No 17, April 2024

The fields of education (Gravelle, Frigon, & Monette, 2020) and higher education (Maltais, Ness, Jungblut, & Rexe, 2023) are undergoing global changes and facing growing challenges. In the digital age, institutions must develop students' digital literacy (Gouvernement du Québec, 2018, 2020b). International literature guides the deployment of digital tools for educational success (Gravelle et al., 2019, 2021). The OECD emphasizes the importance of understanding global trends and their impact on education (2019). For example, education can reduce inequalities and promote digital innovation (OCDE, 2019). School administrators and managers must promote innovation, digital literacy, and  cyber risk awareness (OCDE, 2019). Dedicated funding for digital education is crucial to keep pace with a changing world (Gouvernement du Québec, 2023). In conclusion, according to the OECD (OCDE, 2019), the management, governance, and financing of digital education and higher education are important international issues.

In a context where the integration of AI into organizations’ processes, products and services is becoming crucial, we carried out a study focused on the development of AI project management skillsand noted the growing importance of soft skills. As these skills are traditionally acquired in a collective work environment, our aim was to capture the collaborative versus individual dimensions in the development of these skills from the point of view of AI project managers. Our text deals with the process of developing a skills repository, co-constructed with experts in the field, as well as the analyses that emerged from this process in terms of the skills required and how these skills are acquired for the development of professional identity. This repository aims to guide training institutions’’ AI management training strategiesso that they can design training adapted to the reality of the workplace, including collaborative learning needs.

We propose to characterize the organization of the French digital university, examining its processes of manufacture, operation and governance by interrogating the concept of rhizome, developed in 1980 by Deleuze and Guattari. By French digital university, we mean the digital technologies that underpin the operation and management of higher education. This article aims to describe the various organizational forms observed (associations, public interest groups, consortiums, public institutions ...), as well as their interactions, adopting a categorical approach in a bid to make this deeply organic organization intelligible as it develops discretely through the interaction of the actors who make it up. The analysis of this dynamic allows us to grasp the complexity of the French university digital ecosystem and to understand how the players involved collaborate, interact and influence the evolution of the system, thus forming a form of new governance. Using interviews conducted over the past two years and information gathered formally and informally, we examine the mechanisms of this ecosystem, highlighting the modes of action of the various players, including universities, technology companies and public bodies. This approach offers a rhizomic perspective on the evolution of digital technology in French higher education.

In Europe, America and Asia, research into the uses of digital educational technologies and their contributions to teaching and learning has flourished, while in Sub-Saharan Africa, with the exception of a few rare studies in educational science, research has long neglected these uses. The literature highlights shortcomings in terms of access to equipment and interest in certain technical devices. The most widely adopted technology is the cell phone, which is used for both personal and school purposes (Maïdakouale and Fagadé, 2022). This study aims to support the integration of educational digital technologies among a young population already possessing non-formal digital skills. We study the social logics structuring the uses that, themselves, feed them (Paquienséguy, 2012). We also highlight the "new" school sociabilities that these uses bring. As Leveratto and Leontsini (2008) point out, interest in the educational uses of the Internet also requires us to explore its playful and social dimensions, since social availability determines personal commitment to intensive use. We used qualitative and quantitative methods to survey 292 students in Burkina Faso, Gabon and Niger. We show that socio-technical and economic factors are involved in accompanying the digital revolution in these universities from behind the scenes.

This article proposes the construction of a systemic model of digital education as part of research applied to public policy (French Ministry of Education). Considering the digital domain in its pervasiveness, it highlights the importance of a complex approach to understanding the transformation of practices. As an applied research modality, we present digital theme groups (GTnum). The methodological approach combines a reflexive posture informed by research contributions, conceptual choices centered on digital humanities and the systems approach, participatory research and open science via the Hypotheses "Education, digital and research" notebook. As a result, our modeling is centered on a "digital environment" and six units of action put to the test via the GTnum themes. We interpret these results through a comparison with other systemic frameworks, an application to the axes of digital transformation in academies, a prospective reflection with the development of generative AI and perspectives for participatory research. Finally, the article discusses the limits and contributions of this approach: variability in the understanding of the issues at stake and in the integration of research contributions, as well as avenues for anticipating a new digital configuration with the place of AI.

Two issues are converging: the huge gaps in digital skills among students entering university, and the rise of digital technology, represented here by artificial intelligence. This convergence is making the situation in universities less and less tenable, placing ever-greater pressure on professors, lecturers and the professionals who support them. We propose that this situation could potentially be corrected or improved by reviewing the place of digital competence within the Quebec training program.

This note summarizes the main findings of a master’s thesis on the pedagogical relationship in distance learning (DL). The results of this research show that, although more than half the teachers (n=73) consider the relationship to be satisfactory in a distance learning context, the majority feel that distance has a negative impact on this dynamic. Faced with the challenges of physical distance or technical limitations, teachers deploy a variety of innovative strategies to foster a positive classroom climate, increased presence, and optimal relational quality. The results of this research raise ethical questions about DL, highlighting the importance of adjusting educational practices while preserving the quality of the pedagogical relationship.