‘De-risk’ taking risks: My biggest takeaway from 2025
As we approach the finish line for 2025, I thought I’d take a few moments and share my biggest takeaway from the past year.
Despite new and evolving technologies (e.g., Meta glasses, GenAI), the underlying tensions and challenges associated with technological advancements are pretty much the same as when I entered the EdTech field more than 15 years ago. The technologies may be new, but the conversations that I’m having are not. For example, when people reach out to talk with me about AI, most of the time what they really want to talk about is academic integrity. Likewise, when people ask to have a conversation about online learning, I tend to find that they actually want to talk about quality. Encouraging greater technology use in the classroom and improving digital literacy? That’s change management at its core.
Academic integrity, quality, and change management: the three main topics of conversation when it comes to digital transformation in education from my vantage point.
So what does all this have to do with risk taking? Stick with me here . . .
Supporting academic integrity, enhancing quality, and facilitating change
We know that the influx of new technologies is unlikely to stop. Students are going to need to develop discipline-specific technological competencies during their studies in order to be a desirable hire when they graduate. The debate is not about whether we need to integrate technology use into the learning experience, it’s about how to do it in a way that supports academic integrity and enhances quality. And then how to bring people on board.
Earlier this month, Campus Manitoba hosted a webinar where I shared some of the 2025 research findings from my work with the Canadian Digital Learning Research Association. During the Q&A, I was asked, “What is one hope that you have for 2026?”
My answer? “I hope that we can de-risk taking risks.”
We know that when we try new things we’re going to make mistakes. We also know that we learn tremendously through our mistakes.
But, the higher ed culture, despite calls for innovation and systemic change, tends not to be a safe place to take risks.
If we are going to support academic integrity at a time when technology is tearing holes in traditional assessment methods, we need to experiment with different assessment practices. People will probably make mistakes that result in some subpar experiences while we figure it out what works and what doesn’t. And, students are going to candidly point out when and where we got it wrong (which is a good thing, in my opinion). If we’re asking faculty, departments, programs, and teaching and learning staff to get on board with technological change and assess differently, will they face unpleasant consequences if they try something new and fail?
Same with quality, what if someone tries something new and the quality of a learning experience gets worse before it gets better?
We ask faculty to use technology to a greater extent in their teaching, and we want departments and programs to develop more flexible and technology-supported offerings. We pore through technology adoption frameworks and create an abundance of resources to support digital literacy. All of these things are good things, for sure, but they seem to be missing the mark in terms of moving the needle. (And, given the current pace of technological change and the evolving skills sets that students need to succeed in the workforce, we really (REALLY) need to find a way to move that needle.)
As someone who is a strong advocate for technology integration into teaching and learning, I also absolutely understand why people don’t want to take that risk. I don’t think we (as a sector) have done a very good job of making it safe to do so.
How do we ‘de-risk’ taking risks in higher ed?
That’s the question I’m taking into 2026 and I hope that you’ll join me on the journey.
From the discussions I’ve had with decision makers, administrators, faculty, and others in the sector over the past year, I see a few starting points (that I’ll very likely add to and may possibly change as I dig deep into this issue in the coming months):
Giving people spaces and places to voice their (sometimes unpopular) opinions and concerns.
Implementing strategies to break down silos and create cross-disciplinary communities of practices.
Being realistic about the pace of change.
Having “failure plans” in place so that people know what to expect if they try something and fail.
Establishing clear, general guidelines for technology use that can act as guardrails when people want to try something new.
In order to succeed, we need to create a culture that moves beyond simply saying that mistakes are part of learning. We need to demonstrate that failure is acceptable and valued in education, as much as it is in any other innovative field (wouldn’t it be wonderful if education were to be perceived as being an innovative field?!).
My next steps . . . a webinar (and more)
In the spirit of taking risks, I’m going to try out a few new things in the new year as I explore the notion of de-risking risk taking, especially as it relates to digital literacy (which includes AI literacy), technology adoption, assessment, and quality.
One of the first things I’m going to do is kick off 2026 with an interactive webinar. I’ll be promoting this more as we get into the new year, but if you’re reading this blog post over the winter break and you are like, “YES, COUNT ME IN!!, you can sign up now. It’s free and I’d love to see you there. Here are the details:
‘De-risk’ taking risks: Re-thinking how we support technology adoption and responsible use in higher education
January 15 at 1 pm Eastern (10 am, Pacific)
Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/QezNBsHPQjmMUW3ioDr3ng
Resistance to technology use in education isn’t just about the tech—it’s about trust.
Technological advancements are reshaping teaching, learning, and the workforce. Yet, efforts to boost digital literacy and integrate technology haven’t moved the needle. Why?
During this webinar, we’ll unpack why each wave of innovation—whether it’s Meta glasses or generative AI—can feel like a fresh source of resistance, even though the root causes haven’t changed. Concerns about academic integrity, quality, and buy-in have been with us all along. The technologies may be new, but the reasons behind the hesitation are not.
We’ll explore strategies for systemic change through a pragmatic lens, acknowledging the diverse perspectives and contextual factors that make this challenge complex.
And, together we'll walk through practical approaches that to help make technology adoption feel less risky (and more do-able) for others at your institution.
At the webinar, I’ll be share more about my next steps, along with some resources that I’m developing to help post-secondary leaders navigate digital transformation.
I close each blog post with a random photo that shares a bit more about me:
Last month, I travelled to Wellington, New Zealand for the ICDE Conference. Along with attending the conference, I also went on some fantastic hikes and swims, including a jump off “the plank” at the Wellington waterfront (see photo). Although I’m an avid swimmer (it’s my favourite way to stay fit), I’m not a fan of heights so the jump into the ocean definitely felt risk-taking-ish to me!
Also big thanks to the friends who encouraged me to jump with them, and who got photographic evidence that I did indeed do so.
