Canadian Faculty Members’ Hopes and Anxieties About the Near-Future of Higher Education

Oct 15, 2026

Higher education worldwide faces intertwined challenges across economic, social, technological, demographic, environmental, and political tensions. Ongoing calls to rethink and reform higher education require input from diverse stakeholders. Thirty-seven Canadian college and university faculty members were interviewed to understand their hopes and anxieties about what higher education may look like five years ahead. Findings center on four themes and indicate the need for research and practice supporting more hopeful futures, particularly for online and blended learning.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages23

Reading Time58 min

AccessFree to download

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| Volume 48 (3) | Fall /Automne 2022 | | --- | --- | Canadian Faculty Members’ Hopes and Anxieties About the Near-Future of Higher Education Les espoirs et les inquiétudes des membres du corps professoral canadiens concernant l'avenir proche de l'enseignement supérieur Dr. George Veletsianos, Royal Roads University Dr. Nicole Johnson, Royal Roads University Abstract Higher education worldwide is facing several challenges spanning from economic, social, technological, demographic, environmental, to political tensions. Calls to rethink, reimagine, and reform higher education to respond to such challenges are ongoing, and need to be informed by a wide variety of stakeholders. To inform such efforts, we interviewed thirty-seven faculty members at Canadian colleges and universities to develop a greater understanding of their hopes and anxieties about the future of higher education as they considered what higher education may look like five years into the future. Results centred on four themes: (1) anxieties and hopes are shaped by supports and resources from various sources,(2) faculty members face anxiety over matters that negatively impact them but are beyond their control,(3) faculty members hope that “good” comes from the COVID-19 pandemic, and (4) faculty members hope for a well-rounded education that will enable students to succeed both within and beyond their careers. Implications for these findings suggest a need to direct research efforts and practices toward more hopeful futures for higher education, especially in the context of online and blended learning. Keywords: Anxieties; Faculty members; Learning futures; Qualitative research; Hopeful futures Résumé L'enseignement supérieur dans le monde entier est confronté à plusieurs défis allant des tensions économiques, sociales, technologiques, démographiques, environnementales et politiques. Les appels à repenser, réinventer et réformer l'enseignement supérieur pour répondre à ces défis sont en cours. Ces efforts doivent être éclairés par une grande variété d'intervenants, y compris les membres du CJLT/RCAT Vol. 48 (3) corps professoral. Pour éclairer ces efforts, des entrevues individuelles ont été menées auprès de trentesept membres du corps professoral de collèges et d'universités canadiens afin de mieux comprendre leurs espoirs et leurs inquiétudes quant à l'avenir de l'enseignement supérieur lorsqu'ils réfléchissaient à quoi pourrait ressembler l'enseignement supérieur dans cinq ans. Les résultats sont centrés sur quatre thèmes : (1) les anxiétés et les espoirs sont façonnés par des soutiens et des ressources provenant de diverses sources,(2) les membres du corps professoral sont confrontés à de l'anxiété sur des questions qui les touchent négativement, mais qui sont hors de leur contrôle,(3) les membres du corps professoral espèrent que des effets positifs vient de la pandémie de la COVID-19, et (4) les membres du corps professoral espèrent une éducation bien équilibrée qui permettra aux étudiants de réussir à la fois dans et au-delà de leur carrière. Les implications pour ces résultats suggèrent le besoin d'orienter les efforts et les pratiques de recherche vers un avenir plus prometteur pour l'enseignement supérieur, en particulier dans le contexte de l'apprentissage en ligne et hybride. Mots-clés: inquiétudes ; membres du corps professoral ; avenir de l’apprentissage ; recherche qualitative ; avenir prometteur Introduction At a time of rapid technological change and socio-political turmoil, compounded by nearly two years of teaching and learning in a pandemic context, many are speculating about what the future of higher education may hold. For instance, Zimmerman (2021) offers a hopeful outcome in his telling of a short fictional story of Professor Van Winkle, who awoke from a nap to find himself in the year 2041. Previously frustrated by political polarization, Van Winkle finds himself in a new era of pedagogy where students, still learning

FAQs

How was the study conducted to understand faculty hopes and anxieties?

The study used one-to-one interviews with 37 Canadian faculty members and analyzed the data with a constant comparative approach.

What main themes emerged from the faculty interviews?

Results centered on four themes: how supports shape hopes and anxieties, anxiety over uncontrollable issues, hope for positive outcomes from COVID-19, and hope for a well-rounded education enabling student success.

Why do the authors say research and practice should focus on hopeful futures?

The implications emphasize directing research efforts and practices toward more hopeful futures for higher education, especially in the context of online and blended learning.

Oct 15, 2026

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