On Thursday, August 9, 2012, OCUFA participated in a government consultation on the greater use of technology in Ontario’s universities and colleges, held at the University of Waterloo. The session was part of the Ministry of Training, Colleges, and Universities’ (MTCU) roundtables on ideas contained within the discussion paper, Strengthening Ontario’s Centres of Creativity, Innovation, and Knowledge. Previous consultations, also attended by OCUFA, have been held at Humber College, Fanshawe College, Ryerson, and Laurentian.
The consultation was attended by students, staff, faculty, and administrators. Executive Director Mark Rosenfeld and Vice-President Kate Lawson represented OCUFA. Throughout the discussion, there was wide agreement that while technology and online learning can enhance education in some programs and for some students, the increased use of educational technology will require significant investment by the Government of Ontario to ensure student success.
This week, OCUFA also attended the final two roundtables Algonquin College and UOIT. Details of these sessions will be provided in next week’s OCUFA Report. OCUFA will also be making a formal written submission to MTCU, outlining our concerns with the discussion paper and consultation process, while providing alternative options for preserving an accessible, high-quality higher education system in Ontario.
We expect that the results of the consultation will be released in early fall. It remains unclear if the government will announce its policy intentions at the same time.
This article originally appeared in the OCUFA Report. To receive stories like this every week in your inbox, please subscribe.