Universities and management consultants are locked in a "danse macabre." We turn to the vampire genre to elaborate on the relationship of consulting companies to the university sector, focusing on the University of Alberta in Canada and Monash University in Australia. We are academics with long experience of the consequences of change…

Purpose: For a university to be a prime mover for sustainability transformation, all units of the university should contribute. However, organizational change in educational institutions is often studied by examining specific domains such as research or operation in isolation. This results in a less-than-complete picture of the potential for…

This article narrates the rise and fall of a notable adult education programme at Laval University in Quebec City, Canada. The Centre for Adult Education and Community Development was established in 1951, replacing the External Service for Social Education. In the 1950s, the Centre gained an international reputation for excellence in adult…

This single case study examined the perspectives of 12 pre-service teachers in one Ontario teacher education program towards their preparation for inclusive teaching using Sensemaking theory as a theoretical framework. Semi-structured interviews as well as document analysis for inclusive education policies were conducted. The findings showed that…

While literature on university governance in Canada has identified key challenges that need to be addressed, it largely overlooks calls for change towards indigenization within post-secondary institutions. Efforts towards indigenization are being made in practice, but little has been done to reflect on what this means for university governance…

Purpose: In 2010, the Ontario Universities Quality Assurance Council was established and became responsible for monitoring the quality of university programs, and each university was tasked with establishing institutional quality assurance purposes. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of the quality assurance process at…

Our qualitative study explored transition in seven Canadian universities--early providers of distance education that transitioned to online learning between 2002 and 2017. We interviewed 16 individuals who were involved in the design, planning, or implementation of online learning. Participants reported their universities experienced significant…

Technical services departments are increasingly expected to do more with less, which means that finding a balance between meeting service demands and developing staff knowledge and skills is more challenging than ever. Today's next gen catalogs, changing cataloging rules, and diverse formats and delivery models demand that technical services…

This research investigates organizational change in six Canadian universities framed as "prioritization," which is a ranking method using predefined metrics for the comprehensive review and evaluation of academic and administrative programs. Our research found the following: (a) no prioritization process reached the implementation stage;…

Purpose: This study aims to describe and illuminate the ways in which Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU)--an urban, undergraduate institution with a strong focus on teaching, learning and related research and scholarship, and a substantial international student population--adapted to pandemic conditions in 2020 in an effort to meet community…

Decline and downsizing often create organizational conditions that are tension-filled, problematic, disruptive, and prone to unethical behaviour. It is common for educational organizations to face discontinuity of services and reduction of personnel; therefore, it is important to understand the relationship between declining organizations and the…

Use of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) often relies on the involvement of AAC service providers; however little is known about how AAC services are delivered across Canada. This study aimed to explore AAC service provision and factors influencing use of AAC from the perspectives of service providers across Canada who are involved…

A multitude of forces are driving Canadian universities, as well as many other institutions across the country, to enhance equity, diversity, and inclusion ('EDI'). All organisations instinctively turn to educational initiatives to instil and promote EDI. The value of EDI education, notably training about unconscious bias and how to mitigate its…

This article explores the factors associated with support for a merger of Ontario's two publicly funded school systems (secular and Catholic). Drawing upon survey data from over 2,000 Ontarians, it investigates the sociodemographic and attitudinal correlates of opinions toward school system reform. We find evidence that both political attitudes…

An extensive body of workplace learning literature documents the changing nature of professional learning, knowledge and work, but the tensions between the distinctive purposes and interests of professions and organizations have not received the same level of attention. The sociology of professions literature in contrast has paid an enormous…