George Veletsianos, PhD

One of the knowledge mobilization activities of my SSHRC grant on education futures was a podcast. This post shares episode 4 of 7.

First, a bit of background

The future of education is open and contested. In this podcast we approach the future of education from a storytelling perspective.Stories about the future of education are diverse, complex, and run the gamut of wild hope to doom and despair. In some of these stories techno-optimism drives what is thought to be possible. In others, education is imagined to be a regenerative cultural force. In yet others, the impact of capitalism and authoritarian systems of surveillance already taking hold in education create dystopian spaces of control and management. The stories we tell have the power to create the world we live in. Understanding the stories we tell about what is possible, and the trends in those stories, can give us insight into the present, into ourselves and each other, and the worlds we might seek to or are already in the process of creating.

What are the stories being told about the future of higher education today? Who tells them? What do these stories reveal about our values and our assumptions? What do they reveal about technology and about our universities? What do they say about the future, but also about the present? The speculative learning futures podcast,brings together diverse voices and perspectives, from artists to scholars of different backgrounds, to imagine and discuss the future of education and the role of storytelling in moving towards or away from those futures. [As an aside: More on this questions in this paper and this paper. And if you have a paper of yours that centers these questions, consider submitting it to a journal special issue I am co-editing].

Subscribe to all episodes on Google, Apple, or Spotify. Or, if you prefer to download the mp3 files without subscribing, you can download all of them from here.

Episode 4

George and Shandell chat with Felicitas Macgilchrist about the future of education. Felicitas Macgilchrist is Head of the Media | Transformation department at the Georg Eckert Institute and Professor of Media Research at the Georg-August-University of Goettingen’s Institute of Education. Her current research focuses on the discourses and practices around educational technology, including critical and speculative approaches to digital education. Her projects ask which policies and practices are shaping media change in today’s schools. This episode is a free ranging conversation, in which we go deep into design and the ethics of design in education. We talk about futures in which slowness is centred, considering how we might make better space for ourselves and each other, and how those of us with privilege can promote the already incredible futures work happening in places around the world today. We also get into the thinking about what the metaphor of rewilding can tell us about digital education today and into the future, and how awesome science fiction is.

Acknowledgements

We are deeply grateful to the guests who spoke with us for each of the episodes of this series. We’re also fraeful to the Digital Public Interest Collective for their support, in dedicating the third series of the Digital Public Interest Collective podcast to education. Editing was provided by Andrea Galizia, and production advice was provided by Dr. Jaigris Hodson. The podcast was produced with funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (Grant #430-2020-00404)

Invitation to contribute to the Pan-Canadian Digital Learning Survey

By George Veletsianos

On May 31, 2023

In sharing

If you are an administrators, teaching and learning leader, or faculty member at a Canadian post-secondary institution, you are invited to participate in the 2023 Pan-Canadian Digital Learning Survey. The purpose of the survey is to explore critical issues in digital learning and to assess the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on digital learning at publicly funded post-secondary institutions in Canada. The primary objective of the research is to provide institutional leaders and key interest groups in Canadian higher education with valuable information as they develop institutional strategies.

The link above will take you to the survey. The information letter with more details about the survey is below.

CDLRA RESEARCH STUDY
2023 Pan-Canadian Digital Learning Surveys

Principal Investigator: Dr. Nicole Johnson, Executive Director, Canadian Digital Learning Research Association (CDLRA)

The Canadian Digital Learning Research Association (CDLRA) conducts applied research to advance knowledge about digital learning strategies, policies, and practices in close collaboration with Canadian post-secondary institutions and affiliated organizations.

To view our past reports, please visit www.cdlra-acrfl.ca/publications

There are two Pan-Canadian Digital Learning Surveys:

The Spring survey will be open from May 1 – June 30, 2023
The Fall survey will be open from September 11 – October, 13, 2023Each survey has a unique set of questions on a variety of topics related to digital learning.*Important note: In the past we’ve sent one survey per institution; however, we now send the survey to multiple individuals in different roles from our roster to understand their unique, individual perspectives. We are not able to share information about other individuals at your institution who have completed the survey or who have been sent invitations to participate.

WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO PARTICIPATE?

Administrators, teaching and learning leaders, and faculty at Canadian post-secondary institutions.

PURPOSE OF RESEARCH

The purpose of our research is to assess and improve different aspects of digital learning across the country. The CDLRA does this by exploring emerging and ongoing trends in digital learning as they change over time. The primary objective of the research is to provide institutional leaders and key interest groups in Canadian higher education with valuable information, as they develop digital learning strategies.

WHAT WILL I BE ASKED TO DO?

Your participation in this study will involve sharing your personal perspectives through the completion of a short online survey. Participation in this study is voluntary.

HOW WILL THE INFORMATION GATHERED FROM THE STUDY BE KEPT CONFIDENTIAL?
All information that is shared with the research team will be kept strictly confidential. Only the research team has access to identifiable data. Identifiable data is stored using secure software on a password protected device. No identifying information will be shared with any other organization, including partners and sponsors.

HOW WILL RESULTS BE SHARED?

The research team intends to publish and publicly share the aggregate findings of the study in a variety of ways including, but not limited to, research reports, academic journal articles, webinars and conference presentations, and blog posts. The identity of participants and the identity of their institutions will not be disclosed in any reports, presentations, or publications.

You may also request a summary of the findings by contacting Dr. Nicole Johnson at nicole.johnson@cdlra-acrfl.ca.

WILL I BE COMPENSATED FOR MY PARTICIPATION?

No, compensation will not be provided for this study and your participation is completely voluntary.

ARE THERE POTENTIAL RISKS I SHOULD BE AWARE OF?

The research team does not anticipate any risks to participants.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF PARTICIPATING?

The findings of this study will be used to offer evidence-based suggestions for improving policies, programs, strategic plans, and digital resources for post-secondary institutions in Canada.

VOLUNTARY PARTICIPATION AND WITHDRAWAL

Your participation in this study is voluntary and involves no foreseeable risk to you as person. You may refuse to participate or answer any questions without penalty or explanation. You are free to withdraw your consent in the study at any time; however, your data cannot be withdrawn once the analysis is complete.

Please feel free to contact the Principal Investigator, Dr. Nicole Johnson, by phone at 604-825-0582 or by email at nicole.johnson@cdlra-acrfl.ca if you have any questions.

Speculative Learning Futures podcast: Episode 3 with Dr. Eamon Costello and Lily Girme

By George Veletsianos

On May 31, 2023

In speculative futures, speculative learning futures podcast

One of the knowledge mobilization activities of my SSHRC grant on education futures was a podcast. This post shares episode 3 of 7.

First, a bit of background

The future of education is open and contested. In this podcast we approach the future of education from a storytelling perspective.Stories about the future of education are diverse, complex, and run the gamut of wild hope to doom and despair. In some of these stories techno-optimism drives what is thought to be possible. In others, education is imagined to be a regenerative cultural force. In yet others, the impact of capitalism and authoritarian systems of surveillance already taking hold in education create dystopian spaces of control and management. The stories we tell have the power to create the world we live in. Understanding the stories we tell about what is possible, and the trends in those stories, can give us insight into the present, into ourselves and each other, and the worlds we might seek to or are already in the process of creating.

What are the stories being told about the future of higher education today? Who tells them? What do these stories reveal about our values and our assumptions? What do they reveal about technology and about our universities? What do they say about the future, but also about the present? The speculative learning futures podcast,brings together diverse voices and perspectives, from artists to scholars of different backgrounds, to imagine and discuss the future of education and the role of storytelling in moving towards or away from those futures. [As an aside: More on this questions in this paper and this paper. And if you have a paper of yours that centers these questions, consider submitting it to a journal special issue I am co-editing].

Subscribe to all episodes on Google, Apple, or Spotify. Or, if you prefer to download the mp3 files without subscribing, you can download all of them from here.

