Seneca College's Digital Economy Strategy for Canada

Summary

Seneca College of Applied Arts and Technology's submission to the federal government's Digital Economy Strategy concentrates primarily on the issues that affect postsecondary institutions, with respect to teaching and learning, applied research, and faculty and student requirements to create and consume digital content. This overarching theme is creating the right framework for the digital economy.

Recommendations include:

• Creating a fair and balanced copyright law that protects creators and allows for fair use of content. Educational institutions, in particular, should be allowed to use content in a respectful manner that maximizes the teaching and learning experience;
• Investing in "hard" infrastructure, like broadband connectivity, to ensure that all Canadians have affordable access to broadband and "soft" infrastructure, or digital media investments, for content development and skills training;
• Creating tax credits for investors in digital content or technologies, especially in start–up companies;
• Providing incentives for companies to work with postsecondary institutions to both assist in technology creation and in business model development and research;
• Funding research programs that promote digital technology innovations that include colleges and polytechnics, as well as universities;
• Promoting colleges and polytechnics as on–going education providers to industry for digital skills, technologies and business models;
• Targeting funding for IT infrastructure upgrades at colleges to accelerate adoption of current digital technologies;
• Making better use of digital technology and content in teaching and learning, including more collaborative tools and access to information;
• Opening access to academic research and innovation for a more collaborative environment among institutions and better use of Canadian tax dollars;
• Providing more funding for applied research at colleges and polytechnics, with an emphasis on commercialization of research (time to market), and increased efficiency and productivity, thereby enhancing the competitiveness of Canada's many SMEs;
• Creating virtual networks for education and mentoring;
• Attracting students to ICT–related disciplines, encompassing all postsecondary options;
• Addressing the challenge of lack of women and Aboriginals in ICT professions, educational programming, particularly at the postsecondary level;
• Embedding the acquisition of defined digital skills in senior secondary and postsecondary learning outcomes;
• Providing companies should also be given tax incentives to encourage investment in digital skills upgrading;
• Enhancing online learning to provide remote regions with a wider variety of programs; and
• Promoting cooperation between industry and educational institutions to produce educational materials, with applications locally and marketability abroad.

Submission

Seneca College of Applied Arts and Technology's submission to the federal government on a Digital Economy Strategy for Canada concentrates primarily on those aspects that most affect postsecondary institutions, especially with respect to teaching and learning, applied research, and faculty and student requirements to create and consume content. This submission is also based on the principles that Seneca holds in the highest regard: universal access; provision of high quality education and content; and the basic rights of all Canadian citizens, including freedom of expression, privacy and freedom from harassment and hatred.

About Seneca a College:

Founded in 1966, Seneca College of Applied Arts & Technology is Canada's largest college with 70,000 part–time registrants and 20,029 full–time students. Seneca's population also includes 2,000 international students from 75 countries.

Seneca's overall mission is to contribute to Canadian society by being a transformational leader in providing students with career–related education and training. Seneca's strategic goals are to provide its students access to success and a superior quality educational experience.

Seneca is home to 138 certificate, diploma, 11 degrees and postgraduate certificate programs in 500 career areas. The College also offers newcomer bridging with training and re–employment services for internationally trained professionals, as well as academic upgrading for college eligibility.

Seneca has campus locations across the Greater Toronto Area, including Toronto, Markham, the Township of King, Buttonville, Newmarket, Richmond Hill and Scarborough. Since 1971, Seneca has been the only postsecondary education provider in York Region.

The School of Communication Arts is home to Seneca's Animation Arts Centre, School of English and Liberal Studies, and 17 programs in the areas of animation, broadcasting, art, production, independent music, corporate media production and digital imaging industries.

The School includes 160 faculty and staff, who bring invaluable expertise and career experience in fields varying from broadcasting, marketing, media production, design, art and business development. Programs take place at the Stephen Quinlan building and the Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) Building, both located at Seneca@York.

The School of Communication Arts' Animation Arts Centre is home to Seneca's Animation Arts, 3D Animation, 3D Gaming and Visual FX programs and was where the Academy Award^TM — winning short animation film "Ryan" was produced. This internationally–lauded film included the work of 11 of Seneca's most talented students and all are now employed in the animation industry. With the Academy Award^TM, The Animation Arts Centre at Seneca became a major player in the training of the next generation of great animation filmmakers. Other Seneca graduates have gone on to work on major Hollywood films such as The Matrix, Spiderman, Harry Potter and Gladiator, as well as at leading gaming companies including Blizzard and Electronic Arts.

