Shaping the Future of Teaching and Learning in B.C.

This week, I had the pleasure of participating in the second annual Digital Learning Strategy Forum, hosted by BCcampus and the Ministry of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills. It was an energizing two days filled with rich discussions, shared best practices, and innovative ideas to advance the B.C. Post-Secondary Digital Learning Strategy.

Maha Bali's keynote and her work on the Equity/Care matrix highlighted the importance of ethics, morality, equity and care in teaching and learning. One of my biggest takeaways was the shift she described as moving from designing with empathy to co-designing with compassion rooted in the ideas of recognition and learner agency. It’s a perspective that will stay with me.

Lucas Wright’s keynote on GenAI was equally thought-provoking and pragmatic. He described it as a sea change in teaching and learning and emphasized the skills we need to navigate this disruption—critical thinking, creativity, agency, and community. Lucas shared practical strategies to help us move forward, from building GenAI literacy to cross-institutional and local GenAI models, and rethinking assignments and assessments. His insights on prompt engineering, including the ACTOR Prompting Model, were both timely and actionable.

As a member of the Program Committee, I knew what was in store for the participants. But I was blown away by the way all the presenters brought their ideas to life. They created opportunities for interaction and reflection and challenged us to think bigger and deeper. As a participant, I found myself surrounded by a community who engaged with such honesty, curiosity, and thoughtfulness. Some of the feedback shared about the work done so far and the questions raised about the road ahead were insightful. What stood out most for me was the commitment and active engagement of the Ministry team, who are clearly in this for the long haul. Their presence throughout the two days was truly inspiring.

Some of you may have heard me share this sentiment during the forum: I view the implementation of the Digital Learning Strategy as an evolution, not a revolution. While there is a clear need to build policies, supports, and technologies to strengthen digital learning and competencies across B.C., I felt proud of the incredible work already happening in our post-secondary institutions. The forum reaffirmed the importance of the spaces that BCcampus and the Ministry are fostering for cross-institutional dialogue so that we all continue to become better, together.

In 1997, when Paul Gilster coined the term “digital literacy,” he said it was about “mastering ideas, not [computer] keystrokes.” That sentiment feels as relevant as ever. Over these two days—and in the ongoing conversations—we’re all working together to master ideas that will shape the future of teaching and learning in B.C. It’s a privilege to be part of these conversations, and I’m eager to see where they lead.

From Jargon to Clarity: Turning Terms into Understanding

Image by Felix Wolf from Pixabay

As consultants and industry professionals, we often take for granted the terms we use every day. But what seems like common language to us can be a whole different story for others outside our industry. One such term is “granularity”. Granularity refers to the level of detail or precision within a particular context. It can be applied across various fields.

As a Competency Development & Assessment Consultant, I used the term in a recent workshop within the context of mapping existing courses to the Occupational Competency Profile and highlighted the importance of identifying the "right level of granularity" for the mapping exercise.

What impressed me was how quickly my (very excellent) client team took the initiative to clarify the term. They not only sought a better understanding but also asked for additional resources and tools to truly grasp how to use the idea of “level of granularity” in practical ways. So, we went one layer deeper to discuss how to map different components of a course with specific pieces of information in the competency profile. Should we map topics, lessons, or entire courses? And should those be aligned with competency areas, key competencies within each area, or the specific knowledge and performance requirements within each competency? It became a very nuanced and valuable conversation. And based on that, we came up with usable and workable tools and templates that reflected the level of granularity we were looking for.

That conversation reminded me of how vital it is to clarify industry jargon. What’s simple for us can be vague or ambiguous for someone new to the conversation. By breaking down these terms, we not only help establish shared understanding but also create opportunities for richer discussions and insights.

So, the next time you dive into a conversation, remember: clarity can turn confusion into connection and collaboration!

What’s an industry term or jargon that you’ve explained recently?

Magnifying Your Spirit

Photo by Taruna Goel (Ambleside Beach, West Vancouver, Oct 24)

I didn't think I'd get poetic here but life surprises us in wonderful ways. This morning, I read the most beautiful post by Maria Popova in "The Marginalian". This week's post was a celebration of the 18th anniversary of the birth of The Marginalian where she shared her top 18 learnings from writing The Marginalian for 18 years. All learnings are insightful and beautifully articulated but the 8th one especially spoke to me.

8. Seek out what magnifies your spirit.
"Patti Smith, in discussing William Blake and her creative influences, talks about writers and artists who magnified her spirit — it’s a beautiful phrase and a beautiful notion. Who are the people, ideas, and books that magnify your spirit? Find them, hold on to them, and visit them often. Use them not only as a remedy once spiritual malaise has already infected your vitality but as a vaccine administered while you are healthy to protect your radiance."

Reading this got me wondering who are the people, ideas, and books that magnify my spirit? I felt an overwhelming sense of relief and calm knowing I have more than a few...

Perhaps the biggest magnifier of my spirit is Nature. It completes my lived experience like nothing else can. I feel a deep, spiritual connection to Nature as it effortlessly prompts the feelings of joy, reflection, peace, and gratitude within me; I am constantly in awe of it and endlessly inspired by it. The most magical effect of Nature is that it reminds me of how little I matter against the vastness of the universe and at the same time it magnifies my inner light in ways that are bigger than I can imagine.

Poetic much?

Who are the people, ideas, and books that magnify your spirit?

If you don't follow Maria Popova's work already, here's a gentle nudge to give it a try.

https://www.themarginalian.org/2024/10/22/marginalian-18/