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.