1. Digital Media: Creating Canada's Digital Content Advantage

This consultation paper focuses mainly on creating the right framework for the digital economy. Part of that framework needs to include a fair and balanced copyright law that protects creators and allows for fair use of content. Educational institutions, in particular, should be allowed to use content (especially content created by government or with public funding) in a respectful manner that maximizes the teaching and learning experience. Certain aspects of the current copyright bill — such as requirements that digital copies of library materials be destroyed within five days of first use or that teachers who utilize a new educational exemption destroy course materials 30 days after the course concludes — do not take into account the realities of the postsecondary learning environment and are likely to hinder scholastic endeavors. Fair use of content is critical for a robust educational process.

Creating Canada's digital content advantage: The country's digital content advantage will occur with access to financing and talent and the creation of new business and educational models. Financing, in this case, does not necessarily equate to venture capital (VC). Many young companies, especially in the digital content area, are not VC ready and may never be. Other sources of funding, including the Canada New Media Fund and the now defunct New Media Research Fund, are ways for entrepreneurs to take risks and try new ideas. The latter also promoted collaboration with postsecondary institutions.

The growth and development of new and established talent are crucial for a strong digital economy in Canada. (This topic is explored thoroughly in the Digital Skills section of this submission.)

The federal government's role in establishing digital media clusters should be continued, as these clusters foster innovation and talent development, both of which are critical to economic growth and prosperity. The clusters, however, need to be inclusive to allow for active participation by colleges and polytechnics. Many colleges have cultivated specialized ICT knowledge and skills. For example, Seneca College has a global reputation in open source technology development. In addition, colleges and polytechnics have a long and established history in digital and traditional media content creation, including graphic design, digital media arts, broadcast and animation. Universities often lack this applied arts expertise and would benefit from working on collaborative digital projects and research with colleges.

Digital content contribution to Canada's prosperity: Digital content contributes to Canada's prosperity in a number of ways. First, there is the wealth generated by digital content products. There are varying business models (not all successful) for how to monetize digital content, particularly on the Internet. There are many examples of digital companies making millions of dollars on casual games for social networks, such as Facebook or through the sale of virtual objects.

Digital content can also be used as a marketing and promotional tool or as the e–commerce engine in selling tangible goods and services. Whether it is consulting companies promoting themselves through free webinars, or companies utilizing e–commerce to decrease the cost of sales, digital content can reduce costs and increases profit.

Finally, the need for digital content provides meaningful employment for Canadians. This industry also has the advantage of being able to reach global audiences easily and tends to leave a smaller ecological footprint than many other industries.

Hard and soft infrastructure investments: The government needs to invest in what it calls "hard" infrastructure, like broadband connectivity, to ensure that all Canadians and their major public institutions (such as hospitals and schools) have affordable access to broadband. In terms of "soft" infrastructure, or digital media investments, funding should be available for content development and skills training. Investment should encourage industry collaboration with postsecondary institutions to maximize the "pipeline" where innovative ideas are developed and commercialized. Through programs like IRAP, government should continue to encourage industry to hire co–op students or interns and provide students with the "real–world" experience that they and industry need to succeed. Finally, government should be looking to invest in Canadian content for Canadians and content that also has international appeal and larger economic benefits.

Stakeholder encouragement of investment: Encouraging investment, particularly in early stage companies or ideas, requires the mitigation of risk. The government can do its part by creating tax credits for investors in digital content or technologies, especially in start–up companies. It can also provide incentives for companies to work with postsecondary institutions to both assist in technology creation and in business model development and research.

Access for all Canadians: It is important for all Canadians, including those with disabilities, participate in the digital economy. Support for research, such as that being done by the Inclusive Design Institution at the University of Toronto, is a strong step forward and should receive full government support.

2. Capacity to Innovation Using Digital Technologies

The Consultation paper on capacity to innovation focuses on the adoption of digital technologies across sectors as a means for Canadian companies and organizations to become globally competitive. It mentions private company and public institution collaboration as a key to driving innovation. Universities are specifically mentioned, but colleges and polytechnic institutions have a significant role to play in building a strong and innovative digital economy for Canada.

Research funding programs promoting digital technology innovations should include colleges and polytechnics as well as universities. For example, Seneca College is a world leader in open source development, where computer code is built and freely shared within a community. Seneca's partners in open source education and applied research include Mozilla (developers of Firefox and Thunderbird), Red Hat, IBM and Open Office, as well as numerous SMEs and funding agencies, such as NSERC.

Focus for increasing innovation: Generally, Canada should provide the foundation for increasing innovation across the economy. The country needs a diverse innovation portfolio if it hopes to succeed as a whole. That being said, two sectors — education and health — do need to be the focus of additional government resources in the short–term. Legacy systems in these institutions must be upgraded to increase productivity and provide better access and security. Productivity gains are essential if Canada is to continue with universal health care in the future. Educational institutions must have current IT infrastructure if they are to be the backbone of innovation, R&D and the provision of digital skills.

