August 19, 2025

The Government of Québec has released two documents to guide the province’s postsecondary institutions in the responsible use of AI. The first is a reference framework outlining the guiding principles, directions, and common vision developed by l’Instance de concertation nationale sur l’intelligence artificielle to help postsecondary institutions shape their own policies on AI use. The second, a practical guide prepared with the Institut de valorisation des données, in collaboration with the Québec ministre de l’Enseignement supérieur, offers concrete examples and best practices from Québec and abroad to support institutional AI governance. While institutional adoption is not mandatory, the ministry indicated that the tools are intended to promote consistent and secure integration across the network. Additional QC initiatives—including a toolbox of case studies and a directory of AI training programs—are expected this fall.

The University of Regina has terminated its main lease with the University of Regina Students’ Union after the university lost confidence in the union. URSU has been required to vacate all space it occupies on campus, including office space, a multi-purpose room, and the Lazy Owl bar and restaurant. Other tenants will continue to operate as normal. “We encourage students to step up, get involved, and help build an effective, accountable student representative body,” said URegina President Jeff Keshen. URSU general manager Aoun E Muhammad said that he is “afraid that students will not have representation on campuses at all, no one will be elected.”

Academic research and policymaking in Ontario needs to have stronger connections, write Trent assistant professors Nick Cristiano, Yana Berardini, and Arun S Moorthy. The authors reflect on their participation in Ontario’s first Science Meets Parliament program—an event that brought together researchers and Members of Provincial Parliament to explore how academic research can inform policymaking on urgent social issues, such as equity and diversity, Indigenous knowledge systems, and science communication. Cristiano, Berardini, and Moorthy argue that fostering enduring science-policy relationships will help Ontario strengthen mental health supports, address complex social issues, and build more resilient communities. “Great policy requires great research, and breakthroughs in social progress begin when scholars and policymakers collaborate with purpose,” the authors conclude.

Dalhousie University has issued a lockout notice to the Dalhousie Faculty Association (DFA) after the two were unable to reach a contract agreement. Unless a tentative collective agreement is reached, Dal will lock out DFA members on Wednesday morning. The lockout will affect all classes taught by DFA members and some University of King’s College’s classes and programs. Dal noted that Orientation Week activities will continue as planned and residence and campus services will remain open. The university encouraged students to arrive on campus as planned for the Fall semester.

The College of New Caledonia has partnered with the Prince George Kodiaks, a junior football league team, to create postsecondary opportunities for the players. This partnership will include tuition support for players and joint recruitment campaigns. Additionally, the partnership will offer CNC students practical learning experiences, including placements within the football club for CNC kinesiology students. Kodiaks head coach Jamie Boreham said that CNC is one of only three junior football teams in Canada with a direct tie to a postsecondary institution, and that this connection will add to the team’s scholarship fund.

The federal government’s cap on international student enrolments is reducing not only revenue, but also cultural diversity at Canadian universities, argues University of Saskatchewan Deputy Provost Patti McDougall. “Students who come to us from countries around the world bring with them different lived experiences, different cultural practices, different world views and all of those things bring a richness to our classrooms, laboratories, (and) student focused activities,” said McDougall. She warned that the decline in international students is narrowing the student experience and undermining universities’ ability to function as “world class universities.”

Québec’s Bureau des enquêtes indépendantes (BEI) is investigating after a person was shot by a Service de police de la ville de Montréal officer at the Cégep de Rosemont’s student residence. CTV News reports that officers were called to the residence to investigate a reported stabbing. According to BEI, a police officer allegedly fired on a person with a bladed weapon who advanced toward an officer. CTV reports that this person, who is believed to be a student, is expected to survive. The residence was reportedly evacuated.

Canadian students attending Harvard University are relieved to be preparing for a journey south of the border to Cambridge, Massachusetts after a summer of uncertainty. “There was just a sense of fear of not being able to go back, and I think that was overwhelming for me and a lot of my other Canadian friends and international students,” said Thomas Mete, who was one of over 700 Canadians enrolled at Harvard last year. “[Politics] was never something I thought of when I applied to college.” The Toronto Star notes that Harvard announced several contingency plans over the summer in case international students were not permitted into the country, including a partnership with the University of Toronto.

The University of Winnipeg Faculty of Education has reportedly placed its Literacy Leadership Post-Baccalaureate program on hold. The post-graduate literacy program—originally set to launch this Fall—is a diploma that teaches literacy theory and comprehensive reading and writing instruction and intervention techniques. The Winnipeg Free Press reports that there is an ongoing debate in the education and literacy community around the best approach to helping students develop into competent readers. “This pause will give us time to reflect on evolving research and policy developments in literacy education and consider how best to shape future literacy-focused professional learning opportunities,” said UWinnipeg Education Associate Dean Lesley Eblie Trudel.

In an opinion piece for eCampus News, Steven M Baule (Winona State University) discusses the importance of instructional intent statements, arguing that they refocus students on purpose over point-chasing. Specifically, Baule contends that intent statements contextualize assignment requirements and rubrics alongside broader educational goals, clarify expectations alongside feedback, and empower students to approach assignments in ways that best serve their individual learning goals. Baule thus recommends framing each assignment using three guiding questions: what skills or knowledge students will develop, how those outcomes connect to course or program goals, and why they matter for academic and professional growth. “By making educational intent explicit, instructors demonstrate respect for students as partners in the learning process rather than passive recipients of requirements,” concludes Baule.