That was the word from Mike Sharples, Emeritus Professor of Educational Technology at The Open University, UK in conversation with Rod Lastra, lifelong learning professional, in UM Extended Education’s latest webinar, The AI Horizon of Higher Education: Emergent Tools and Policy Considerations. The series continues.

“What’s the impact if we can write a paper at the touch of a button,” asks Sharples. “Technology is in the hands of students, disrupting traditional education. But all evidence says students don’t want to cheat, they want to learn. Universities need to work with it to develop a strategy. With new opportunities can come new ways of dynamic assessment.”

It’s not about insisting students avoid AI. If they use it as a tool, and acknowledge it, that’s fine, says Sharples. Assessment should not just be on one piece of writing. This is an opportunity to rethink assessment and make it process-based.

And anyway, it is not easy to determine if writing has been created by AI because AI detectors don’t work. “The software attempts to detect patterns but it is not at all reliable.”

Creating exceptional students

Students may well use AI for personal tutoring, guides, and creativity. And if it creates mundane writing and creative work for them, students should be encouraged to critique that and do better, he says. “We don’t want our students to be mundane. We want them to rise above, to be exceptional. We want to develop exceptional students.”

According to recent surveys, students are the early adopters, well ahead of academics and teachers. “Eighty to 90 per cent of use is by students. Only 20 to 30 per cent is by academics and teachers. There is a real imperative for AI literacy.”

AI is embedded in many things already. New generation AI is in Microsoft, Google, Apple and Adobe products. Soon all tools will use AI. But how will we use it? Will it help us or are we handing tasks over to a machine?

“We need ethical guardrails, but also we need to look at how institutions can work with the technology to develop systems with educational principles in them. Education and AI companies working together- it’s exciting.”

Guidelines not regulations

The UK government has a pro-AI strategy, says Sharples. “We have a long tradition of deep computing, but clear guidelines on safety and responsibility. The Russell Group (24 UK research universities) has developed principles for responsible but creative use of AI. They are not regulating AI but have a set of principles to abide by. Others have also adopted them or others like this.”

Sharples joined the Department of AI at the University of Edinburgh in the late 1970s and was one of the first to complete his PhD in generative AI. He developed software to explore creative writing and language.

“Generative AI is not new. It has a long and fascinating history. I joined as the first wave was coming. There have been rises and falls since then. My journey was to develop tools to support students in writing development, designing tutoring systems.”

When ChatGPT came along, Sharples was surprised that it could understand context. “Until then, we had to code context or it was not there. How does it know? It is doing more than taking data and repurposing it. It has layers, some kind of emergent world model. It is doing something more than text processing, interpreting structure and context. But it gets some things wrong.”

Not human, uncaring

So, we need to use it with great care, he says. “At the moment, it is not a substitute for human teaching. We need to evaluate the output with knowledge, evidence, correct information. It should always be used with a human teacher. Teaching is a caring profession. AI is intrinsically uncaring.”

AI can be used to summarize text, extract the essence, make comparisons, do translations. “It can do our mundane tasks like lesson planning. It can be an aide to creativity, brainstorming and design. But it is not a proxy for human intelligence. It does not have human experience. It has not seen a sunset or smelled freshly mown grass.”

Watch the webinar

The series continues

In 2004, Sal Khan wanted to tutor his cousin who was having trouble with math. He tutored her remotely and she became one of the best in her class.

“The best way to learn is to practice and get feedback quickly,” says Khan, noting how common it is for students to have gaps in their knowledge and need practice. “I was helping.”

Of course, other family members wanted in, and soon Khan was looking to scale his personalized efforts. “It was a blessing I did not view it as an entrepreneurial journey. I had a day job. This was a passion project.”

Next, he began making videos, just being himself, winging it, thinking through problems on the fly. “I was eccentric, a quirky dude making videos for his family.”

