In the face of rapid technological change, Rajiv Jhangiani is an unwavering champion for the thoughtful, ethical integration of digital technology in education.<\/p>\n
\u201cMany working in the field recognize teaching and technology are entwined; they are mutually influential. But digital technologies carry the potential to both widen and narrow inequities in education \u2014 it\u2019s vital to adopt a critical lens, now more than ever,\u201d says Jhangiani, Brock University\u2019s Vice Provost, Teaching and Learning.<\/p>\n
The Associate Professor of Educational Studies and Psychology was recently recognized as a \u201cChangemaker\u201d in EdTech\u2019s 25 Higher Ed Influencers to Follow in 2026<\/a> for his impact and thought leadership in digital learning.<\/p>\n Jhangiani \u2014 the only individual on the list working at a Canadian institution \u2014 \u00a0was honoured for his efforts in developing the University\u2019s recently released Ethical Framework for Educational Technologies<\/a> as well as his significant contributions to teaching and learning through advancing open education<\/a>.<\/p>\n His approach to educational technology is rooted in equity and transparency.<\/p>\n \u201cThere is so much we gain from adopting new tools, for example, supporting accessibility for learners with diverse needs, providing asynchronous engagement for learners who thrive with greater flexibility, and making learning more engaging through different modes of expression,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n But, Jhangiani says, recognizing that the design of digital technologies comes with bias is integral to moving forward in inclusive and positive ways.<\/p>\n \u201cThere is this simplistic, self-serving Silicon Valley narrative that one might fall prey to that proclaims \u2018Education is broken, but here\u2019s the app that can fix it\u2019 \u2014\u00a0albeit an app that is data-trawling, disrespectful to privacy and laced with algorithmic bias,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n Jhangiani says with technology vendors knocking on doors offering academic institutions remote exam proctoring software or flawed artificial intelligence detectors, institutions are at risk of making expensive, dangerous moves.<\/p>\n \u201cReally, what matters most, is that we attend to the guiding principles of teaching and learning to enhance engagement. Brock\u2019s ethical framework points out these potential dangers, and it\u2019s heartening to know the message is being heard, here on campus and across the Canadian educational landscape,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n Jhangiani says that many institutions in Canada already attend to some facets of ethical educational technology typically bound by legislation, such as the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) and Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA).<\/p>\n \u201cWe need to go well above and beyond legislation and bring a critical lens to the table. Compliance is not the same as care, legality is not the same as justice,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n Jhangiani acknowledged that universities currently face a lot of pressure, many holding fears of being left behind in the onslaught of educational technologies.<\/p>\n But a great paradox of this moment, Jhangiani says,\u00a0is that as the desire for technological training and adoption increases in higher education, the need for humanistic skills, like ethical reasoning, become even more critical.<\/p>\n \u201cIt makes me happy and proud that Brock has been so supportive, whether it\u2019s of our work on open education or our ethical framework, or the host of innovation pilot programs underway. We are thoughtfully discussing, trying and evaluating ideas with the people who are most affected,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n Looking to the future, Jhangiani is encouraged, noting that Brock specifically released the ethical framework under an open license so other Canadian institutions can adapt its principles for their contexts.<\/p>\n \u201cWithin a sector, indeed across a country, collectively making ethical choices will force positive change on the greater educational technology industry. I am seeing signs of a widespread adoption at other Canadian institutions of a more critical approach to educational technologies \u2014 it gives me much hope,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In the face of rapid technological change, Rajiv Jhangiani is an unwavering champion for the thoughtful, ethical integration of digital technology in education.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":62,"featured_media":107272,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[7484,40,3319,1,38,4665],"tags":[546,32,98,522,29,11660,31,6884],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/107269"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/62"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=107269"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/107269\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":107271,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/107269\/revisions\/107271"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/107272"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=107269"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=107269"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=107269"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}