Agile | Transformation 2030

In this digitally driven era of ceaseless change, our diligent stewardship of the wisdom of the past must not distract us from the urgency of present and future imperatives.

Twenty-first century learners cannot be expected to approach uOttawa in the ways that nineteenth or twentieth century learners did, nor will they tolerate outdated academic program offerings and inflexible learning technologies.

Our students and faculty – those of today and of tomorrow – demand that we be nimble, and that we seize every new opportunity to create, share and discover knowledge, proactively exploring new pedagogies and learning platforms as they emerge. Consequently, developing an institutional culture and toolset to enable rapid, responsive, practical and flexible iteration is critical to ensuring uOttawa's continuing relevance and excellence in the decade to come.

Jill Scott

Provost and Vice-President,
Academic Affairs

Constant technological change is now our reality. Agility is a state of being that will allow us to gracefully evolve in step with the world around us.

Objective 1

Be responsive and accessible with our program offerings

Strategy

Optimize our program offerings and training opportunities to make them more attractive and responsive to the needs of tomorrow’s generation of students

Action

Increase and promote stackable and micro-credentials and flexible interdisciplinary “designer degrees” at the graduate and undergraduate levels

Strategy

Strengthen and expand experiential learning for every student

Actions

Continue to implement the recommendations of the experiential learning working group, including well-defined institutional experiential learning outcomes
Incorporate experiential learning more fully into the work of the SEM steering committee in the area of program revitalization
Review and plan for adjustment of space and technological requirements to support experiential and collaborative learning throughout the campus
Enhance experiential research and training opportunities

Objective 2

Be flexible and creative with program structures to enable students to complete programs in a timely way, while maintaining high academic standards

Strategy

Improve ability of students to complete degree programs in a timely way

Actions

Streamline program requirements for undergraduate and graduate programs
Enhance graduate supervision
Optimize timely completion by adapting course sequencing
Streamline program offerings by considering combined degree offerings including bachelor's + master's, master’s + doctoral degree

Objective 3

Be innovative and comprehensive in our approaches to teaching and learning

Strategy

Continually renew and revitalize our pedagogy to take full advantage of ongoing methodological, experiential and technological innovations

Actions

Promote the use of online, blended, and distance learning to expand our online registrations and increase revenue
Expand in-house digital learning development capacity
Promote and reward the development of affordable learning materials
Use faculty recruitment, retention, and careers progress to create a culture that is optimized for 21st-century teaching and learning

Objective 4

Be able to seize new opportunities: Demonstrate national and global leadership in major scientific and social challenges

Strategy

Mobilize the uOttawa research community to forge new frontiers of research

Actions

Convene thought leader clusters in thematic areas to identify research areas and develop innovative team-based models for research and training capacity
Strengthen capacity to respond through strategic investments in research, infrastructure, and people
Enhance impact of research centres and institutes