Practice and feedback

Soon, he found that just 30 minutes per week of individual practice and feedback can make a big difference for students. Practice and quick feedback can mean 20 to 90 per cent academic acceleration, according to many studies.

In the summer of 2022, OpenAI called Khan, looking to launch with organizations people trusted like his.

“I was skeptical. It was amazing but was it ready for prime time?”

So, he asked it to answer a biology question. The model chose C. But it did not give the encyclopedia answer he anticipated for its choice. Instead, it explained the answer, and then also why the other answers were incorrect. “I got goosebumps.”

Emulating personalization

Today, Khan continues his journey to emulate the personalization of one-on-one tutoring.

Khan discovered AI could do what a good tutor could do. Of course, there were some errors in training the model. It could hallucinate (give incorrect results), be used for cheating, be biased, provide misleading information.

“There were legitimate risks but there is also legitimate power to empower. As the technology gets better, we have to invest and make this a priority.”

Khan launched Khanmigo (conmigo meaning “with me” in Spanish) in March 2023, as an extension of Khan Academy, building on what he had accomplished. Khanmigo is a generative AI tutor, crafted to navigate students through their educational paths without giving away answers, thus minimizing cheating opportunities. It equips educators with insightful feedback on student progress, aligning closely with desired learning outcomes and fostering a structured, natural learning environment.

He calls it a powerful teacher assistant, to save hours of work and help teachers to connect with students.  

It started in two US school districts. Data showed it strongly drove engagement and increased focus. About 15 per cent became superusers. Others were not as into it.

Improvements and fine-tuning continue. “It is anchored on human content, and it is not perfect. It is like a great but sometimes absent-minded tutor.”

Like a tutor, it can consider a problem, and then ask the student to answer it and explain how they did it to assess their reasoning.

“It can walk a student through a project, estimate their grade, report the whole process to their professor.”

Supportive teaching assistant

Yet he does not see it as a replacement for teachers. “This is a supportive teaching assistant, helping teachers with their work and to connect with students.”

In the next few years, he anticipates students will likely be able to converse with their “tutor” and it will be hard to tell it is not a person. And perhaps scholars will publish prompts instead of papers, for a dialogue with the research. Shorter, more understandable information is better and easier to dispel if bunk than long, convoluted essays.

AI can inspire, he says.

Motivate and engage

“Today, almost anyone can access the world’s best knowledge but they are not always motivated. AI has the potential to motivate and engage students.”

He looks forward to the marvels of the future.

“Recently, my daughter created a story with an AI prompt. She wanted to talk to the protagonist, so AI took on the persona. My daughter advised the character, a fictional AI simulation. It was mind blowing. This is the future. It is just the surface of what is possible.”

Rod Lastra, lifelong learning professional at UM Extended Education, appreciates Khan’s insights. Lastra noted how the ideas of machine support traditional education pre-dates the internet days. “In higher education, we need to think about how to integrate the benefits of generative AI into our work,” says Lastra.

And on that note, he looks forward to our next three webinars in the series.

The series continues

Up next, join UM Extended Education on March 1 for The AI Horizon of Higher Education: Emergent Tools and Policy Considerations with Mike Sharples, Professor Emeritus of Educational Technology at The Open University, UK. The conversation will focus on AI policy and regulations arising in the UK and EU and their relevance in Canada.

Learn more and register now

The AI tools of today go so far beyond what we are familiar with, and they continue to evolve, says Ray Schroeder, in conversation with Rod Lastra, Acting Dean, Extended Education. “Too many of us make first-level use of them, using them like Google search, rather than really using them as an assistant. They can provide so much more than that. We must help universities to understand the immensity and the potential they can provide to us.”

Schroeder shared these and other thoughts at the latest webinar in Extended Education’s Lifelong Learning webinar series, AI Unleashed: Deciphering the Impact of Generative Artificial Intelligence on Lifelong Learning. The topic was Lifelong Learning and Generative AI: Unpacking ChatGPT’s Potential.