Episode 3

In this episode, George and Shandell sit down with Dr. Eamon Costello and Lily Girme to get their insights into the future of education, how speculative methodologies can help us subvert expectations about the future, and how thinking about the future can be an act of resistance. Dr Eamon Costello is an Associate Professor of Digital Learning in Dublin City University. Lily, or Prajaka Girme, is a frequent collaborator with Eamon, providing the visual designs for their shared work. She’s an academic developer in Dublin City University and is pursuing PhD research into the University of Sanctuary initiative. With these two scholars, we begin to wonder how thinking about the future can be a process of connection and appreciation, and where it allows us to work towards not just liberatory futures, but also liberatory presents.

Acknowledgements

We are deeply grateful to the guests who spoke with us for each of the episodes of this series. We’re also fraeful to the Digital Public Interest Collective for their support, in dedicating the third series of the Digital Public Interest Collective podcast to education. Editing was provided by Andrea Galizia, and production advice was provided by Dr. Jaigris Hodson. The podcast was produced with funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (Grant #430-2020-00404)

Speculative Learning Futures podcast: Episode 2 with Helen Nde

By George Veletsianos

On May 30, 2023

In speculative futures, speculative learning futures podcast

One of the knowledge mobilization activities of my SSHRC grant on education futures was a podcast. This post shares episode 2 of 7.

First, a bit of background

The future of education is open and contested. In this podcast we approach the future of education from a storytelling perspective.Stories about the future of education are diverse, complex, and run the gamut of wild hope to doom and despair. In some of these stories techno-optimism drives what is thought to be possible. In others, education is imagined to be a regenerative cultural force. In yet others, the impact of capitalism and authoritarian systems of surveillance already taking hold in education create dystopian spaces of control and management. The stories we tell have the power to create the world we live in. Understanding the stories we tell about what is possible, and the trends in those stories, can give us insight into the present, into ourselves and each other, and the worlds we might seek to or are already in the process of creating.

What are the stories being told about the future of higher education today? Who tells them? What do these stories reveal about our values and our assumptions? What do they reveal about technology and about our universities? What do they say about the future, but also about the present? The speculative learning futures podcast,brings together diverse voices and perspectives, from artists to scholars of different backgrounds, to imagine and discuss the future of education and the role of storytelling in moving towards or away from those futures. [As an aside: More on this questions in this paper and this paper. And if you have a paper of yours that centers these questions, consider submitting it to a journal special issue I am co-editing].

Subscribe to all episodes on Google, Apple, or Spotify. Or, if you prefer to download the mp3 files without subscribing, you can download all of them from here.

Episode 2

George and Shandell chat with Helen Nde and dive deep into understanding storytelling and the power of story for education. Helen shares her work on storytelling from the African continent, highlighting some of the unique qualities and ways in which different African stories work, and how that can inform how we approach learning as a community and collective process. Helen’s rich insights into story as a cultural process is a reminder of the need for diverse storytelling in our worlds.

Acknowledgements

We are deeply grateful to the guests who spoke with us for each of the episodes of this series. We’re also fraeful to the Digital Public Interest Collective for their support, in dedicating the third series of the Digital Public Interest Collective podcast to education. Editing was provided by Andrea Galizia, and production advice was provided by Dr. Jaigris Hodson. The podcast was produced with funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (Grant #430-2020-00404)

Speculative Learning Futures podcast: Episode 1 with Dr. Jen Ross

By George Veletsianos

On May 29, 2023

In speculative futures, speculative learning futures podcast

One of the knowledge mobilization activities of my SSHRC grant on education futures was a podcast. This post shares episode 1 of 7.

First, a bit of background

The future of education is open and contested. In this podcast we approach the future of education from a storytelling perspective.Stories about the future of education are diverse, complex, and run the gamut of wild hope to doom and despair. In some of these stories techno-optimism drives what is thought to be possible. In others, education is imagined to be a regenerative cultural force. In yet others, the impact of capitalism and authoritarian systems of surveillance already taking hold in education create dystopian spaces of control and management. The stories we tell have the power to create the world we live in. Understanding the stories we tell about what is possible, and the trends in those stories, can give us insight into the present, into ourselves and each other, and the worlds we might seek to or are already in the process of creating.

