Completed – Disruption in and by Centres for Teaching and Learning During the Covid-19 Pandemic _ Leading the Future of Higher Ed

Today the educational community as a whole faces a universal challenge: to ensure equitable and quality education as well as effective and efficient evaluation of student learning in hybrid, flexible or 100% distance modalities for their students. In addition, we must also plan for the post-COVID-19 pandemic era. Centres for Teaching and Learning play a pivotal function in addressing and overcoming this challenge.

This white paper illuminates how Centres for Teaching and Learning, and equivalent entities addressed and plan to address trends and issues in digital learning in the context of educational disruption caused by COVID-19. It begins by presenting an overview of the traditional role the CTLs and equivalent entities have played since their inception in educational institutions. It then describes how this role evolved into academic first responders in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The paper continues with a thorough discussion about the challenges the centres faced since the eruption of the pandemic in March 2020 and the ones they anticipate in the coming semesters. It also lists concrete examples of actions they took to face these challenges. In addition, it provides detailed information on one major action taken by all; that is, publicly sharing an abundance of resources to support faculty and students during the online transition. This discussion spotlights resources relevant to equity.

The last section of this paper shares lessons learned and recommendations from the centres to the centres in addition to commentaries by experts and researchers from the field with ideas and approaches geared to the current mandate of the centres to help them better face what is coming. The benefits from this white paper extend to educational institutions, faculty members, students and policy makers.

This white paper was produced as a part of the research project of the International Observatory on the societal impacts of AI and digital technology (OBVIA) regarding the societal effects of A.I. systems and digital tools deployed to combat the spread of COVID-19 and funding by the Québec Research Funds (FRQ).

This white paper was supported by Université Laval’s Chair in Educational Leadership in Innovative Pedagogical Practices in Digital Context – National Bank and Concordia University Research Chair in Maker Culture.

Nadia Naffi PhD, Université Laval, Canada

• Ann-Louise Davidson PhD, Concordia University, Canada
• Roger Kaufman PhD, Florida State University, USA
• Richard E (Dick) Clark PhD, University of Southern California, USA
• Brian Beatty PhD, San Francisco State University, USA
• Didier Paquelin PhD, Université Laval, Canada

• Dawn M. Snyder PhD, Dawn Snyder Associates, USA
• Guy Wallace, EPPIC Inc, USA

• Azeneth Patino, Université Laval, Canada
• Edem Gbetoglo, Université Laval, Canada
• Nathalie Duponsel, Concordia University, Canada
• Céleste Savoie, Université Laval, Canada
• Isabelle Fournel, Université Laval, Canada
• Ivan Ruby, Concordia University, Canada

• Barbar Akle PhD, Lebanese American University, Lebanon
• Fawzi Baroud PhD, UNESCO & Notre Dame University, Lebanon
• Tony Bates PhD, Ryerson University & Contact Nord, Canada
• Brian Beatty PhD, San Francisco State University, USA
• Richard E (Dick) Clark PhD, University of Southern California, USA
• Ann-Louise Davidson PhD, Concordia University, Canada
• Chris Dede PhD, Harvard University, USA
• Julie Desjardins PhD, Université de Sherbrooke, Canada
• Rula Diab PhD, Lebanese American University, Lebanon
• Moira Fischbacher-Smith PhD, University of Glasgow, UK
• Aline Germain-Rutherford PhD, University of Ottawa, Canada
• David Hornsby PhD, Carleton University, Canada
• Roger Kaufman PhD, Florida State University, USA
• Jaymie Koroluk, Carleton University, Canada
• Hubert Lalande, University of Ottawa, Canada
• Patrick Lyons, Carleton University, Canada
• Florian Meyer PhD, Université de Sherbrooke, Canada
• Nadia Naffi PHD, Université Laval, Canada
• Didier Paquelin PhD, Université Laval, Canada
• Richard Pinet, University of Ottawa, Canada
• Annie Pilote PhD, Université Laval, Canada
• Dragana Polovina-Vukovic, Carleton University, Canada
• Bart Rienties PhD, Open University, UK
• Dawn M. Snyder PhD, Dawn Snyder Associates, USA
• Roland van Oostveen PhD, Ontario Tech University, Canada
• Guy Wallace, EPPIC Inc, USA
• Laura Winer PhD, McGill University, Canada