Schroeder, Senior Fellow at UPCEA, the Online and Professional Education Association, and Professor Emeritus at University of Illinois Springfield (UIS), collects trending articles on generative AI in higher education on his blog. He started teaching in 1971.

When calculators came along

“Technology has always been engaged in the process of education,” says Schroeder, noting many new technologies he discovered over the years. For example, in the early 1970s, students had to leave their calculators at the front of the class before they took a quiz.

“With calculators, no one will be able to add, they said. The concern went away, and yet it was also correct,” says Schroeder, noting how everyone now has access to calculating technology.
Later, Google Wave provided a host of java-based applications. Then they turned it off.

“Technology has moved forward in bits and starts.”

The latest thing is ChatGPT, something that fascinates Rod Lastra, Acting Dean, Extended Education. With ChatGPT, Lastra generated an AI logo for his presentation notes. He shared how, with Chat GPT, in just three hours, he created an “assistant” to help with program development. He discussed the process from providing prompts to how meaning and context are defined with statistical probability.

Chat GPT will be a year old by the end of November and it continues to evolve. “Right now, our trust of text authoring is low, but it shows more promise for reviewing information and for creative works,” says Lastra.

Not all are embracing it

For successful work with Generative AI, Schroeder advises, “We must practice crafting quality prompts, use three different applications, compare the results because glitches occur, and this helps us not to be led astray. Do it daily. We will get better at using it through repetition.”

But not every educator is embracing the latest technology.

Schroeder shared the results of a recent university study that found 80 per cent of students reported using Generative AI but only 30 per cent of faculty did. “I think there is skepticism among many. We saw this in the early 2000s with online learning. Many faculty said no, they had to see students, it would never be as fully effective as face-to-face.

“Many faculty are intimidated by technology and are afraid to use it. Students don’t have that fear. They have an excitement. Faculty have reservations.” But both Lastra and Schroeder see great potential.

“When you have classes of 30 students, it is so hard to work with individuals and provide tutoring. But what if AI could identify areas of deficit and help students to improve their critical thinking and fully understand? We can find ways to address the challenges, to use the tools and watch the progress,” says Schroeder, noting the hiring of the first Chief AI Officer at a university, Mark Daley at Western, was a big step forward. “This technology is so very important.”

While Generative AI is relatively new, Schroeder noted a tracking study on the use of generative AI at Boston Consulting Group. It found an increase in productivity of 40 per cent with those who used AI, as well as an improvement in low performance.

“The Open AI Academy is expected to open by the end of this year. It will be a free site providing bots to serve as instructors, guided by uploaded information. Other companies are also poised to provide services. How will it roll out in our institutions?” asks Schroeder.

The series continues.

Watch this webinar and learn more about the series.

“Giving AI agency is quite dangerous,” says the Executive Manager: Research and Data Ecosystems at JET Education Services. “Think about it. If a self-driven car crashes, who is responsible? We bring perspectives AI can’t provide. We need to be careful about maintaining human agency. The person is responsible.”

The literacy specialist currently developing an AI competency framework with UNESCO (the United Nation Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) shared her thoughts in conversation with Rod Lastra, Acting Dean, Extended Education during Lifelong Education in the Age of Artificial Intelligence, the first webinar in Extended Education’s Lifelong Learning 2023-2024 Webinar Series  exploring the potential and challenges of emerging generative artificial intelligence tools in the realm of lifelong learning.

What AI is

During the webinar, Lastra defined AI as technology that enhances human capacity by simulating cognitive tasks. For example, he says, “In the digital realm, we transitioned from non-AI systems, like statistical software performing direct calculations, to rule-based AI with explicitly coded rules. In Machine Learning AI, systems are trained on large data sets, learning autonomously. Unlike rule-based AI, Machine Learning detects intricate patterns in the data, deducing underlying logic without predefined rules or human intervention.

