Generative AI is here to stay, and postsecondary institutions need to consider how they can leverage its potential to support access, quality and sustainability in higher education. Institutions in Canada have already begun developing AI guidelines and exploring the possible roles and impacts of this fast-growing technology. As institutions consider the opportunities that generative AI presents, further research and knowledge sharing are needed to inform the development and implementation of AI-related practices at Ontario postsecondary institutions.
HEQCO has already begun conducting research into generative AI, particularly its potential to make postsecondary learning more accessible. Concurrently the decision was made to assemble a research consortium that would bring together education/training providers to contribute evidence-based research stemming from the following questions:
- How can generative AI be used to promote access, quality and sustainability in postsecondary education in Ontario?
- How can postsecondary institutions use generative AI in effective and ethical ways to support learning and operations?
HEQCO sought projects and innovations focused on constructively using generative AI across a number of topics including:
- Accessibility (e.g., tools used to support inclusive learning)
- Institutional operations (e.g., using AI in student services)
- Legal implications (e.g., aligning law, policy and practice to maximize AI opportunities and mitigate risks)
- Preparation for labour market (e.g., using AI in experiential learning activities)
- Teaching and learning (e.g., tools used to support curriculum design)
- Other issues related to the use and/or impact of AI in higher education
More information about the projects chosen and the participating institutions/groups can be found below.
How do companies use GenAI and what skills do PSE graduates need for the workforce?
The Business + Higher Education Roundtable (BHER) is the only organization in Canada that brings together leaders from the country’s top companies and post-secondary institutions to build a better social and economic future. BHER collaborates with members to tackle some of Canada’s biggest skills, talent, innovation, and productivity challenges.
While the adoption of GenAI is uneven across industries and sectors, its use is increasing overall. To meet this increased demand, PSE graduates entering the labour market need to be equipped with both technical and socio-emotional skills relevant for effectively using GenAI.
BHER will examine what GenAI practices employers are using, how GenAI has impacted the skills that employers expect from graduates, and how employers are developing early talent pipelines to adapt their workforce to the impacts of GenAI.
Through a literature review, environmental scan, semi-structured interviews and two roundtable discussions with PSE and industry leaders, BHER’s research team aims to develop best practices and recommendations to help address the GenAI skills needed and how to integrate them in PSE to better serve students entering the workforce.
For more information, please contact the Primary Investigator: Andrew Bieler (andrew.bieler@bher.ca)
How are universities in Ontario responding to the impact of GenAI in PSE?
Universities have responded quickly to the emergence of generative AI, developing resources and guidelines to support faculty, staff and students in understanding and adjusting to the use of generative AI in university activities. These early responses were primarily focused on teaching and learning but ultimately expanded to address a range of university activities.
As a new technology, however, there are still many questions about how universities can respond to the impact of GenAI in ways that are aligned with academic values and priorities. In this project, the team from the University of Toronto, Western and McMaster will collect and share approaches developed to date to identify emerging best practices, as well as identify areas of outstanding uncertainty to collaboratively develop responses to these complex issues.
The project includes an examination of the literature, interviews with university leadership and a collaborative summit where institutional leaders can come together to share ideas. The project team will establish knowledge-sharing networks across Ontario universities so that emerging best practices, priorities and ongoing considerations that need further exploration can be shared.
For more information, please contact the Primary Investigator: Susan McCahan (Susan.McCahan@utoronto.ca)
How can GenAI improve access to unique digital collections?
The Ontario Council of University Libraries (OCUL) is a consortium of academic libraries committed to the advancement of higher education and research through the delivery of innovative digital services via Scholars Portal. Their HEQCO consortium project, part of their AI & Machine Learning Program, is focused on using AI to improve access to digitized documents and digital collections.
While mass digitization increases access to research, many resources are difficult to find or browse because of insufficient metadata and poor optical character recognition (OCR). Working with nearly 50,000 government documents, digitized and made available by the Internet Archive and the University of Toronto, the OCUL team will test the use of GenAI tools and models to provide enhanced OCR and metadata extraction, increasing the accessibility and usability of the collection, and enabling machine learning and new means of discovery and analysis.
For more information, please contact the Primary Investigator: Catherine Steeves (csteeves@uwo.ca)
“Unlocking Government Archives: Enhancing Access with AI-Generated Metadata” blog post
How can faculty effectively integrate GenAI into teaching and learning?
Attitudes toward the use of GenAI in higher ed vary across faculty, from avoidant to curious to confident. Georgian College is interested in understanding their faculty’s relationship with GenAI, including their perceptions of integrating it into teaching and learning, the challenges they face and the supports they need.
Through a steering committee that will continually advise on the direction of their methodology and line of inquiry, the Georgian College team will engage with faculty through participatory action research (PAR) to better understand how GenAI can be strategically used to enhance creativity and critical thinking among both faculty and students. The goal of this project is to create a faculty AI guide that can be shared across the province to support and empower faculty on their journey with GenAI in postsecondary education.
For more information, please contact the Primary Investigator: Mark Ihnat (Mark.Ihnat@GeorgianCollege.ca)
How can AI tutors improve students’ success in anatomy and physiology courses?
Anatomy and Physiology courses are foundational to healthcare programs like Nursing, Paramedic, Pharmacy Technician, and Personal Support Worker because they provide the essential knowledge base for healthcare students’ future studies. These courses are also some of the most complex and challenging, which results in high failure rates, delayed graduation, and lower program retention, ultimately exacerbating Ontario’s healthcare workforce shortages. Lambton College is tackling this issue by exploring the use of GenAI in creating course-specific, individualized, on-demand support for students.
The Lambton College team will recruit subject matter experts to collaborate with faculty in seven healthcare programs to create tailored training materials, which will be used to fine-tune course-specific instances of Contact North’s AI Tutor Pro. They will also create weekly guides to help students identify what content to focus on when working with the AI tutor. The effectiveness of this personalized support for Lambton students will be evaluated by measuring test scores, pass rates, and withdrawal rates, along with surveys and focus group discussions with both students and faculty. The goal of this project is to develop a scalable model for AI tutoring in PSE, along with recommendations for practice and policy. This is especially helpful for smaller institutions who have fewer opportunities to collaborate and access to fewer resources.
For more information, please contact the Primary Investigator: John Rose (John.Rose@lambtoncollege.ca)
Research Partners
