October 23, 2025

The Government of Manitoba has reportedly committed $4.5M to launch two new bachelor’s degree programs that will train students to become fluent speakers and teachers of Indigenous languages. The University College of the North will offer a bachelor of Indigenous languages program focused on fluency development in Ininimowin (Cree), while the University of Winnipeg will establish a Bachelor of Arts in Indigenous language immersion in Anishinaabemowin (Ojibwe). “Preserving the Indigenous languages of our province means passing them on to future generations. Indigenous youth will be healthier if they can speak the traditional language of their communities,” said MB Premier Wab Kinew. “These programs train a new generation of fluent Indigenous language speakers and teachers to carry on Manitoba’s Indigenous traditions.”

Members of the University of Regina Students’ Union (URSU) have voted to dissolve the organization following a special general meeting held online. According to media reports, 70 of 84 votes cast supported the motion, which also released URSU leadership from liability for any actions taken in good faith. The meeting followed a postponed vote in September that was adjourned after students raised concerns about transparency and access. CBC reports that several students encountered difficulties with joining the meeting or voting, and some questioned the vote’s legitimacy given technical issues and limited discussion time. The University of Regina acknowledged the concerns and said it is awaiting further communication from URSU on next steps.

Memorial University’s Fisheries and Marine Institute has launched TrainAtMI.ca, a new digital platform offering over 350 in-person and online courses tailored for continuous learning in the oceans sector. Memorial says that the platform responds to a growing need for continuous learning in the oceans sector, where regulatory training, certification and frequent recertification are often essential. Users can search offerings by credential, sector, or delivery method, and the platform will provide real-time seat availability and streamlined registration. “Our goal was to make trainatmi.ca simple, flexible and easy to find exactly what you need,” said Memorial Marine Institute Registrar Jennifer Howell.

Higher education must redefine access by embedding flexibility into everything from course delivery to credential design, argues Christie Schultz (University of Regina). In a recent interview on the Illumination Podcast, Schultz called on institutions to support the “60-year curriculum”—a lifelong learning model where individuals move fluidly between learning and earning. In addition, Schultz posits that this shift requires stackable, transferable credentials that bridge microlearning and degrees, rather than treating them as separate tracks. At the heart of this transformation, Schultz adds, is empathy: institutions must respect the complex lives of today’s learners and make education truly accessible—not just in theory, but in design.

Collège Boréal and Okanagan College each marked National Early Childhood Educator Appreciation Day by launching early childhood education (ECE) programs. Boréal launched three French-language micro-credentials for early childhood managers. These three-month programs are intended to help managers develop their leadership and mentorship skills, while gaining knowledge related to the needs of francophone communities. Okanagan is expanding its ECE programs with an 11-month hybrid-delivery ECE certificate program that will begin in January 2026 and a two-year Work-Integrated Learning Diploma program for ECE professionals wanting to upgrade their qualifications.

Statistics Canada has released an interactive flow diagram visualizing graduates’ major field of study and their occupation. Users of the diagram can add additional filters to the data including highest education attained, gender, immigrant status, location of study, and current location. Data was derived from the 2021 Census and considers Canadians aged 25 to 64 who had a trades, college, or university qualification and who worked at any time from January 2020 to May 2021. Occupations were grouped using a custom grouping of the 2021 National Occupational Classification developed with input from occupation and major field of study experts.

Educators can support student engagement and academic success through proactive, thoughtful communication strategies, writes Nadeem Saqlain (Wilfrid Laurier University). Drawing on his experience in digital learning environments, Saqlain outlines three techniques that benefit students in both online and in-person classrooms: sending a welcome email before the course starts, employing structured reminders throughout the week, and offering personalized communication when students run into issues. “Ultimately, success depends not only on students’ individual discipline but also on the scaffolding provided by instructors,” he writes.

The Université du Québec à Montréal has announced that it will offer a certificate in online community studies starting in Fall 2026. Students enrolled in the 10-course program will learn to analyze and interact with online communities in fields including culture, education, and health. UQAM Département de communication sociale et publique professor Benoit Cordelier explained that online communities differ from traditional internet communication, and that community managers should know how to foster commitment, loyalty, and respect in their online communities. The program is intended for graduates interested in digital communication as well as communication professionals.

Educational technology developers can draw on the model of commuter train “quiet cars” to encourage learning in the AI era, according to Mona Fixdal (Princeton University). She notes how invasive AI tools in apps can pull students away from learning or discourage them from processing information on their own. She explains that spaces like quiet cars—a train car designed as a noise-free zone for commuters—should exist in educational technology so that learners can process information without the distraction of AI. Fixdal concludes by saying that AI has important uses in education, but that those in the tech and education sectors must come together to carefully think about when it is appropriate to include AI tools in online spaces.

Three women’s volleyball teams from the Cégep de la Gaspésie et des Îles campuses will join Division 2 and Division 3 of the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ), the cégep has announced. At the cégep’s Campus des Îles-de-la-Madeleine and Carleton-sur-Mer campus, the women’s volleyball teams will now wear the cégep’s Bleu Marin branding in Division 3. The women’s volleyball team at the Gaspé campus will compete at the Division 2 level with the Bleu Marin branding.