“Generative AI is trained on vast amounts of public data, processes it, uses it, identifies a pattern, and responds through communication and action.”

Shiohira says she was skeptical of AI but came to it as she set out to research literacy in South Africa. She discovered it is useful for basics but not a solution. “For Math, it is a no-brainer. It is straightforward. There are no complexities to consider like second languages, no need to credit people for new ideas. Where learner outcomes are so poor there is a place for technology to supplement learning support. In more advanced educations systems, it can help students to focus on extracurricular work with math and reading programs.”

There are ethical considerations. For example, AI face recognition software can help teachers to monitor which students are engaging in the classroom. “In a small class, a teacher knows. In a large class, they won’t have time to monitor a dashboard as they teach,” she says. Further, it also raises questions of consent for using AI algorithms that can assess engagement.

Issues

Ownership concerns emerge when Generative AI produces creative and academic content. Key issues include determining the appropriate citation methods and identifying the rightful owner. Additionally, while AI excels at refining writing, it may inadvertently enhance and propagate misconceptions or flawed notions, says Lastra.

AI can hallucinate or make mistakes and incorrect information can propagate with models degenerating over time.

Shiohira encouraged everyone to talk about AI literacy. “You need to know what it is, where in your life you encounter it, about data collection, your permissions, and how to challenge one of its decisions like unjustly refusing you a mortgage.”

Our data is being extracted, made into products, and sold back to us, she says. We have been dealing with the transformation of Generative AI since the early 2000s. Ethical data principles are essential. “Who is the owner of data? If you generate it, it should belong to you.”

Concerns about cheating and fraud have been around for years, she says noting at one time, teachers did not want students to use spellcheckers but they need to learn how to integrate them like they did with calculators.

“The process still has value. We won’t give up teaching how to write essays and develop your voice. We need parameters.”

Watch the video and get recommended readings, then join Extended Education on Nov. 17 for the second webinar in the series, Tools of Tomorrow: Harnessing AI in Continuing Education.

Watch video and register now

This winter, Extended Education once again offers a Micro-Certificate in Artificial Intelligence: Machine Learning Solutions.

“Canada does not have enough workers for the future,” says Yvonne Kinley from Economic Development Winnipeg. Kinley joined Extended Education’s Acting Dean Rod Lastra and Program Manager Paul Jenkins for our Homecoming 2022 webinar.

According to Statistics Canada, all provinces except the Maritimes are continuing to experience low unemployment and our population growth has slowed, from  1.2 per cent in 2019 to .only 71 per cent in 2020. As well, the gap between the general population and the working-age population is growing.

“We need to build a sustainable talent pipeline. The goal is to create a robust economy to provide opportunities for the future. Investment follows talent,” says Kinley.

She explains that skilled workers earn higher wages and support economic growth. Manitoba businesses want to increase their ability to retain youth and attract skilled workers from other provinces. More skilled workers can attract more companies that create more jobs.

“There is a global shortage of talent.”

Understand employer need
To benefit from this shortage, graduates must understand what their potential employers need. Businesses are looking to increase their productivity and potential employees should showcase what they can do to support and improve business.

“Businesses love hiring UM grads. They have fantastic knowledge. But they are also wishing students had more chances for business experience and to develop skills you need to have for a job. Those are what we call the soft or power skills. The way to improve them is by sheer practice. Work opportunities are really important to gain skills. Businesses have a role to provide them,” says Kinley.

Retired professionals and fellow alumni can also mentor and create experience opportunities. “A lot of small businesses don’t have the opportunity to offer mentorships. In other countries, for example, they are tapping into the retirement community.”

She reminds grads that not all jobs require a degree from a specific faculty or school. For example, Arts and Science graduates looking for work should consider how to articulate their skills and how those skills might align with business needs. “Don’t just say you have an Arts degree in History. What can you do? That is so important. Translate what you are able to do into business language.”

