“The pandemic has created a great playground for experimentation,” says Glenn Craney, “with great opportunities to rethink the way we’re using technology. The gold standard was where can tech can help pedagogy but the pace of change was slow. We’ve taken a huge leap forward.” But Robert Luke cautions that, “the vast majority of academics – the professoriate – have limited experience with digital learning precisely because they did not learn that way. We need to seize this opportunity to turn the page on current education practices. The pandemic has shifted online education from a ‘nice to do’ to making it a ‘need to do’ priority.”

Julia Christensen Hughes is encouraged by a new willingness to explore different approaches to teaching: “Faculty are being really creative to ensure their students are going to get an excellent online learning experience… They’re coming together in learning communities, asking questions, sharing ideas. I’ve never seen this level of discourse about teaching and technology before. I’m hoping that will stick.” 

The push to new formats – stackable credits, micro-credentials, transferability – has also been accelerated by the shift to online learning. While face-to-face learning will always be important, increasingly students expect a range of options to meet their particular circumstances. “As universities are finally discovering that you can offer a quality, online degree, more and more education is going to be consumed in a different way. Universities have had this one-size-fits-all notion. Recognizing that people come with all kinds of different experiences, opportunities and obligations – flexibility and accessibility are going to be the future,” states Christensen Hughes. 

The pandemic has created a great playground for experimentation.

~ Glenn Craney, Ryerson University

Robert Luke likens current academic models to the music industry of the 90s, well before the rise of Napster and iTunes. “Taking a program is like buying the LP. You had to buy the whole record back then. The current model takes agency away from learners. It could be more like Spotify and other streaming services where you can be exposed to music you might like based on what you do like.” In his view, shifting the focus from being teaching-centric to learning-centric, with full credential laddering, will significantly enhance the student experience in future. 

However, the biggest transformations ahead for higher ed aren’t happening at individual institutions. The current climate has catalyzed remarkable levels of collaboration across networks of institutions driven by economics, urgency and a genuine we’re-in-this-together sentiment. “Shared platforms with other universities create neat connections in both organic and structured ways,” notes Craney. “We’re creating markets. These networks won’t go away after the crisis. What’s still lagging is the technology, infrastructure and policies to support them.” For context, he points to two examples: A consortium of Canadian institutions is now collaborating (with start-up financial support from the McConnell Foundation) on rapid curation, development and deployment of digital resource materials to support common, high-priority, first-year university courses. Internationally, the WC2 Network is an international collective of top universities located in the heart of major world cities to address culture, environment and political issues of common interest.

Education City, the Ottawa-based initiative led by Alastair Summerlee, is far more than bilingual partnership among two colleges and two universities to deliver 4-year, joint degree programs. With the city of Ottawa (home to about 100,000 post-secondary students at any given time) and major employers as key players, it’s part of an economic development strategy for the region. For students, the benefit is combining two years on campus, drawing on resources from four institutions, followed by two years of enhanced on-line learning while employed by a participating organization. Education City’s flexible, laddered approach is intended to boost employability, foster entrepreneurial activities and provide a robust platform for life-long learning, skills retraining and retooling based on societal demands. 

For Summerlee, what’s been most surprising is the commitment to, “true collaboration across institutions and organizations, a never-before willingness to talk about how do we serve clients?” The pilot online program in business is being developed around small cohorts of eight people which Summerlee sees as ironic, going back to the early roots of education: “Universities like Singapore, Oxford, Cambridge and Bologna really focus on educating the person, creating a sense of belonging and responsibility with cohorts. The City has truly embraced it. There’s power in truly bilingual education for NGOs, tech companies, and government. We can create research across the City.” Working with industry advisors on new competencies for the future, he sees vital, long-term opportunities and benefits in terms of reskilling workforces as well.

Robert Luke points out that partnering closely with government and industry will be even more crucial for the education sector given the, “perfect storm of what appears to be an emergent economic nationalism and the need to ‘re-shore’ manufacturing in order to limit our dependence on global supply chains, something that impeded our ability to acquire personal protective equipment when the pandemic first struck. Close partnerships between academic institutions and industry will help in broader economic recovery and rebuild efforts by helping build more local economic resilience while giving experiential learning opportunities to students.”

Start with the “why,” author Simon Sinek recommends. Alastair Summerlee describes Education City’s “why” in terms of, “What is it we all know will make a difference? Those shared values are key.” Uniting diverse collaborators around a sense of purpose is essential when there are many unknowns. “The story needs to be inspiring and create a sense of possibility,” Summerlee adds. Ryerson’s Craney also reiterates the importance of values in turbulent times: “Institutions need to know themselves well. When there isn’t a lot of certainty, we fall back on our values and commitments.

Our priorities don’t change, just how we approach them in a crisis. We keep coming back to the Ryerson way. How does everyone deliver according to our version of values? Institutions that really understand what academic excellence means for them will be far better off. Students understand that too and they vote with their feet. The schools that adapt will do well. What I love about Ryerson is the ‘can do’ attitude that’s part of its DNA – that value of never give up.”

The question that academics must pay attention to now, in Joanne Shoveller’s view is, “Are we really going to change? In this next wave, can we take advantage of big ideas and respond to that receptivity to do things that are disruptive?” Robert Luke also spoke of a the need to ensure the recovery is equitable: “We’re clearly seeing how those who are marginalized are more disadvantaged from the pandemic. Huge disparities are being laid bare.” He describes it as higher education’s “pharmakon” moment. The ancient Greek word “pharmakon” is paradoxical and can be translated as both “remedy” and “poison.” It’s a powerful call to action for academia – make the pandemic “poison” the remedy!

This situation has identified the stodginess of higher education institutes… those who act with ingenuity and integrity will turn the crisis into unprecedented opportunity.”

~ 2020 Study, Imagining the future of higher ed in Canada from administrator, faculty perspectives, George Velestsianos and Jeff Seaman