Conditions to best incent and promote ICT adoption: As noted in the consultation paper, well–managed companies and organizations are more likely to invest in leading–edge equipment and methods. There is an opportunity here for postsecondary institutions to provide on–going education to industry on digital skills, technologies and business models. Companies and organizations would also benefit from on–line access to business reports and information on the latest technologies and systems and their implementation. In addition, on–line mentoring programs, offered through postsecondary institutions or industry associations, could provide much needed advice and support, regardless of geographic location.

Financial incentives, such as tax credits for business or specialized funding for institutions, would also ensure higher adoption rates.

Successful digital strategy for the college sector and barriers to implementation: Colleges have been chronically under–funded in terms of capital. Targeted funding for IT infrastructure upgrades would accelerate adoption of current digital technologies. These systems must be accessible, cost–effective, yet highly secure (given the confidentiality of much of the data).

Better use of digital technology and content in teaching and learning is also needed, including more collaborative tools and access to information. Open access to academic research and innovation would allow for a more collaborative environment among institutions and better use of Canadian tax dollars.

The current copyright bill under consideration must not become a barrier to a digital strategy for the postsecondary system. As mentioned above, educational institutions should be allowed fair and unhindered use of content for educational purposes.

3. Growing the Information and Communications Technology Infrastructure

Growing the ICT infrastructure in Canada is going to require increased investment in R&D and attraction and retention of talent.

Effectiveness of current government investment in R&D: Current government funding programs, on the whole, do produce results, especially in basic or curiosity–driven research. Most of these programs are aimed at funding research at universities, and, to a much lesser extent, colleges and polytechnics.

More funding should be aimed at applied research at colleges and polytechnics, with an emphasis on new measures of success, such as the commercialization of research (time to market), and increased efficiency and productivity, thereby enhancing the competitiveness of Canada's many SMEs. Colleges and polytechnics are well–positioned to conduct this applied research, considering their strong connections and partnerships with SMEs, their affordability and ability to respond quickly to the ever–changing trends in the marketplace. As well, academic program and corporate training curricula are designed in partnership with industry leaders and focus on providing graduates the skills and background they will need to compete in the global workforce.

The results of publicly funded research need to be shared among institutes and industry, or more proactively commercialized. Commercialization is key to increased prosperity. However, given that not all new products will be successful, including those that are technologically elegant, funding that supports a diverse portfolio of R&D efforts is crucial. This includes research funding that supports colleges and SMEs.

Successfully commercializing digital products will always be a challenge for Canadian institutions and companies. Continued support of trade missions and business development are part of the required infrastructure to give Canadian innovation a fighting chance in international markets. Providing support, especially for new entrepreneurs, is an important first step. As previously mentioned, the creation of virtual networks for education and mentoring, which could be run through postsecondary business schools or trade associations, would help in this process. It should include expertise from lawyers in tax, business structure and IP law as well as accountants and successful entrepreneurs in the digital and ICT field. Entrepreneurs who have been mentored and engaged in some training/education have a higher success rate.

Addressing future talent needs: The number of students enrolling in computer science and related disciplines has not only declined in the university sector, but in the college sector as well, since its peak in the early 2000s. There has been a slight recovery in the last few years, partially due to international student enrollment and students returning to school due to the current recession.

Initiatives to attract students to ICT–related disciplines should encompass all postsecondary options including colleges and polytechnics. Often, these institutions offer degree–level education in ICT, as well as diploma and foundational programs. College diploma programs are another source of ICT talent in networking and programming. They tend to attract students who have a talent for ICT, but perform better in applied learning environments. A continuum of academic choices at various credential levels is important to attracting more students in to this field at different stages of their academic and professional careers.

Government can also work in conjunction with postsecondary and industry associations in promoting ICT as a viable and lucrative field. Youth programs that allow for a range of secondary students to gain exposure to the ICT field would be ideal. Specific initiatives aimed at college and polytechnic institutions would ensure the full potential of these institutions to advance economic productivity and job growth in SMEs is achieved.

Behind every university–educated ICT professional engineer or computer scientist are significant numbers of technicians, programmers and IT administrators that graduate from colleges and polytechnics. As governments consider making additional investments in IT talent development, it is necessary to remember all of these important skilled professionals.

4. Building a World–Class Digital Infrastructure

To build a world–class digital infrastructure, the government needs to ensure that every Canadian has affordable and reasonable access to broadband and wireless networks. If essential services for the public good, such as health care and education, as well as the provision of vital government information, are all moving steadily to an online environment, universal access must be a right, regardless of income, geographical location or abilities.

