November 13, 2024

The Government of Canada has announced the launch of the Canadian Artificial Intelligence Safety Institute (CAISI), a new institute that will focus on the safe and responsible development and deployment of AI technologies. CAISI will address societal, technical, and ethical challenges to build trust in AI technologies and promote their adoption. CAISI will be housed by Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada and will be supported by the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR), National Research Council of Canada, and Canada’s three AI institutes. CIFAR will implement and steer CAISI’s applied and investigator-led research stream, which is funded by $27M from Canada, while the National Research Council will oversee the government-directed project stream.

Carleton University, Cégep de Rivière-du-Loup, and Langara College recently discussed how they are navigating the impact of declining international enrolment on their bottom lines. Carleton University is forecasting a “significantly higher” deficit than its previous projection of $26M; it is implementing a Financial Sustainability Framework that covers topics such as cost containment and program renewal. Langara Faculty Association President Pauline Greaves told City News and the Vancouver Sun that the association is anticipating job losses at the college due to declining international student enrolment. However, Langara VP Academic and Vice-Provost Pouyan Mahboubi stated that there are no plans for reductions at this time. Rivière-du-Loup Directrice Générale Isabelle Cloutier told ciel 103 that, while the cégep’s financial situation is currently stable, the cégep is pausing hiring in light of the precariousness of the Québec postsecondary sector.

The University of Guelph recently received two donations, which will be used to support the Ontario Veterinary College (OVC) and the G Magnotta Research Lab’s work on Lyme disease research. UoGuelph OVC received $4M from Sheryl and David Kerr in support of the Medical and Surgical Learning Centre. The main-floor operating suite will be named in honour of the Kerrs’ gift. UoGuelph’s G Magnotta Research Lab received $2M in renewed support from the G Magnotta Foundation. The lab will focus on finding solutions to challenges related to the diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of Lyme disease.

The Université de Sherbrooke, CIUSSS de l’Estrie – CHUS, and diagnostics company bioMérieux have signed a three-year agreement to create a Canadian center of excellence focused on antimicrobial stewardship. Researchers from the three organizations will work together to provide better care for the Quebec and Canadian population through antimicrobial resistance management. USherbrooke Professor Simon Lévesque said that the designation will foster international collaboration and networking opportunities, encourage academic exchanges, and strengthen USherbrooke’s microbiology lab’s diagnostic capabilities.

Dalhousie University has replaced its Student Conduct Office with a new Student Support Team—which operates under Student Health & Wellness—as part of a new institutional approach to student supports. The new team uses a holistic case-management approach, combining holistic assessment with risk management in interventions. “We’re shifting away from compliance and enforcement to learning and growth after a misconduct incident,” said Dal Assistant Vice-Provost for Campus Living and Wellbeing Melissa MacKay. “What we do now is take the concern on, do the needs assessment, try to understand what’s happening, what needs to happen next, and make a plan with students to do just that.”

George Brown College and the Université de Montréal have each recently shared statements and guidelines for the usage of AI. George Brown’s position statement outlines eight guiding principles for the use of AI, which are intended to support the effective, ethical, and responsible use of AI at the college. These principles include transparency, compliance with privacy laws and regulation, and ensuring faculty discretion on its use. UMontréal released guidelines for graduate students and supervisors that specifically apply to the use of AI in graduate-level programming. These guidelines indicate that generative AI must always be used transparently, with explicit approval, and with a thorough understanding of the tool’s limitations and biases. They further note the importance of maintaining data confidentiality and understanding how the use of generative AI affects intellectual property.

While many postsecondary educators are comfortable helping their students navigate cognitive discomfort, “emotional discomfort … is a different thing,” writes Tricia Shalka (University of Rochester). Drawing on her research background in trauma, Shalka offers advice on how educators can navigate emotionally uncomfortable classroom conversations. This advice includes pre-emptively building a sense of community in the classroom, being willing to be flexible with the planned programming for a class, and shifting into the role of supportive facilitator rather than “expert” when difficult conversations emerge. “We find ourselves in an era of polarization, and it is increasingly tempting to turn away from difficult discussions, both intellectually and emotionally,” concludes Shalka. “Yet the classroom space remains a powerful place to practice the choice to remain in community and connection through difficult conversations.”

Thunder Bay News Watch reports that Confederation College has launched a Pharmacy Technician program and unveiled a new state-of-the-art lab for the program. Pharmacy technician students will use the lab to learn the skills needed to work in a community pharmacy or hospital setting. “This space will allow Pharmacy Technicians to learn [every day] so that once they are employed and once they are working in a community environment, it will be a natural progression as to what they need to need to know,” said Confederation program coordinator Shawna Larocque. The program—which Larocque said is the first of its kind in Northwestern Ontario—aims to address the shortage of pharmacy technicians in the region.

Cégep Gérald-Godin and the Université du Québec à Montréal have partnered to create a new pathway program so students from the cegep can transition from a diplome d’etudes collegiales to a baccalaureate degree program at UQAM. Students in Cégep Gérald-Godin’s computer science and mathematics DEC program can now continue their studies in four different computer science programs at UQAM. Under the agreement, cégep students can transfer up to 9 credits towards these programs and will be exempt from some admission and prior learning assessment-related fees.

Seneca Polytechnic and CEWIL Canada have launched a bursary program that will provide financial support to students who are completing unpaid work-integrated learning (WIL). Seneca Works will distribute nearly $700K in $1.5K bursaries to domestic students who are completing community and industry research and projects, field placements, internships, and service learning. The initiative aims to remove financial barriers that may keep students from participating in unpaid WIL. “This bursary program represents a forward-thinking approach to education, one that recognizes the importance of practical experience and the need to support students in every aspect of their learning,” said Seneca Works Dean Dario Guescini.