023, the RDCRS passed a motion to mandate that LaGrange undergo “LGBTQ+” and holocaust “sensitivity” training for her social media post.
LaGrange, however, refused to apologize for the meme or undergo “sensitivity” training.
She had argued that the RDCRS had no right to issue sanctions against her because they were not based on the Education Act or code of conduct. Arcand-Kootenay did not agree with her, saying code of conduct violations allow for multiple sanctions to be placed against those who violate them.
Education
‘Grade inflation’ gives students false sense of their academic abilities
From the Fraser Institute
The average entrance grade at the University of British Columbia is now 87 per cent, up from 70 per cent only 20 years ago. While this is partly because the supply of available university spots has not kept pace with growing demand, it’s also likely that some B.C. high schools are inflating their students’ grades.
Suppose you’re scheduled for major heart surgery. Shortly before your surgery begins, you check into your surgeon’s background and are pleased to discover your surgeon had a 100 per cent average throughout medical school. But then you learn that every student at the same medical school received 100 per cent in their courses, too. Now you probably don’t feel quite as confident in your surgeon.
This is the ugly reality of “grade inflation” where the achievements of everyone, including the most outstanding students, are thrown into question. Fortunately, grade inflation is (currently) rare in medical schools. But in high schools, it’s a growing problem.
In fact, grade inflation is so prevalent in Ontario high schools that the University of Waterloo’s undergraduate engineering program uses an adjustment factor when evaluating student applications—for example, Waterloo might consider a 95 per cent average from one school the equivalent of an 85 per cent average from another school.
Grade inflation is a problem in other provinces as well. The average entrance grade at the University of British Columbia is now 87 per cent, up from 70 per cent only 20 years ago. While this is partly because the supply of available university spots has not kept pace with growing demand, it’s also likely that some B.C. high schools are inflating their students’ grades.
Sadly, grade inflation is so rampant these days that some school administrators don’t even try to hide it. For example, earlier this year all students at St. Maximilian Kolbe Catholic High School in Aurora, Ontario, received perfect marks on their midterm exams in two biology courses and one business course—not because these students had mastered these subjects but because the York Catholic District School Board had been unable to find a permanent teacher at this school.
The fact that a school board would use grade inflation to compensate for inadequate instruction in high school tells us everything we need to know about the abysmal academic standards in many schools across Canada.
And make no mistake, student academic performance is declining. According to results from the Programme for International Assessment (PISA), math scores across Canada declined from 532 points in 2003 to 497 points in 2022 (PISA equates 20 points to one grade level). In other words, Canadian students are nearly two years behind on their math skills then they were 20 years ago. While their high school marks are going up, their actual performance is going down.
And that’s the rub—far from correcting a problem, grade inflation makes the problem much worse. Students with inflated grades get a false sense of their academic abilities—then experience a rude shock when they discover they aren’t prepared for post-secondary education. (According to research by economists Ross Finnie and Felice Martinello, students with the highest high school averages usually experience the largest drop in grades in university). Consequently, many end up dropping out.
Grade inflation even hurts students who go on to be academically successful because they suffer the indignity of having their legitimate achievements thrown into doubt by the inflated grades of other students. If we want marks to have meaning, we must end the practise of grade inflation. We do our students no favours when we give them marks they don’t really deserve.
Just as our confidence in a surgeon would go down if we found out that every student from the same medical school had a 100 per cent average, so we should also question the value of diplomas from high schools where grade inflation is rampant.
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