Building Our Future

In my time as president of the Canadian Association for University Continuing Education (CAUCE), I’ve had the opportunity to contribute to a range of initiatives that, while different in scope, have led to a few key outcomes or themes that have been revealed through data gathering and discussions. I want to share three stand-out themes with you as food for thought and as an invitation to discuss with your fellow CAUCE colleagues how we can work together to explore these opportunities further.

1. Giving More Meaning to ‘Lifelong’ in Lifelong Learning
2. Data Tells a Story of Impact…And We Need More Data
3. Collaboration through Conversation

I recently participated in a panel discussion hosted by Insider Higher Ed and moderated by Amrit Ahluwalia, Editor in Chief of The EvoLLLution. I was also joined by Yakut Gazi, Vice Provost for Learning, Innovation & Digital Education at Duke University, and Enrique Infanzon, Dean of Continuing Education at Miami Dade College. The discussion focused on the herculean and critically important topic of the state of continuing education in 2023. Amrit set the stage for the discussion by sharing his point of view that continuing education is in a period of transition. I would tend to agree. The report, conducted in partnership with UPCEA, The EvoLLLution and CAUCE, is an interesting read that both validates viewpoints and offers challenges on ways we can improve. In discussing the role of university continuing education in the wider institution, we all agreed that degrees are only one part of the learning landscape. If we are to best serve to the benefit of our learners, we need to ask ourselves, “How can we support learners in their growth and success from the early to late stages of their lives? Answering this question through action and collaborative efforts can offer more meaning to ‘lifelong’ in lifelong learning.

There are other ways we can create more and new meaning to the work we do. And one critical way to do this is through data gathering and analysis. I’ve been contributing to the work of CAUCE for many years and in many different roles, and I value its work in pulling together a chorus of voices through annual surveying to signal key trends and growth opportunities in continuing education. In partnership with Academica Group, we administered our annual online survey and 32 member institutions completed it from across Canada. The survey results tell us that 144,604 enrolments in continuing education at 17 institutions were not reported to government, which amounts to 36.9% of total enrollments across all member institutions surveyed. This data tells an important story to our government of continuing education’s contribution to our learning ecosystem that supports our workforce and our economy. In these survey results lies an opportunity to operationally and fiscally support data gathering that better explains how continuing education addresses skills gaps and is a vital contributor to regional and national economic growth.

Since stepping into the role as president of CAUCE, I’ve had the pleasure of listening and contributing to many conversations that begin and then end with, ‘How can we work together?’ It’s a great place to start any conversation and I’m proud to say that those in university continuing education are well versed in the benefits of widespread collaboration. As we think about new ways we serve at the benefit of our learners, we can’t, and in many ways, shouldn’t do it alone. At the 2023 annual CAUCE Conference held in Winnipeg, the theme was, Building our Future, and I was inspired by the session topics and informal chats over meals and coffee breaks that focused on partnerships as a path to a bright future. It starts with finding commonalities in our goals and priorities as continuing education units, and then having the same conversations with our peers at our respective universities so we can bring them along with us to find new ways of working together. When there are shared goals, there’s an opportunity for more creative types of collaboration. University continuing education units are quite often identified as ‘non-traditional learning.’ Within that term is space to explore new ways of thinking and offering learning so we can continue to serve at the benefit of our learners and their evolving needs.

I continue to be inspired by the innovation and exploration that builds the foundation and feeds the future of continuing education. On June 22nd, I encourage our members to participate in our CAUCE AGM and add your voice to the chorus of voices supporting this important sector of learning.