1. State of the Nation: K-12
Online Learning in Canada
Michael K. Barbour, Wayne State University

2. Background
• K-12 online learning began in British Columbia in 1993 with
the creation of New Directions in Distance Learning and the
EBUS Academy (Dallas, 1999)
• Followed by district-based online programmes in Manitoba,
Ontario, Alberta, and Newfoundland and Labrador (Barker &
Wendel, 2001; Barker, Wendall & Richmond, 1999; Haughey
& Fenwich, 1996; Stevens, 1997)
• Wynne (1997) described few online learning programmes
outside of British Columbia and Alberta and even less
government regulation in this area
• The Canadian Teachers Federation (2000) that there were
approximately 25,000 K-12 students enroled in online courses
during the 1999-2000 school year

3. Background
• O’Haire, Froese-Germain and Lane-De Baie (2003) reported
that Alberta had the most students engaged in online
learning, but British Columbia also had a significant number of
district-based and consortium programmes
• Plante and Beattie (2004) found that almost 30% of schools –
and almost 40% of secondary schools – in Canada were using
the Internet for online learning
• Haughey (2005) indicated that the growth of virtual schooling
in Canada was slower than in the United States
• The Canadian Council on Learning (2009) stated that “delivery
of resources, however, does not guarantee learning, even
when the initial barriers of access [to online learning] have
been overcome” (p. 61)

4. iNACOL Report
• State of the Nation Study: K-12 Online Learning in
Canada
– snapshot study in 2008 –
http://www.inacol.org/resources/docs/NACOL_Canada
Study-lr.pdf
– complete study in 2009 -
http://www.inacol.org/research/docs/iNACOL_Canada
Study_200911.pdf
• Virtual Schooling in Canada
– project wiki site - http://virtualschool.wikispaces.com/
canada/

5. Methodology
• a survey that was sent to each of the Ministries of Education
• follow-up interviews with Ministry officials
• an analysis of documents from the Ministry of Education
• eight of the thirteen responded
• four of the provinces and territories ignored the request
• e-Learning Ontario declined to participate
these jurisdictions were based solely on the analysis of documents (and in
some instances information provided by others involved in K-12 distance
education in that province or territory, but not associated with the Ministry)
• the Ministries of Education that responded were provided a draft copy of
the profile for their revisions and
• vignettes were solicited from suggestions made by the Ministry of
Education contacts and existing relationships of the researcher
• as of October 2009

6. National Overview
Single provincial online
learning program
Provincial online learning
program with limited
district programs
Provincial online learning
program with
significant district-
based & private
programs
Use district-based online
learning programs from
other provinces

7. Newfoundland and Labrador
• Online learning began in mid-1990s
• Single province-wide programme housed
within MOE
– Came from models developed in earlier district
programmes
• Initial focus on rural students
• No specific policies for online learning, but
work is currently being done in this area

8. Nova Scotia
• Online learning began around 2003
• A provincial wide pilot programme house within
the MOE & a couple of district-based
programmes
• Initial focus on specialized subject areas (e.g.,
French as a second language)
• No specific policies for online learning, but there
are 11 provisions included in the Nova Scotia
Teachers Union agreement

9. Prince Edward Island
• Little online learning activity
• MOE provides access to K-12 distance
opportunities in New Brunswick, along with a
private online training school focusing on
business & technology courses
• MOE has issued two directives since 2001
containing guidelines for the use of distance
education in K-12 environment

10. New Brunswick
• Online learning began around 1998
• Single province-wide programme housed within MOE
– Grew from a single course to over 40 courses
• Initial focus on technology, then all grade 11 and
12, & other optional & advanced courses
– Used frequently by face-to-face teachers too
• No specific policies for online learning, but the
Ministry has established a policy handbook that
outlines the administrative procedures

11. Quebec
• Networked Remote Schools or Écoles
éloignées en réseau
– Designed to connect rural and remote schools via the
Internet to allow them to share curricular resources
• Learn Quebec
– English language, synchronous online learning programme
• Province-wide programme for adult students
– Société de formation à distance des commissions scolaires
du Québec (SOFAD)
 Three English & 37 French school boards manage their own
programmes

12. Ontario
• Online learning began around 1994
• Primarily district-based programmes using the
provincial CMS and course content
– Some private school activity
• Online learning not officially recognized by MOE
– Masked within brick-and-mortar system
– e-Learning Ontario has issued numerous memos
regulating online learning

13. Manitoba
• Province offers three forms of distance
education
– MOE manages correspondence and audio teleconference
systems
– Districts manage their own web-based programme using MOE
content
• All districts appear to participate in web-based
option to some extent
• Ministry’s distance learning policy is still in draft
form & awaiting final approval, but will be
implemented in 2010-11

