The future is not a straight line from the past. As universities and colleges come to terms with some new realities – operational, financial, logistical, ethical – what does their future look like? What needs to change? What will change?

The Challenge

COVID-19 has been a game changer for governments, universities and colleges. They now need to imagine a different future – one with fewer international students, less money, more flexible and different approaches to learning, new competitors and new approaches to credentials, skills and competencies.

Governments and employers are also looking towards colleges and universities to respond to urgent needs to upskill and reskill the workforce, many of whom are deeply impacted by changes in the employment landscape. Whole sectors – hospitality and tourism, airlines, retail – have been massively impacted.

Already, some universities and colleges around the world have closed. Others are reducing programs and services and more changes are on the horizon. In Canada, some governments are investing in post-secondary education while others are making dramatic reductions in funding. All governments are exploring new approaches to apprenticeship and skills. What is on the horizon in terms of policy, funding and expectations?

This presentation will build on recent contributions to the work on strategic foresight related to post-secondary education and the place of technology in the future of learning.

Key Takeaways

As a result of this presentation, you will better understand:

• The social, economic and political challenges facing colleges, universities and training organizations in Canada.
• The five big challenges colleges and universities face as we begin to imaging a post-pandemic world.
• The ten dominant change features of post-secondary education post-pandemic.
• The three imperatives for a different future which are required from policy makers and institutional leaders.

Contact North is a non-profit organization funded by the Government of Ontario to support Ontario's education and training providers.

As plans ramp up for students and faculty to gradually return to campus this fall and winter, educators will face a new normal.  

Some pre-pandemic, face-to-face classes will still be taught fully online. Some will offer students a mix of face-to-face and online study, while others will be largely face-to-face with an online component.

Zoom will have a significant role to play in all these scenarios, but remote students may feel alienated and disengaged from their in-class peers unless preventive steps are taken.

Key Takeaways

Tailored to instructors, instructional designers and academic administrators, this engaging webinar shares seven models for Zoom-supported teaching and learning. Host Dr. Ron Owston helps participants understand how to ensure all students are fully included and engaged in these models:

1. Fully synchronous
2. Blended synchronous and asynchronous
3. Flex blend: Students alternate between attending face-to-face and online according to predetermined schedules
4. HyFlex: Students freely choose whether to attend face-to-face or synchronously
5. Traditional blend: Mainly face-to-face with an integrated online component
6. Flipped: Content delivered online, students attend in small, in-person groups for guided/tutorial work
7. Face-to-face with Zoom breakout discussion/work groups

Contact North is a non-profit organization funded by the Government of Ontario to support Ontario's education and training providers.

The Learning Management System (LMS) has long been the key underlying infrastructure for online, hybrid and even augmented face-to-face education.

With the global pandemic and rush to remote learning, the LMS became more important than ever, helping colleges and universities transition operations online without too many major breakdowns — a remarkable accomplishment for this long-maligned technology.

Yet at the same time, the experience and understanding of just what a “learning platform” is underwent another, parallel transformation with the rise of the synchronous video conferencing system. “Zoom U” may have been overdone with poor pedagogy, but the video platform is here to stay.

Key Takeaways

In this webinar, participants will explore:

• Long-term and recent trends in learning management systems
• Key changes over the past year and what they mean for the learning platforms of the future
• Changing expectations and their likely impacts  

Contact North is a non-profit organization funded by the Government of Ontario to support Ontario's education and training providers.

Zoom’s breakout rooms provide a unique opportunity to learn to create active and engaging learning experiences for students.

Join Contact North | Contact Nord’s Research Associate, Dr. Ron Owston, who describes how educators can:

• Move beyond holding ineffective, unstructured breakout room discussions
• Create distinctive breakout room roles for students to promote active participation
• Employ a variety of tools and techniques to enhance breakout room experiences
• Pre-assign students to breakout rooms or allow them to chose their own
• Design creative ways for students to report breakout room outcomes to the whole class
• Make use of breakout rooms in large enrolment courses
• Participants have ample opportunity to ask questions during the webinar.

NOTE: Registrants are expected to have a basic knowledge of how to use Zoom.

Contact North is a non-profit organization funded by the Government of Ontario to support Ontario's education and training providers.