• Barbar Akle, Assistant Provost for Special External Projects, Center for Innovative Learning, Lebanese American University, Lebanon 
• Fawzi Baroud, Assistant Vice President for Information Technology, UNESCO Chair on Open Educational Resources, Notre Dame University-Louaize, Lebanon
• John Bentley, Senior Instructional Developer, Centre for Teaching and Learning, Concordia University, Canada
• Florence Bézier, Director, Centre de services et de ressources en technopédagogie, Faculty of Education, Faculty of Music, Faculty of Development, Architecture, Art and Design, Université Laval, Canada
• Denis Bouchard, Chief Administrative Officer, Teaching and Learning Support Service (TLSS), University of Ottawa, Canada
• Saouma Boujaoude, Director, Center for Teaching and Learning & Associate Dean of Faculty of Arts and Science, American University of Beirut, Lebanon
• Ana-Paula Correia, Director of the Center on Education and Training for Employment, Ohio State University, USA
• Rula Diab, Assistant Provost for Academic Affairs, Center for Innovative Learning, Lebanese American University, Lebanon
• Alain Erdmer, Director General, Teaching and Learning Support Service (TLSS), Director, Centre for Innovative Technologies in Education (CITE), University of Ottawa, Canada
• Linda Fergusson-Kolmes, Teaching & Learning Center Coordinator, Portland Community College, Sylvania, USA
• Moira Fischbacher-Smith, Vice-Principal, Learning and Teaching, University of Glasgow, UK
• Teresa Focarile, Assistant Director for Educational Development, Center for Teaching and Learning, Boise State University, USA
• Nicolas Gagnon, Director, Service de soutien à l’enseignement, Université Laval, Canada
• David Hornsby, Associate Vice-President Teaching and Learning, Carleton University, Canada
• Hubert Lalande, Manager, Digital Development, Teaching and Learning Support Service (TLSS), University of Ottawa, Canada
• Maude Lamoureux, Instructional Designer and Consultant, RÉCIT de l’enseignement privé, Canada
• France Legault, Instructional Designer and Consultant, RÉCIT de l’enseignement privé, Canada
• Benjamin Lille, Instructional Designer and Consultant, RÉCIT de l’enseignement privé, Canada
• Patrick Lyons, Director, Teaching and Learning Services, Carleton University, Canada
• Florian Meyer, Director, Pôle d’innovation technopédagogique, Université de Sherbrooke, Canada
• Sara Pax, Vice Provost of Academic Affairs, The American Business School of Paris, France
• Guillaume Pelletier, Instructional Designer and Consultant, RÉCIT de l’enseignement privé, Canada
• Richard Pinet, Director, Centre for Innovative Pedagogies and Digital Learning, University of Ottawa, Canada
• Jean-Paul Remillieux, Director, Instructor Services & Educational Technologies, McGill School of Continuing Studies, McGill, Canada 
• Stéphane Roux, General Director, Service de soutien à la formation, Division Director, Développement pédagogique, Université de Sherbrooke, Canada 
• Isabelle Senécal, Director, Pedagogical Innovation, Collège Sainte-Anne, Canada
• Shantell Strickland-Davis, Executive Director, Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence, Online Learning Administrator, Central Piedmont Community College, USA
• Laura R. Winer, Director, Teaching and Learning Services, McGill University, Canada

Naffi, N., Davidson, A.-L., Kaufman, R., Clark, R. E., Beatty, B., Paquelin, D., Snyder, D. M., Wallace, G., Patino, A., Gbetoglo, E., Duponsel, N., Savoie, C., Fournel, I., & Ruby, I. (2020, August). Disruption in and by Centres for Teaching and Learning During the Covid-19 Pandemic Leading the Future of Higher Ed. Observatoire international sur les impacts sociétaux de l’IA et du numérique (OBVIA). https://www.docdroid.net/L0khasC/whitepaper-disruption-in-and-by-centres-for-teaching-and-learning-during-the-covid-19-pandemic-leading-the-future-of-higher-ed-21-08-2020-pdf