Leading through change: Three Canadian university leaders reflect on implications of gen AI for higher ed
We recently had the opportunity to ask senior leaders from three of Canada’s top universities a big question: “How is generative AI reshaping higher education?”
That kicked off a rich and candid discussion, with reflections ranging from the potential opportunities of generative (gen) AI to aid in learning, the uncertainty and tensions it’s raising, and how it is evolving the role of a university degree. Our guests, from ɬ, UBC, and U of T, tackled some pressing and challenging topics, but were, overall, optimistic about the future of teaching, learning, and higher ed.
Listen in for a special three-part episode of the podcast, where we were joined by Prof. Chris Buddle, Associate Provost of Teaching and Academic Planning at ɬ, , Vice-Provost and Associate Vice-President, Teaching and Learning at the University of British Columbia, and , Associate Vice-President and Vice-Provost, Digital Strategies and Vice-Provost, Innovations in Undergraduate Education at the University of Toronto.
Used appropriately, I think these tools are going to be able to give learners superpowers in terms of what is possible with them – Prof. Simon Bates
In part one, the guests reflected on gen AI as a transformative opportunity for teaching and learning in higher education. They spoke about use cases including simulations that could be used for personalized learning opportunities, such as mock interviews, and assistive technologies that could support accessibility and inclusive learning. “Used appropriately, I think these tools are going to be able to give learners superpowers in terms of what is possible with them,” said Prof. Bates.
They also took a wider view of the opportunities of gen AI, as a potential catalyst to fundamentally disrupt and reshape how we teach and learn, and to shake up some long-standing practices, such as take-home writing assignments. “I think this is an opportunity that the higher ed sector hasn’t seen ever in recent history, even though we had a pandemic. So, I think that’s extremely exciting,” said Prof. Buddle.
Of course, with a disruption this big, there are also many practical and structural challenges that universities are grappling with. The guests expressed uncertainty in how to handle issues, such as ethics, privacy, data management, and the implications for faculty workload.
They also reflected on how gen AI tools are being increasingly designed to make it as seamless as possible to find answers, removing some of the “friction” that is essential to the learning process. “That’s in real tension to what educators know about how important friction is in learning, how important desirable difficulty is, how important struggle is in learning, in real mastery of something,” explained Prof. Bates.
There is currently a wide range of experiences, literacy levels, and values around the use of gen AI, which presents its own unique challenges. Compounding these challenges are instructors and students who feel skeptical about using gen AI in the classroom. Prof. McCahan explained the current conundrum, “We’ve told them not to trust the outputs they get. And then we’ve told them to use it and try it out … They are asking: Isn’t there something hypocritical about being concerned about students developing critical thinking skills, but you’ve made tools like Copilot available to everybody?”
… previous technology revolutions have not necessarily eliminated jobs … But what happens is the expectation of skills and quality of jobs goes up tremendously – Prof. Susan McCahan
Gen AI is not only reshaping the way we learn, but also the way we work, with workplaces increasingly expecting their employees to be equipped with AI skills. As students prepare for their future in a world where gen AI tools can generate, summarize, and evaluate knowledge, what is the role of a university education?
Prof. Bates used the framing of “stuff, skills, and soul” to highlight what students gain from a university degree—the course content taught within a discipline, the skills developed throughout a program, and the ways of being or becoming, especially learning to work with other people and perspectives. “The irony of it is in an era of AI, we’re talking about the importance of distinctly human skills. And I think that’s really important because that’s not something that can currently be replaced by machines. And I hope it never is because learning is a human and social process at its heart,” he said.
Prof. McCahan argued that these distinctly human elements will likely become even more important in a changing workforce. “I think one of the things that gets pointed out in the literature on AI job disruption quite a bit is that previous technology revolutions have not necessarily eliminated jobs or there are very few types of jobs that get completely eliminated. But what happens is the expectation of skills and quality of jobs goes up tremendously,” explained Prof. McCahan.
Prof. Buddle capped off the conversation with a reflection on the need for universities to be nimble while still offering diverse programs and different kinds of educational opportunities to respond to a changing society.
This three-part episode is part of a larger, ongoing “” series hosted by Jasmine Parent and Adam Finkelstein. Subscribe to in your favourite podcast player.
Header image, from left to right: Prof. Christopher Buddle, Prof. Simon Bates, and Prof. Susan McCahan.