14. Saskatchewan
• Ministry devolved their responsibility
for distance education to school divisions
– Provided additional transition funding in 2008-09 to assist
school divisions
• Fourteen school divisions created the
Saskatchewan Distance Learning Course
Repository to provide capacity to other divisions
• No specific legislation or regulations that govern
K-12 online learning

15. Alberta
• Online learning began around 1994-95
• Numerous district-based, several private, and
a province-wide programme
• MOE has no specific online learning policies
(simply advises school-based programmes to
consider how they will treat online learning)
– Had been in the process of creating a province-
wide framework, but that process has stalled

16. British Columbia
• First online learning programmes around 1993
• Substantial public and private activity
• MOE uses term distributed learning
– Refers to all forms of K-12 distance education,
much of which is still not online
• Only province where MOE has concrete
separate policies for distance education

17. Yukon
• Utilizes programmes from British Columbia
• MOE active in this provincial-territorial
agreement
– With the Northern British Columbia Distance
Education School (NBCDES)
• Involved 141 students in 51 courses in 2006-
07 (<5000 students in territory)
– up from 87 students in 49 courses the previous year

18. Northwest Territories
• Utilizes programmes from Alberta
• MOE active in this provincial-territorial
agreement
– With the Alberta Distance Learning Centre (ADLC)
– Online Northern Studies 10 course offered during
the second semester through Aurora College
• Involved 179 students in 38 courses from 18
schools in 2007-08 (~10,000 K-12 students in
territory)

19. Nunavut
• No active K-12 distance education
programmes
– Piloted programmes in the past and had plans for
further pilot projects
– Past have utilizes programmes from Alberta
• No specific reference to distance education in
the legislation & no individual regulations

20. State of the Nation 2010 Study
• Received additional funding
– Update provincial profiles
 Attempt to add level of activity
– Continue with new vignettes
– Add new brief issue papers section
• Areas of Concern
– French language programmes
– Quebec
– Northern Canada

21. Bibliography
• Barker, K., & Wendel, T. (2001). e-Learning: Studying Canada's virtual secondary schools. Kelowna, BC: Society for the
Advancement of Excellence in Education. Retrieved from
http://web.archive.org/web/20040720185017/http://www.saee.ca/pdfs/006.pdf
• Barker, K., Wendel, T., & Richmond, M. (1999). Linking the literature: School effectiveness and virtual schools.
Vancouver, BC: FuturEd. Retrieved from
http://web.archive.org/web/20061112102653/http://www.futured.com/pdf/Virtual.pdf
• Canadian Teachers Federation. (2000). Facts sheets on contractual issues in distance/online education. Ottawa, ON:
Author.
• Canadian Council of Learning. (2009). State of e-learning in Canada. Ottawa, ON: Author. Retrieved from
http://www.ccl-cca.ca/pdfs/E-learning/E-Learning_Report_FINAL-E.PDF
• Dallas, J. (1999). Distance education for kindergarten to grade 12: A Canadian perspective. A presentation at the Pan-
Commonwealth Forum, Brunei. Retrieved from http://www.col.org/forum/PCFpapers/PostWork/dallas.pdf
• Haughey, M. (2005). Growth of online schooling in Canada. In C. Howard, J. Boettcher, L. Justice, K. Schenk, P. L. Rogers
& G. A. Berg (Eds.), Encyclopedia of distance learning, (vol. 2, pp. 984-989). Hersey, PA: Idea Group, Inc.
• Haughey, M., & Fenwick, T. (1996). Issues in forming school district consortia to provide distance education: Lessons
from Alberta. Journal of Distance Education, 11(1). Retrieved from
http://www.jofde.ca/index.php/jde/article/view/242/454
• O'Haire, N., Froese-Germain, B., & Lane-De Baie, S. (2003). Virtual education, real educators: Issues in online learning.
Ottawa, ON: The Canadian Teachers' Federation.
• Plante, J., & Beattie, D. (2004). Connectivity and ICT integration in Canadian elementary and secondary schools: First
results from the information and communications technologies in schools survey, 2003-2004. Ottawa, ON: Statistics
Canada.
• Stevens, K. (1997a). The place of telelearning in the development of rural schools in Newfoundland and Labrador.
Prospects, 4(4). Retrieved from http://www.cdli.ca/Community/Prospects/v4n4/telelearning.htm
• Wynne, S. D. (1997). An overview of virtual schooling in North America and Europe. Victoria, BC: Open Learning Agency.

22. Your
Questions
and
Comments

23. Assistant Professor
Wayne State University, USA
mkbarbour@gmail.com
http://www.michaelbarbour.com