Speaker sessions - topic-specific

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Monday November 2, 2020

Digital technology in educational institutions

3:15–3:45PM – Presentation 1

Digital technology: a vector for organizational change in university instruction and financialization?

The use of devices for learning and instructional management has made ICT an integral part of education in France since the late 20th century. Application in class has also impacted administration, governance and other local stakeholders. It is also coincident with skills certification development and with graduation being subject to the validation of acquired knowledge and experience. All of these elements, taken together, lead to a complete “remake” of institutes of higher learning, impacting their public service mission, financialization and the expanding (or even competitive) role of external advisors. Legislation passed in 2018, which deals with the freedom to choose one’s future career, seems to have intensified these transmutations. Our CIS presentation will therefore begin with a brief outline, and then address how understanding the social hub in education has become a societal issue.

3:45–4:15PM – Presentation 2

The Synchronex digital team: Enchantment and sorrow

The CCTT (College centres for the transfer of technology) concept has been in existence for almost 40 years. This network of 59 centres offers expertise in almost all aspects of Quebec society’s economic and social development. Fourteen of them have been tasked with knowledge transfer missions for specific technology topics (robotics, automation, optics, etc.), with no connection to a particular economic sector.

Sorrow – four decades later, still a trade secret
CCTTs bring user communities and college education together, but they remain (almost) unknown. How can we shed this “secret society” image?

Enchantment – remaining relevant, innovative and attractive. Becoming a team
What do we need to support our capacity for action in digital transformation? Funding for knowledge and technology acquisition, through major investments that are, among other drawbacks, too fast-paced for the current model. Factors for success include pooling assets and emphasizing skills and experimentation. One more step toward “Education 4.0”?

4:15–4:45PM – Presentation 3

Centres for teaching and learning: a role in developing equitable, high-quality pedagogical approaches forming the core of tomorrow’s universities

Our presentation will begin with an overview of results shared in a white paper: Disruption in and by Centres for Teaching and Learning during the COVID-19 Pandemic – Leading the Future of Higher Ed. We will then discuss key points addressed during the online symposium “Leading the Future of Higher Ed – Planning for Sustainability,” co-organized by the CLE (Chair in Educational Leadership) in Innovative Pedagogical Practices in Digital Contexts – National Bank at Université Laval, the International Observatory on the Societal Impacts of AI and Digital Technology and the Concordia University Research Chair in Maker Culture. Eighteen experts and key decision-makers in the field of higher education – from Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom and Lebanon – contributed to the white paper, and continued their discussion on October 2, 2020, examining current concerns: quality education, the relevance of evaluations, continuous development for faculty members in the post-COVID era and an equitable future for higher education.

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