What are the stories being told about the future of higher education today? Who tells them? What do these stories reveal about our values and our assumptions? What do they reveal about technology and about our universities? What do they say about the future, but also about the present? The speculative learning futures podcast,brings together diverse voices and perspectives, from artists to scholars of different backgrounds, to imagine and discuss the future of education and the role of storytelling in moving towards or away from those futures. [As an aside: More on this questions in this paper and this paper. And if you have a paper of yours that centers these questions, consider submitting it to a journal special issue I am co-editing].

Subscribe to all episodes on Google, Apple, or Spotify. Or, if you prefer to download the mp3 files without subscribing, you can download all of them from here.

Episode 1

George and Shandell chat with Jen Ross about the future of education and the role of speculative methodologies for thinking about the future. Jen is a Senior Lecturer in Digital Education, co-director of the Centre for Research in Digital Education, and Education Futures fellow at the Edinburgh Futures Institute. She researches, teaches and publishes on online and open education, digital cultural heritage engagement, and digital cultures and futures. She’s one of the team behind the Manifesto for Teaching Online and the E-learning and Digital Cultures MOOC. She co-ordinate the Digital Cultural Heritage cluster in the Centre for Data, Culture and Society, and lead the Digital Cultural Heritage Research Network. Jen, who recently published with Routledge the book Digital Futures for Learning: Speculative Methods and Pedagogies, helpfully defines for us what we mean when we talk about speculative methods. What is the value of speculating about the future, and the future of education? How does thinking about the future help us make the present a more just place to live? It’s a wide ranging conversation helpful not just for thinking about education, but for anyone who wants to have a better sense of why thinking about and imagining diverse futures is important, and almost as importantly, why it’s fun.

Acknowledgements

We are deeply grateful to the guests who spoke with us for each of the episodes of this series. We’re also fraeful to the Digital Public Interest Collective for their support, in dedicating the third series of the Digital Public Interest Collective podcast to education. Editing was provided by Andrea Galizia, and production advice was provided by Dr. Jaigris Hodson. The podcast was produced with funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (Grant #430-2020-00404)

Running and hurting

By George Veletsianos

On May 24, 2023

In sharing

With the weather in Victoria finally changing, and seemingly skipping Spring straight into summer, I’m itching to run again. I was doing pretty well for a few months in the middle of winter, but I somehow managed to hurt my back. I’ve been trying to sort that out for the last five months or so and after a series of visits to massage therapy, physical therapy, and sorts/chiro therapy I feel stronger and ready to start again. I run two slow 4kms this week, and that felt good. A bit stiff still, but good. And even though I enjoyed the fall/winter running, I can’t wait for warmer temperatures. I’d take running in 85F/30C over 40F/5C any day. Here’s to hoping for continued progress.

New paper: faculty members’ hopes and anxieties

By George Veletsianos

On May 22, 2023

In sharing

In a new paper for the Canadian Journal of Learning & Technology (paper and citation below) we highlight the ways in which faculty members hopes and anxieties about the future are shaped by both personal and environmental factors. Importantly, we note that imagining and working towards more hopeful futures (a concept which we examined in earlier work), may be a fruitful approach in addressing the challenges that the higher education sector (and our societies) are facing.

Abstract

Higher education worldwide is facing several challenges spanning from economic, social, technological, demographic, environmental, to political tensions. Calls to rethink, reimagine, and reform higher education to respond to such challenges are ongoing, and need to be informed by a wide variety of stakeholders. To inform such efforts, we interviewed thirty-seven faculty members at Canadian colleges and universities to develop a greater understanding of their hopes and anxieties about the future of higher education as they considered what higher education may look like five years into the future. Results centred on four themes: (1) anxieties and hopes are shaped by supports and resources from various sources, (2) faculty members face anxiety over matters that negatively impact them but are beyond their control, (3) faculty members hope that “good” comes from the COVID-19 pandemic, and (4) faculty members hope for a well-rounded education that will enable students to succeed both within and beyond their careers. Implications for these findings suggest a need to direct research efforts and practices toward more hopeful futures for higher education, especially in the context of online and blended learning.

Veletsianos, G., & Johnson, N. (2023). Canadian Faculty Members’ Hopes and Anxieties about the Near-future of Higher Education. Canadian Journal of Learning and Technology, 48(3), 1-23. https://cjlt.ca/index.php/cjlt/article/view/28319