Learning for a digital world
The rapid acceleration of digitization and adoption of technology are game changers – and the biggest disruptors – creating the most opportunity for the communities and industries we serve.
Teaching for the future.
Our College was built on a simple but powerful foundation: learning ignites the potential of individuals, industries and communities.
At its best, learning is an act of service, and at NSCC, we are a community of lifelong learners in service to the future of our province.
Our entrepreneurial and innovation mindset drives us to continually reimagine what learning at NSCC can be – and we focus our evolution to respond to the world around us.
As student needs, communities and industries change, so must we. Our learning design will break the mold; it must be even more sharp, student-centred, work-embedded, technologically-enriched and community-responsive.
Whether learning deep in the forest or connected in a virtual space, we will rise to the challenge of emerging needs and opportunities – always learning and deploying the latest pedagogies.
Shifting realities in a digital world.
The rapid acceleration of digitization and adoption of technology - like 5G, augmented reality and smart cities - are game changers, and the biggest disrupters creating the most opportunity for the communities and industries we serve.
If we look at the rapid evolution of digitization and its impact on our interconnectedness over the course of the last two years, there are two distinct insights. The first is that digitization and advancements in technology played an integral role in sustaining our global economic and social systems during the most significant public health crisis we have experienced in the last century. The second is the direct acknowledgement of the spotlight shone on the gaps and inequities resulting from a lack of digital access.
The World Economic Forum refers to this as the “duality of the digital world” in its 2022 global risk report – where countries and regions with larger GDP were wrapping their heads around cybersecurity threats, and in contrast equity-seeking communities and other countries faced overwhelming digital inequity and disconnectedness.
We saw this inequity in Nova Scotia during the rolling lockdowns with each new COVID-19 variant,. Where one segment of our population had seamless access to telehealth, online school, remote work opportunities and virtual connectivity to friends and loved ones, another segment of our population simply and devastatingly did not. Pat Gelsinger, CEO of Intel, has perhaps best described how governments and organizations in leadership roles can help reconcile these two conflicting paradigms; by “driving tech to be a force of good”.
Our relationship with digitization goes beyond how, when and where we offer our programming and integrate technology into our teaching. As Gelsinger noted, technology will not only inform the way each of our sectors operate their business, but it will continue to dramatically influence and change society.
Digitization means we support community and industry adaptation to and adoption of new technology, as digitization provides a tremendous opportunity for innovation and skills development – allowing Nova Scotia to compete and be a viable player on the global stage.
Digitization also means that we, as a College, embrace digital practices and expertise, and that we have the systems and platforms we need to operate fully in this realm.
NSCC is the future of learning.
We believe in learning that is inclusive of the diverse voices and experiences reflected in our learning communities. Equity-centered teaching and learning practices are imperative. Passionate faculty and staff across the College have already led the way in implementing teaching and learning practices like Universal Design for Learning (UDL). Transformational expectations, like the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s Calls to Action and Nova Scotia’s Accessibility Legislation, urges us to lead again by building on UDL and prioritizing the implementation of decolonized practices that are culturally and linguistically responsive.
Our commitment to fostering relationships goes beyond our commitment to one another - it must also extend to our planet, our lands and our oceans.
We will heighten our sense of purpose and develop skills for a sustainable, green future through land and ocean-based learning and programming that emphasizes climate-change action. Learning that serves sustainability is a necessary act of reconciliation, and we are united in disrupting climate change.
We’ve always known that the best learning is personal; we are deeply rooted in relationships, in a sense of community, in collective purpose. And we’re proud of those roots – they define learning at NSCC and must continue to inform our direction.
Equipped with our vision, our mission, our promise and our values, we know who we are – and we are ready to prepare our learners and our communities for what’s next in a digitized future.
Connection to people and the needs of our province has always been our strength – digitization has simply unleashed our potential. We’ve only just begun to imagine the ways in which we can transform learning.