About this project
This benchmarking initiative explores how Eastern Canadian universities manage and digitize their curriculum. Through consultation with senior leaders, the project maps current practices, assesses digital readiness, and identifies drivers for change. A future phase will include Western Canadian institutions, contributing to a national view of curriculum transformation.
Led by Dr. Carol Miles, former AVP Academic at Carleton University and now Director of Academic Partnerships at Global IT Factory, the project draws on her extensive experience advising universities across Australia and New Zealand on curriculum digitization and policy reform.
Project objectives
This project aims to benchmark how institutions manage their curriculum by identifying whether they use commercial systems, in-house solutions, or manual methods like spreadsheets or SharePoint. It assesses each institution’s readiness for digital transformation, looking at systems, infrastructure, integration, leadership, and culture, and explores key drivers such as student satisfaction, compliance, workflow efficiency, governance, and strategic alignment. Participating institutions will benefit from tailored insights to support funding cases, system optimization, and access to sector-wide benchmarking data and peer expertise.
What's in it for you and your institution
Participation in this project provides strategic value by supporting funding proposals with a well-developed business case for institutions without a digital system, and offering guidance to help those with commercial solutions optimize configuration and extend system benefits. It delivers actionable insights for strategic planning, resource allocation, and academic governance, while also providing access to sector-wide benchmarking data to understand your institution’s position. Additionally, it fosters a valuable peer network among senior academic leaders, enabling collaboration on shared priorities and positioning your institution as a contributor to the sector’s digital evolution.
Methodology
Preliminary Analysis and Report
Data from all institutions will be analysed to identify trends, shared challenges, and emerging best practices. Insights will be compiled into a discussion paper to inform sector dialogue.
Structured Interviews and Survey
Participants will join a structured interview exploring their current curriculum systems, challenges, and digital readiness. A short follow-up survey will collect additional detail on tools and processes.
Roundtable and White Paper
A roundtable will bring participants together to validate findings, share experiences, and shape a shared vision. Outcomes will feed into a final white paper for wider dissemination.
Why Participate
Participating in this project offers tailored benefits for institutions at different stages of their curriculum management journey. For those without a commercial system, it provides a well-developed business case to support funding requests for digitisation. For institutions that have already implemented a commercial solution, it offers insights on how to better configure and maximise the impact of their existing system. All participants will gain access to valuable benchmarking data to understand their position within the sector and connect with a peer network to support ongoing improvement in curriculum management practices.
The project will also deliver broader sector outcomes, including a clear map of curriculum management maturity levels across Eastern Canadian institutions, deeper insights into how institutions are navigating digital transformation, and a shared framework to guide future investments and partnerships in curriculum systems. By fostering collaboration across the Canadian higher education sector, the initiative aims to drive innovation and improve operational efficiency.
