The Digital Ecosystem & Canada’s Election

From disinformation to memes to political advertising, digital media are being used to generate and share information in new ways. In this talk we review the various kinds of actors and tools found in a digital ecosystem and use the case of the October 21st Federal Election in Canada to explore that ecosystem. We will discuss the use of political bots and automation, political memes, and political advertising in particular.

Dr. Elizabeth Dubois (PhD, University of Oxford) is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication and member of the Centre for Law, Technology and Society at the University of Ottawa. She is also a Fellow at the Public Policy Forum of Canada and member of Assembly based at Harvard’s Berkman-Klein Center. Her work examines political uses of digital media including media manipulation, citizen engagement, and artificial intelligence.

Ambitious Modi Plan to Restructure HE and Boost Research

Source: University World News

India’s Ministry of Human Resources Development (MHRD) this week unveiled a draft National Education Policy (NEP) 2019 just days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi secured a solid majority for his Bharatiya Janata Party in national elections.

Research in Higher Ed A Must for Sustainable Growth

Source: Times of India

Delivering a memorial lecture in honour of Ramdhari Singh ‘Dinkar’, HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar pitched for promoting research and innovation also to combat brain drain and insisted on improving the quality of education from primary to higher education. Noting that India and China prospered on the back of reverse engineering and low wages, he stressed encouraging research in the higher education in the country to ensure sustainable growth.

For the full article, visits the Times of India online.

Redefining the Role of the University in the Trump Era

Source: University World News

The last few weeks have been tremulous for Canada. The new leadership in the United States is changing all rules and no one knows for certain how far the changes will go. In the world of higher education, universities are trying to determine what the impact will be. Optimists are eager to benefit from the revenues of foreign students who see Canada as a safe alternative to the US.

For the full article, visit University World News.

Quebec Announces $12M in University, College Grants

Source: La Presse via Academica

Quebec Minister of Higher Education Hélène David announced this Monday that the province will inject an additional $12M in grant funding for the province’s CEGEPs and universities. The funds were made available immediately and are marked to be spent by the end of the fiscal year on March 31, 2017. Of the $12M, $2.7M will be used to mentor and retain foreign students. Another $3.2M will be used to increase the supply of continuing education programs, while $3M will be devoted to providing more resources for student success. The remainder will be used for various measures such as support for innovation, strengthening French language proficiency among students, and intervention practices against sexual violence and radicalization.

Canada: “A Place of Stability, of Openness, of Inclusiveness”

Source: Times Higher Education via Academica

Canada’s decision to welcome thousands of Syrian refugees “stands out as an important symbol” of the country’s “openness and eagerness to attract newcomers,” says University of Toronto President Meric Gertler in an interview with Times Higher Education. Gertler highlights a number of significant steps Canada has taken to be open compared to the isolationist tendencies of Brexit and the Donald Trump presidential campaign. These include Canada’s efforts to attract 450,000 international students by 2022, its amendments to its citizenship process for international students, and its increased investment in research and scientific infrastructure. “Canada has certainly emerged as a place of stability, of openness, of inclusiveness,” says Gertler. “I think we’re doing many things right now that will position us as a stark alternative to things that are happening in other countries, including the UK and the US.”

India’s Students Short On Cash After Demonetisation Exercise

Source: Study International

In November 2016, India’s government suddenly declared that all 500- and 1,000-rupee notes no longer held any value, sending citizens across the country scrambling to exchange their now-worthless bills. In the aftermath, university students are finding it difficult to get a hold of the cash they need for daily expenses, such as buying food, printing documents, and getting top-up for their mobile phones.

To view the complete article, visit Study International.

Canada Needs Better Data if it Wants to be An Innovation Leader

Source: Globe & Mail

At a recent conference in Ottawa, where speakers included Finance Minister Bill Morneau, Innovation Minister Navdeep Bains and Advisory Council on Economic Growth chair Dominic Barton, a challenge was laid on the table.

We live in a low-growth world and Canada is not immune – we’ve experienced sluggish growth for much of the past decade and our GDP growth rate is not predicted to breach the coveted 3-per-cent mark without bold action now.

So what do we do?

For the full article, visit The Globe & Mail.