As 2023 comes to a close, we look back on the issues that shaped higher education this year. We hope you can revisit some of your favourite reads and discover more from our award-winning coverage of Canada's university sector.
Our team wishes you a splendid holiday season and a great year ahead.
Stories that made 2023
Money matters: the financial precarity of higher education
It’s been a challenging year for many Canadians: housing costs skyrocketed, consumer prices hit an all-time-high, mortgage owners faced multiple interest rate hikes and rent soared across the country. These pressures were felt deeply in the academic community. University services have tried to keep pace with the symptoms of an affordability crisis. Students have been struggling to find accommodations. And campus food banks have been unable to meet demands as food insecurity ballooned. International students, who pay up to five times more for tuition than domestic students, have been particularly hurt. For some, as University Affairsreported in March, the circumstances have led to a jarring choice: pay tuition or eat.
Among those most affected are graduate students and postdocs. They receive $17,000 on average each year in funding, leaving many below the poverty line. That amount hasn’t increased in two decades. This has led to advocacy efforts that extended from the grassroots movement #SupportOutScience to newly formed groups like the Coalition for Canadian Research (which includes heavyweight signatories such as the U15, the Association of Faculties of Medicines of Canada, and the Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences). That’s because graduate student funding is more than an affordability issue: it’s leading to a brain drain of Canadian talent. UA dove into the problem in a recent feature article, “Why Canada is losing the next generation of talent,” where researchers and advocates lay out what a devastating impact this can have on Canada’s innovation ecosystem and future economy. As UA reported in March, researchers were largely left out of federal budget 2023 – ignoring the recommendations of a federal advisory panel that urged immediate funding to the granting agencies.
The university sector is itself facing a grim fiscal outlook. In our new series on the state of postsecondary in each province, we covered Alberta’s measures to tie grants to a performance-based funding model which is described as a “bellwether” of what’s to come for the rest of Canada. In Ontario, a recently concluded blue ribbon panel says the postsecondary sector is “at serious risk” and universities have urged the province for a cash infusion and an immediate end to a five-year-long tuition freeze in 2024. Meanwhile, Quebec is requiring its two Montreal-based English universities, McGill and Concordia, to implement steep tuition increases and French proficiency measures that will have a devastating impact on their enrolment and bottom line. Ultimately, although there was fair weather for the sector following the pandemic, its long-term sustainability is in choppy waters.
As we enter 2024, many will be looking to Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland’s budget to see if funding for universities and researchers will be included. As Marc Johnson, a professor in biology at the University of Toronto and chair of the advocacy organization Support our Science said in our pages, “People have to realize that most of the innovation and discovery in Canada happens at universities … and I really hope that I don’t have to say this again next year.” We agree.
Climate action: a strategy for sustainability
In a year of significant change and challenge in higher education, the critical role of universities in addressing the climate crisis was overshadowed and under-reported. Amid record heat, deadly wildfires and rising sea levels, however, sustainable action and the need to transition to clean energy has taken on new urgency for Canada’s universities and research centres. University Affairs explored how institutions throughout the country are quietly stepping up their efforts to catalyze climate action. Through sustainable design, construction and operations, they are significantly lowering the greenhouse gas emissions they produce, with the goal of getting them down to net zero before it’s too late.
Researchers are also grappling with the environmental toll of their practices, including reconsidering the necessity of air travel and the amount of single-use plastics used in bio-medical and agricultural research laboratories. As members of the intersectoral Student Committee of the Fonds de recherche du Québec argued, ensuring the transition to more sustainable research practices requires redefining criteria for research excellence and the importance placed on international conferences, grants and award applications.
Beyond the shared responsibility of greening campuses and reducing carbon footprints, however, mitigating the impact of climate change necessitates a more comprehensive and long-term approach. Universities are increasingly refocusing skills-training programs to prepare the next generation for the shift to a green labour market. At the same time, there is increased awareness of the need to reckon with the root causes of climate change and how proposed solutions must respect Indigenous sovereignty and human rights in moving from climate action to climate justice.
These are just some of the many ways academic institutions and researchers are demonstrating Canada’s potential to lead by example globally and inspire others to take urgently needed ambitious action.
We first heard about ChatGPT in December 2022. Gavin Watson, the vice-provost, teaching and learning at Memorial University had reached out to write an op-ed with Sarah Elaine Eaton, who at the time was an associate professor in the Werklund School of Education at the University of Calgary. “There’s been a recent explosion of interest in a new artificial intelligence tool called ChatGPT,” they wrote. “We would like to propose an op-ed to discuss the implications of ChatGPT, and artificial intelligence more broadly on academic integrity and assessment design.” Their subsequent article, “AI tools don’t have to be the enemy of teaching and learning” quickly shot up in our list of most read articles. It was the first of many we would publish on the topic of AI. But why listen to us ramble on about these amazing pieces written by a variety of academics? We asked ChatGPT to do it for us. Here’s what it had to say:
The articles cover a range of perspectives on the integration of ChatGPT and AI tools in higher education. One piece discusses rethinking university writing pedagogy in the context of ChatGPT, exploring the potential impact on teaching methods. Another emphasizes the importance of skills training amidst rapid technological change, with a focus on adapting education to the demands of the evolving job market.
There is a recognition of the need to prepare the current generation of students, particularly Gen Z, for an unpredictable future shaped by technological advancements. However, concerns are raised about potential misuse and the need for universities to reconsider their approach to academic misconduct, including bans on the use of ChatGPT and the formation of task forces to address the issue.
Despite the transformative potential of AI, there are also cautious perspectives. Some argue that AI tools, including ChatGPT, cannot entirely replace traditional language programs and that a balance between technology and traditional methods is essential. The ongoing conversation surrounding AI's role in education emphasizes the need for thoughtful integration, ethical considerations, and a strategic approach to leveraging these tools in the ever-changing landscape of higher education.
Whether we like it or not, AI isn't going anywhere. The best we can do is learn as much as we can about these new tools, figure out ways to incorporate them into academe and educate both students and faculty on how to use them properly.