Struggles to define skills
Understand that businesses are struggling to figure out their current operating models due to many factors: COVID-19, supply chain issues, international wars and conflicts. The move to working from home means any company can now poach local talent. Busy leaders are trying to figure out what they need and how to find it. Articulating this is a challenge because there is no common language for skills. And when it comes to post-secondary training with a large institution like UM, they are often unsure how to go about it.

That’s where Canada’s Skills Strategy comes in. But we don’t have one yet.

While other places like Singapore and the United Kingdom have a skills and qualifications framework and learning strategy, “Within Canada, there is no national strategy,” says Rod Lastra. “We need to work together to reimagine learning for a working world.”

Lastra highlights how the working world is changing from an industrial one to a digital one. “The transition will require upskilling and reskilling (continuing education). A major shift in skills is needed for economic development based on the requirements of industry,” he says.

The current labour market has its challenges. Unemployment of Indigenous, minorities, and adults 55 and older is high. Not everyone has equal access to reliable internet. Parents need childcare. Lifelong learning must be accessible and equitable, says Kinley.

The business community is interested in diversity and inclusion. And from a business perspective, lifelong learning involves more than just university. It’s not the university’s role to fill every need. The value to the employer is to be able to train a person in a short amount of time in order to increase productivity.

“It’s not as straightforward as taking a course and moving forward in your career.”

Paul Jenkins agrees, noting he often receives requests for faster and cheaper education options from partner organizations.

So, businesses need skilled workers. Graduates need skills. What are those skills and who needs to contribute in order for you to get them? The discussion continues.

In the meantime, post-secondary must prepare youth for work and grads have additional opportunities to embrace lifelong learning.

Be self-aware
For grads, being self-aware is very important, says Lastra. “To learn a lot of soft skills and apply critical thinking.

“The future is uncertain. It will include disequilibrium and disruption. It will require a greater collaboration between education and business, innovation in higher learning, and refining lifelong learning,” he says.

Graduates will need to upskill and reskill in order to succeed in their careers. But they are starting with a good foundation.

“It is surprising how much people don’t know about what we do know… You know more than you think you know.”

Take that knowledge, and build on it.

Watch the webinar 

The Division of Extended Education has existed at UM in some form since 1949 and as the need for lifelong learning continues to evolve, so too does the Division. At our Sept. 24 UM Homecoming webinar, Talk Lifelong Learning, we looked at the concept and the history of lifelong learning, how the world is changing, and how we are responding with programs like our new Certificate in Building Information Management (BIM), developed in consultation with both industry and university experts from the Faculties of Architecture and Engineering. BIM launches this winter, with a micro-certificate in Artificial Intelligence: Machine Learning Solutions (AI). The AI program was also designed in consultation with both industry and university experts and the intent is to show professionals how AI and Machine Learning can solve the most important challenges in a business or organization.

People, knowledge, action
“At Extended Education, we have learned a lot about translating knowledge into action,” says Paul Jenkins, Manager, Program Delivery. “We have come to realize that our programs are all about people and empowering them. Our programming fuses sound theoretical learning with practical applications.”

The term ‘lifelong learning’ has been around for centuries, says Rod Lastra, Associate Dean (Academic), noting writers and philosophers have reflected on it for some time. But one of its unifying concepts is the acknowledgement that formal learning never really ends. Gone are the days where one degree led to one career, he says; “lifelong learning will be essential.”

Lifelong learning is bigger than adult education, says Jenkins. “Education and learning are very different things. Learning is much broader, more transformative than education. Human learning is about being and becoming. It’s a mindset, a process and practice of learning throughout life. It’s the silver bullet, part of the human experience. It’s tied to individual development, professional advancement, and social advancement. It’s an unending process.”

Rod Lastra talks lifelong learning.

Taking agency on your future
Lastra agrees. Lifelong learning is more than just continuing education, he says. “Learners are increasingly becoming agents when it comes to their own future. Our alumni are doing it on their own initiative.”

