Quest is not the only private post- secondary university in BC, or Canada, but is distinct in being the only private university to operate as both a not-for-profit and without ties to a particular religion. Quest is also the first university in Canada to run on the so-called “block plan,” according to Helfand. Based on a program designed by Colorado College in the US in the 1970s, this education model sees students take one class at a time over a three-and-a-half week period instead of juggling three or four courses at a time, as is the case with most other universities. The Quest course load is also different: students graduate with a mixed liberal arts and science degree, a relatively new concept in Canadian post-secondary education. What’s more, there are no academic departments at Quest, and it has a strict policy of ensuring there are never more than 20 students in a class. Read more…
