Earlier today we noticed that the Canadian Digital Learning Research Association had published the 2025 Pan-Canadian Report on Digital Learning Trends. The executive summary describes the report as:
Executive Summary
In some ways, it seems as though the Canadian post-secondary system hopped on a rollercoaster ride at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, facing unexpected twists, loops, and terrifying drops ever since. Changes (technological, legislative, economic, and sociopolitical) are impacting post-secondary education and seem to be never-ending at times, leaving many within the sector feeling exhausted. And yet, despite our desire for a pause to reflect and regroup, the changes persist.
The 2024 Pan-Canadian Report questioned whether we are living through a time of profound digital disruption that will find those who do not embrace technology “left behind and ill-equipped to thrive in the future.”1 The findings indicated that, while technology use has increased, the ways in which post-secondary institutions are using technologies are not revolutionary.
As 2025 has unfolded, it has become clear that the disruptors to the sector (and the drivers of increased technology use in teaching and learning) extend beyond technological innovation itself. Instead, our existing technological infrastructures and tools provide a means to address broader issues in new ways. For instance, as this year’s f indings will illustrate, learning modalities other than in-person are being considered as possible solutions to the financial crises happening at many institutions.
The objective of this report is to identify and interpret digital learning trends in Canadian post-secondary education, helping sector leaders navigate the seemingly relentless change as they continue on the rollercoaster with no end to the ride in sight.
Changes to the 2025 Report:
Longtime readers of the CDLRA’s annual reports will notice that this year’s report is missing some of the topics covered in past years. For 2025, the CDLRA shifted some of our survey questions from spring to fall and vice versa to give each of the two annual surveys a specific focus. The data collected for this report, from the first survey, is focused entirely on digital learning trends. Data collected during the second survey will be focused on emerging technologies (including AI), and the findings will be presented during the CDLRA’s first-ever Emerging Technologies Symposium.
Key findings from 2025
The survey questions covered the following topics: modality trends, faculty competencies and preferences, student needs and preferences, digital learning challenges, and open educational resources (OER). The key findings that emerged are as follows:
- The majority of respondents expect growth in online and hybrid learning over the next two years. The majority do not expect in-person and multi-access learning to grow.
- When respondents were asked to rate the competencies of faculty at their institution, the majority did not feel confident that all or most faculty had the skills and know-how to teach in modalities that required substantial technology use. Participants also reported room for improvement in how their institution prepares faculty to teach (both online and in person). Conversely, when asked to assess their own competencies, respondents who had taught over the past 12 months tended to view themselves as having the skills and know-how to teach effectively in any modality.
- The CDLRA findings, combined with findings from a student survey conducted by Academica Group, showed that the primary reasons driving student preferences for online or hybrid learning are to manage competing priorities, cost savings, an inability to find affordable housing near campus, and an inability to access affordable and reliable transportation to and from campus.
- Awareness of open educational resources (OER) as well as institutional policies for OER have remained relatively unchanged over time.
- Respondents identified the financial stability of their institutions, student enrolments, developing AI policies and strategies, and academic integrity as the most pressing challenges facing their institutions.
1 https://cdlra-acrfl.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/2024-Pan-Canadian-Report_EN.pdf