As universities face growing pressure to do more with less, Concordia is tapping into its own expertise to drive innovation from within. A new collaboration between District 3 (D3) and Instructional and Information Technology Services (IITS) is gathering experts from across the university to rethink how Concordia approaches institutional challenges and develops solutions.
Through a hands-on design residency, IITS directors, managers and staff are working alongside colleagues from units including the Unity Services- Centre of Expertise, Centre for Teaching and Learning and the School of Health. Three task forces have been established to focus on key priorities: improving the online learning experience for students and faculty alike, strengthening IT support for researchers so they can focus on discovery, and helping new tech ideas move from concept to reality faster.
The collaboration aligns with a new IITS strategic direction toward more agile and responsive ways of working. The goal is to move beyond purely technical fixes to outcomes-based problem solving and meaningful solutions.
Whether a student navigating an online portal, a researcher needing high-powered tech, or a staff member with a vision for a better process, the pilot project is designed to find more innovative and collaborative ways to meet Concordians' needs.
For Philippe Delisle, associate vice president of IITS and chief information officer at Concordia, the initiative reflects a broader ambition to better leverage the university's collective knowledge.
"By mixing IITS's technical backbone with D3's startup grit, we are showing that we are our own best resource," he says. "The future of technology in higher education isn't just about the tools we use, it's about how we work together to use them."
Anna Ehrhardt, director of administration and operations at D3, says the residency builds on the innovation hub's experience supporting entrepreneurs and applying novel approaches to complex challenges.
"In supporting more than 1,400 startups, District 3 has developed a level of unconventional problem-solving that is unique for a university setting," she explains. "Through the IITS residency, teams can move beyond traditional structures and test their ideas using the same iterative hypothesis validation loop' that our entrepreneurs use. It's a way of improving the odds that solutions are both high-value and implementable."
The process also creates opportunities for cross-pollination across units that don't often have the chance to collaborate.
John Bentley, senior instructional developer at the Centre for Teaching and Learning, is a participant in the project. He says the design residency is helping teams rethink assumptions and better understand the realities faced by the university community.
"By speaking directly with faculty, staff, students and administrators, we're learning more about the complexity on the ground instead of just trying to navigate the noise," Bentley says. "Those insights help us develop a shared language, strategies and practices that can make online learning more flexible and responsive, while maintaining high standards for teaching and learning."
He adds that the experience underscores the importance of listening across the institution.
"So much of what Concordia is about happens at the grassroots level. The residency reminds us that meaningful change begins by listening carefully to the people who are living these challenges every day."
By breaking down silos and testing ideas in real time, the initiative is helping turn collaboration into action and ideas into solutions that can make a tangible difference across the university.
Learn more about Instructional and Information Technology Services at Concordia.
