eCampusOntario Releases Flexibility Reports

eCampusOntario releases new foresight reports that explore flexibility as a key enabler of innovation and digital transformation in postsecondary education.
 
In the fall of 2023, eCampusOntario’s Research and Foresight team engaged with 45 educators from Ontario’s publicly-supported postsecondary institutions to discuss their experiences, perspectives, and future visions around flexibility.  
 
Using strategic foresight methods, we hosted a series of workshops to better understand the interrelationships among future visions, present drivers of change, and past limitations. During these workshops we explored the assumptions that underlie the way we frame problems, situations, and solutions, and we imagined what it would take to transition from present situations to future visions.  

Results

Flexibility has emerged as a key area to support digital transformation in postsecondary education, and educators are often at the forefront of implementation. The following five briefs share the insights of what we heard from Ontario postsecondary consultations. 

Flexibility Brief 1: Making the Case 
Find out why flexibility has emerged as a key area to support digital transformation in postsecondary education. This brief provides an overview of eCampusOntario research indicating a need for increased flexibility by educators and institutes to meet changing expectations. 

Flexibility Brief 2: framing the problem.
In part two of our series on understanding flexibility from the perspective of educators, we look at the flexible practices, infrastructure, and policies that educators consider critical to address current tensions. 

Flexibility Brief 3: understanding the problem. 
In part three of our series on understanding flexibility from the perspective of educators, we explore how educators are feeling and underlying beliefs.

Flexibility Brief 4: exploring the possibilities.  
In part four of our series on understanding flexibility from the perspective of educators, we explore what the future might look like and how it might be built. 

Flexibility Brief 5: Integrated insights.
In part five of our series on understanding flexibility from the perspective of educators, we explore the main issues and opportunities educators identified for increasing flexibility.   

Research and Foresight 

Foresight reports are tools to support the navigation of uncertain and complex futures. Foresight helps inform present day decision making by identifying patterns of change that may have significant lasting impacts for the futures of higher education. These tools can be used to help you engage in strategic action to enable Digital Transformation and build Dx capacity at your institution.