5. Building Digital Skills for Tomorrow

Critical challenges in skills development and best ways to address these challenges: As identified in the consultation paper, many of the challenges in digital skills development include lack of women and Aboriginals in ICT professions, decline in those entering ICT professions, and divide in skill level based on geographical location, age and income.

The main focus of this consultation paper however is on ICT skills such as programming and use of technological tools and applications. Unfortunately, ICT skills are only half the picture. New ways of conceptualizing and monetizing digital content are still in their infancy. Computer programming skills, access to broadband and training in on–line applications use is essential, but not sufficient, for true digital literacy. Programming and tools alone will not produce intriguing, high quality content and applications that add to Canada's economic prosperity.

The other major challenge is to provide digital content creators with the skills and knowledge to produce engaging content and applications that also generate revenue. This includes providing the ICT and creative skills and shared knowledge that will develop sustainable business models for the future. What business school 10 or 15 years ago would have advocated giving products away for free over the Internet as a means of wealth generation? Yet this is the dominant model for many companies currently doing business online successfully.

To address the challenge of lack of women and Aboriginals in ICT professions, educational programming, particularly at the postsecondary level, needs to be modified to better reflect their career interests. For example, women typically occupy project management–type roles in the ICT sector, and many prefer these roles to doing only programming or network administration. Creating educational programs that provide an underpinning of technical training with more business and management training would be more attractive to women and encourage their sustained entry into the ICT field.

There should also be a continued emphasis on digital skills education and training focused specifically on content creation. This includes education for both new entrants to the job market and those who are currently working in more traditional media, such as radio, television and print. This is a particular area of strength for colleges, many of which were the first to offer digital content creation curriculum. The federal government can assist here in three ways. First, it can hire college students in Interactive Digital programs as interns or co–op students to work on "real–world" projects. Second, government can hire highly trained college graduates to implement the content–driven portion of its digital strategy. Finally, it can provide applied research funding that focuses on better digital content creation and business models for a global market.

Ensuring labour market entrants have digital skills: There are a number of programs (like FIT) that encourage students in grades 11 and 12 to acquire ICT or digital skills. However, these programs alone are not enough. Embedding the acquisition of defined digital skills — such as efficient Internet use for research, fair use of content, and basic technical skills — in senior secondary and postsecondary learning outcomes will ensure graduates will having the knowledge and training to be employable and engaged citizens in a digital economy. If digital literacy is critical for the future, then it must become a mandatory aspect of education.

Continuous upgrading of skills for current workforce: Providing digital skills training for those currently in the workforce presents its own set of challenges. As noted above, this does not only involve learning how to use online applications and tools, but also new ways of conceptualizing business models and practices. For example, digital content and social media applications have changed the way companies market and promote themselves. Colleges and universities, through their continuing education departments, can offer upgrading to employees and companies in the digital skills area. Many use online educational structures, which allow for asynchronous learning that is not bound by geographical location. Companies should also be given tax incentives to encourage investment in digital skills upgrading.

Impact on Teaching and Learning: One of the biggest impacts on the education community is through global access to online learning. Canada has the potential to widely and easily export its curriculum and faculty expertise. Capitalizing on Canada's world–class education system should become a more active element of Canada's international trade strategy.

The digital economy will also have an impact on teaching and learning for Canadian institutions and their students. Online learning will ease the need for classroom space in urban centres and provide remote regions with a wider variety of programs, courses and instructors. Students will have more choices, and institutions will begin to recognize and credentials from other institutions.

It is a given that new technology and digital content will assume a progressively larger role in the teaching and learning experience. Issues of concern will be re–training teachers and professors on how to use these technologies and how to create engaging content for the students who are used to very high content standards. Many educators, for example, believe that creating interactive games will lead to more effective and exciting learning environments. The problem is that many students are used to playing games that cost upwards of $20 million to produce and have astounding graphics and game play. Games entertain and do not sacrifice fun for accuracy or learning outcomes. Most educational games have are often produced on low budgets, with little thought to game play and tend to be boring to young learners who disengage. Therefore, less learning occurs. Educators need to work with content creators to produce educational content that will keep students engaged. Government incentives to have industry work with education and produce interesting interactive content would aid in production of world–class educational materials with applications at home and marketability abroad.

Seneca is grateful for the opportunity to contribute to the Digital Economy Consultation process and looks forward to providing support to the federal government in improving Canada's digital economy in the years to come.

Contact:

LauraJo Gunter, Dean, Faculty of Information Arts and Technology
Telephone: 416–491–5050 ext. 3725
Email: LauraJo Gunter