May 13, 2025

AI has surfaced deep tensions in education that demand more than “knee-jerk” responses, writes Western University Professor Paul Tark in The Conversation. Tark argues that the rush to police misconduct reveals a deeper crisis: the entrenched belief that schooling exists to sort students by merit. He critiques the existing educational frameworks that reinforce this view and highlights the opportunity that AI presents to take a new approach to education. Drawing on philosopher Hannah Arendt, Tark concludes by calling for a reorientation toward schooling as a shared project of world-building. Educators, he writes, should seize this moment to cultivate spaces where students are invited to “come to know, and participate in, a common world facing multiple crises.”

The Southern Alberta Institute of Technology has received a $37M facility from Imperial Oil Limited, which it will use to enhance its capacity for industry-partnered energy research. SAIT says that the gift is the largest corporate gift ever given to an Alberta postsecondary institution. The 40,000-square-foot centre, located in Calgary’s Quarry Park, will house up to five new labs focused on both traditional and alternative energy research, including hydrogen and carbon capture. SAIT will assume control of the space in mid-2025 and expects it to generate up to 100 work-integrated learning opportunities for students. “The new Imperial Energy Innovation Centre will help drive the next generation of energy research—fostering innovation and bringing together leading industry professionals with top researchers in their fields,” said SAIT President Dr David Ross.

McGill University has reversed recent changes to its 2025 convocation plans following widespread student backlash. The university originally announced that ceremonies would be moved from the downtown campus lawn to the Tomlinson Fieldhouse gym and that graduates would be limited to two guests, each requiring a $25 ticket. The move—which CBC says is intended to offset costs—sparked frustration among students, who launched a petition. On Friday, McGill confirmed it would return to its original plan of offering four free guest tickets per graduate. Additional ceremonies have been added to accommodate the number of guests, and the university is installing temporary cooling systems in the venue.

Ontario’s affiliated universities are at risk of disappearing without more equitable postsecondary funding, argues the Huron University Faculty Association President Thomas Peace. In response to the Government of Ontario’s recent $750M investment into STEM, Peace calls for broader provincial support for affiliated and liberal arts institutions like Huron University, which face growing vulnerability under a funding model that favours job-ready programming. He urges the province to act on expert recommendations—such as those from the ON Ministry’s blue ribbon panel, the Council of Ontario Universities, and the Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations —to stabilize the sector.

Southeast College and Suncrest College have partnered to launch a new program called Digital and Tech Access for Indigenous, Newcomers, Women, and Youth (DATA in a NeW WaY). This 12-week computer science and workplaces skills training program will be delivered in a face-to-face format this summer with 40 students from eastern Saskatchewan. Each college will offer two classes: One class will be delivered on a First Nation and dedicated to Indigenous learners, while the other class will be open to general enrolment with a special focus on newcomers, women, and youth. Students will develop their digital skills through real-world computer projects. This summer, learners’ school age children will also have the opportunity to go to a land-based learning day camp.

Conestoga College has moved several of its campuses and buildings to a four-day week schedule for the summer. The college shared that its Brantford, Ingersoll, and Milton campuses, as well as select complexes on its Kitchener campus, will be closed one weekday each week. In a statement to CTV News, the college explained that the summer schedule will introduce flexibility to students, who may have summer jobs, while also creating operational efficiencies and supporting sustainability measures on campus. The Waterloo Record reports that the news comes as the college is in the process of other cost-saving measures, including consolidating some of its campuses and engaging in layoffs.

In a recent article for University World News, Jessica Pallant (RMIT University) discusses how instructors can encourage students to use AI to deepen—not shortcut—their learning experience. Pallant explains that a student’s approach to AI influences their learning outcomes and directly impacts their thinking capabilities. Her team’s research found that a mastery mindset was correlated with higher grades, demonstrated higher critical thinking skills, and showed stronger learning autonomy, while those with a task completion mindset tended to remain at basic understanding. Among her recommendations, Pallant encourages creating assessments that actively encourage mastery goal orientations by requiring students to compare, contrast, and critically evaluate generative AI outputs against their personal understanding.

A two-year pilot project in the Town of Wolfville found that placing surveillance cameras around Acadia University did not have an “obvious effect” on student behaviour. While the town has experienced a decrease in bylaw tickets and nuisance complaints since 2022, CBC reports that the cameras did not appear to act as a deterrent. When incidents did occur, the footage did not help to hold individuals accountable. Instead, Wolfville Deputy Mayor Jennifer Ingham attributed the change to an improved collaboration between Acadia, the municipality, and the RCMP; Wolfville Mayor Jodi MacKay also gave credit to the university’s students. City councillors have voted to discontinue the surveillance project.

Continuing education programs must embed sustainability as a foundational principle to prepare professionals for rapidly evolving environmental and market demands, suggests University of Northern British Columbia Manager of Continuing Studies Nicole Neufeld. Neufeld highlights how sustainability is emerging as a strategic imperative across industries—from resource extraction to tourism—and contends that continuing education’s agility positions it to respond quickly to these workforce shifts. She points to tools such as microcredentials, experiential learning, and cross-sector collaborations as ways continuing education can build the skills and mindsets needed for sustainable leadership. Neufeld concludes that continuing education has a “responsibility to shape” leaders who can “understand, embody, and champion” sustainability in our rapidly changing world.

Dalhousie University’s Department of Athletics and Recreation and the soccer club Halifax Tides FC have partnered to provide the new club with the services and space it needs to succeed. As the official training centre for the women’s soccer team, Dal will provide the team with access to a dedicated locker room and storage space, the university’s recreational centre Dalplex. “The ability to have all the services we need to run a professional team in one location is outstanding,” said Tides Head Coach Lewis Page.