University continuing education units including Extended Education were “born of a major transformation in society,” says Lastra. “We have a wealth of experience and expertise. The core questions of the 21^st century are different but our core remains the same- combining sound theoretic knowledge and applied learning. We need to understand economic trends, skills mapping, and what we need to offer. We need to understand our learners from those who are foundational learners to those who need to upskill and reskill.”

The learning environment has changed, with so many web and other resources now available. Learners are more sophisticated and we have to acknowledge and respect that, he says.

“The skills gap­­­ — the gap between what employers seek and what employees have — has widened. That’s driving change. Our role is to respond.”

A need for collaboration
Jenkins says, as society and the economy become more complex, the education system is changing. There is a need for more collaboration and conscious integration with industry and all of the various parts of today’s dynamic education eco-system. “There is a shift away from fixed knowledge towards a set of cognitive capabilities and a focus on the agility and one’s ability to learn and to evolve. Far and away, the most dominant and recurring theme is evolution. We are seeing this everywhere.” The key is greater collaboration, a conscious integration of education. “Lifelong learning is a valuable lens to keep it all in focus.”

Extended Education is embedded within a global institution, the university, and it informs our initiatives, says Lastra. “Human cognitive ability cannot be micro-credentialed so the degree will continue to hold its value over time. But micro-credentials, or credentials of short duration based on high-demand skills, will augment degree programs. Their outcome will be controlled by learners.”

An undergraduate education will continue to have currency, Jenkins says. “It’s a question of skills gaps. Smaller, focused programs will be necessary and complementary to degree programs. We need to think about integrating them within degree programs. But first we need a clear definition of what they [micro-credentials] are. Then we can integrate them in a meaningful way.”

See the webinar.

“Awareness means more choices,” says David Mandzuk, Acting Dean, Extended Education. “If you are aware, you have time to think about what it means for you. It puts you in the driver’s seat. You can take note, and decide how it applies to you and your aspirations, and then be proactive in charting your own professional path.”

Join Extended Education on Friday Sept. 24 from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. for our inaugural UM Homecoming webinar, “Let’s talk lifelong learning: Current trends in continuing education”, and learn about the lifelong learning opportunities offered by the University of Manitoba that are available for you and your team. There is no cost, but registration is required.

This webinar is being offered because alumni who participated in a recent UM Alumni survey reported that they are definitely interested in staying connected with the university and learning about lifelong learning opportunities and other upskilling and reskilling programs. And of course, that’s where Extended Education comes in.

Your home for lifelong learning
“We provide lifelong learning, upskilling and reskilling for both domestic and international students. Students come to us as individuals or through our partnership programs with businesses and organizations, partnership programs like Applied Management (known as CAM or the Certificate in Applied Management). We have a number of entry points for students,” says Mandzuk.

In his previous roles at the university, most recently as Dean of the Faculty of Education, Mandzuk has been involved in UM Homecoming for almost 20 years. “For me, it’s always been a highlight of the year,” he says. “And it’s a great way for alumni to demonstrate their love for their academic home. In our case, we would also like UM grads to think of us in Extended Education as their home for lifelong learning.”

As the workplace becomes more automated, more competitive and more global, it is essential for successful professionals to know what the landscape looks like and which education options are available to them, says Rod Lastra, Associate Dean (Academic), Extended Education. “We will provide them with a realistic picture of where we are going and what we offer including recent trends in continuing education both locally and nationally.”

With Extended Education, students can build on their degree, diploma, or experience and earn UM credentials including certificates, micro-certificates, and soon micro-credentials — short programs with digital documenting of skills and competencies learned — to their resumes.

“Micro-credentials are coming,” says Lastra, “They are valued and recognized by industry. These short credential programs are important. They help professionals to pivot particularly during times of disruption. But they are not going to replace undergraduate degrees. They can be added on, to build on the foundational skills people already have. They are part of the larger education learning web.”

Many of Extended Education’s non-degree programs can serve as a great addition to an existing degree or a complementary and concurrent program of study for current degree students. For example, add an Artificial Intelligence: Machine Learning Solutions (AI) credential to your science degree, or a Business Information Modeling (BIM) certificate to your engineering degree.

The webinar will share Extended Education’s latest offerings including the new AI and BIM programs that are scheduled to be offered starting in January 2022.

“If you have completed a degree and are wondering what comes next, we can help you,” says Lastra. “Come to us. We have the expertise. We are recognizing local needs and translating them into national currency for lifelong learners.”

Whether you come as a student or as a potential partner like an employer looking for a professional development training option for your staff, or as UM faculty wanting to develop lifelong learning opportunities with us, Lastra says, “We are certainly open for business. We have been meeting with university and industry, and we continue to do this. Our work is not stand-alone. We need a strong arm in both areas.”

Learn more and register now for Extended Education’s homecoming webinar.

“Flexibility is the future,” said Cynthia Leach, senior director of economic thought leadership at RBC at Extended Education’s May 14 University Continuing Education Webinar, “After the COVID pandemic: The role of universities and colleges in building a stronger Canadian economy.” The Lifelong learning: Putting ideas into practice webinar series continues on June 11.

Lifelong learning is essential to the future success of the workforce. From academic and non-academic skill building, to recognizing prior learning, and offering and defining micro-credentials, there is still a lot to do.

At RBC, Leach says, she is passionate about post-secondary education because her company feels that a healthy labour market that can deal with disruption is good for Canadians and good for business. That’s why they researched a future skills report called Humans Wanted: How Canadian youth can thrive in the age of disruption.

The report has triggered much discussion across Canada, says Michael Benarroch, UM President. “Through continuing education, we can be very quick to fill the skills gaps.”

Benarroch noted that the transformation of the working world was already underway when COVID hit and post-secondary institutions have been looking at the changes in the world and learning from them. “A big part of what we have to do is lifelong learning. Post- secondary education has to train for the workforce and train global citizens. We must ensure marginalized communities have opportunities and that requires different ways of thinking and learning. We must conduct funded research, not always leading to a patent or invention. Research can transform society.

“My generation worked 30 years in the same job. Now people change jobs every few years, so how do we train for that? We have to be nimble and resilient, and in contact with employers to really learn what they need.”

Fred Meier, president and CEO of Red River College, noted how work requirements are changing. “Employers and industry tell us they are seeking human skills like adaptability and problem solving, they need blended technical skills, and are looking for modular solutions.”

The learner is also changing, Meier said. “Traditionally, students at the early part of their lives were looking for intense learning to carry them through life. That model is changing. People need lifelong learning and upskilling in the workplace. We find our learners are going to need learning throughout their careers and they are clearly on our minds. To achieve the outstanding results grads are looking for, we have great post-secondary partnerships.”

Micro-credentials
Heather McRae, dean of the School of Continuing Education at MacEwan University, asked if learners really want their micro-credentials or short bits of learning to ladder into other credentials. “Laddering sounds good but is it really feasible? Do learners want it? And how do we get universal recognition for micro-credentials?”

Meier agreed that how to measure competencies can be a challenge.

Overall, the panel agreed that post-secondary institutions have to embrace flexibility and collaboration.

McRae says, “We have to collaborate better, including with students.”

Meier says, “We have to be adaptable.”

Benarroch says, “We should not fear change. We can do it. I would never have predicted the university could become ‘virtual’ in a few weeks. But here we are.”

Leach reminds us that although we don’t know how things will turn out post-pandemic, “We are going to have to up our game.”

The next webinar in the University Continuing Education Webinars series, “Deciphering the meaning of micro-credentials” is on June 11, followed on June 18 by “Recognition of alternative credentials”.

Learn more