Canadian eLearning Network
Flexible Learning Western Style:
Emerging Models Integrating Distributed and
Distance Learning in BC & AB
http://CANeLearn.net

About the Canadian eLearning Network
• CANeLearn is a pan-Canadian network of K12
online and blended learning schools and
organizations
• Focus is on sharing resources, PD, research
• Intent is to leverage our Canadian collective to
promote online and blended learning
• http://CANeLearn.net

Mission
CANeLearn's mission is to provide
leadership that champions student
success in online and blended
learning and provides members with
networking, collaboration, and
research opportunities.

CANeLearn Board of Directors
• Michael Canuel, CEO of LEARN (Chair) - QC
• Terri Reid, Learning Services Coordinator, Black Gold Regional Schools (Vice-
Chair) – AB
• Laurel Beaton, Partnerships and Innovation, Alberta Distance Learning Centre
(Director) - AB
• Greg Bitgood, Superintendent Heritage Christian Schools (Director) - BC
• Alison MacDonald, Principal Wapaskwa Virtual Collegiate (Director) – MB
• Todd Pottle, Coordinator, Ontario eLearning Consortium (Director) – ON
• Sue Taylor-Foley, Director of Learning Resources and Technology, Nova Scotia
Education and Early Childhood Development (Director) - NS
• Bruce Weitzel, Lead for BC Learning Network (Director) - BC
• Kevin Wttewaall, Director of Technology for Learning Rocky View School
Division (Director) – AB

Around the room….
• From? Role?
• Why here?
• Your takeaway would be…

State of the Nation in Canada Report

Mix of province-wide & district-based
Online Programs
Province-wide Province-wide & District District-based
YT AB BC
NB MB SK
NS QC ON
NL
PE (uses NB) FMNI Band-based
NU (uses AB) ON (2)
NT (uses AB) MB & AB (SK closed)

Innovation in Canada - Alberta
Open educational resources
(OER) are freely accessible,
openly licensed documents and
media that are useful for
teaching, learning, and
assessing as well as for research
purposes. Although som
epeople consider the use of an
open file format to be an
essential characteristic of OER,
this is not a univeraklly
acknowledged requirement.

Province Overview
• Many home schooled
• Inspiring Education created an innovation vision
• Shift from correspondence to blended using technology
• Driven by improving engagement and results
• Video conferencing provincial initiative (SuperNet)
• Shifting to web conferencing as well
• More f2f and sync options both onsite and online
• Google use (own servers – drive, docs, hangouts, classroom)
• Curriculum redesign and High School Flex
• Moodle user group
• Emerging blendED group http://www.blendedalberta.ca/

British Columbia
 35,000 educators
 600,000 students
 60 public DL schools
 Courses provided to Yukon
(follow BC curriculum)
 16 independent DL schools
 Online Choice: Open
boundaries

Distributed Learning Vision

2006 Legislation, Bill 33
Recognizes DL in legislation
Each Board requires a DL Agreement with the Ministry
Cross-enrolment in Gr. 8-12 (supplemental courses)
Working on cross-enrolment K-12
Public
Independent
Bricks and Mortar Distributed Learning

PUBLIC and Independent FTE Enrolments: All
Counts
0.00
2,000.00
4,000.00
6,000.00
8,000.00
10,000.00
12,000.00
14,000.00
16,000.00
2007-2008 2008-2009 2009-2010 2010-2011 2011-2012 2012-2013
Public
Independent

PUBLIC and Independent Headcount
Enrolments: All Counts
0.00
20,000.00
40,000.00
60,000.00
80,000.00
100,000.00
120,000.00
140,000.00
160,000.00
2007-2008 2008-2009 2009-2010 2010-2011 2011-2012 2012-2013
Headcounts - All counts Public
Headcounts - All counts Independent

Completion Rate for Public School Students
– DL
• (For students who take at least one DL course)
School Year Students taking 1
or more DL Course
Students not taking
DL Course
% %
2009-10 80.9% 88.3%
2010-11 85.0% 86.6%
2011-12 86.5% 85.0%
2012-13 89.8% 85.3%

Links
• BC Ministry of Education Distributed Learning
– http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/dist_learning/
• BC Distributed Learning Agreement
– http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/dist_learning/documents/dist_learn_agmt.pdf
• BC Distributed Learning Standards
– http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/dist_learning/documents/dl_standards.pdf
• BC Distributed Learning Audit Criteria
– http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/compliance/0708-dl-audit-program-final.pdf
• LearnNow BC
– http://www.learnnowbc.ca

Innovation in Canada - BC

Developed 21st Century blended learning programs:
• The Fine Arts eCademy (K-9)
• The eCademy of New Technologies, Engineering & Robotics –
ENTER (6-7) and ENTER 2 (8-9)
• Established a Secondary Leadership Program – iClass
• “The Matrix” (10-12) for full time senior secondary students as a
program of choice
• Implementated full time Independent Learning Centres (ILCs) at all
three secondary schools in the district
Navigate / NIDES

Emerging Observations
1. Blended and online practices are blurring – it is
more about learning within flexible structures
2. Transition from online to blended more difficult
than from classroom to blended/online
3. Personalization and flexibility critical drivers in
Canada – not competency-based as of yet
4. First Nations and Francophone more organized
nationally across the country
5. Research focus on better data and exploring
pockets of innovation

Making Sense of the Data
• While many online programs evolved from distance education
initiatives, classroom-based practice has expanded into the online
environment as traditional DE programs incorporate more
synchronous and ground-based practice
• Shifting from classroom to online easier than online to blended
• BC: Navigate/NIDES, @KOOL/AVS embedded teachers, consortia
• AB: Argyll sync, ADLC teacher partners, emerging partnerships
• ON: Centralized resources/tech and support, consortia
• NS/MB/QC: Centralized approaches, local partnerships
Online Blended Classroom

Flexible Learning
Campus Virtual
Classroom DE Programs
Onsite only Online only
Flexible
Learning
• Instruction & learning is
both onsite and online
• Some element of choice
in learning for students
Blended and Online Learning Trends
Emerging and Trending Shifts in Practices

Innovation in Canada
• Four outstanding programs and educators were nominated by CANeLearn for
innovation awards presented by iNACOL (International Association for K-12
Online Learning http://www.inacol.org/members/awards/).
• The iNACOL Innovator Awards recognize learning practices, new research and
individual achievements in the field of blended and online learning.
• CANeLearn nominees were:
– Josh Gray from the Thames Valley District School Board, London ON;
– The Navigate Program of the North Island Distance Education School,
Courtenay BC;
– Michael Barbour (Canadian researcher); and
– Maurice Barry of the Centre for Distance Learning and Innovation, St. John
NL.
More Information can be found here:
http://canelearn.net/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=7

iNACOL Innovative Blended and Online
Learning Practice Award Recipients ->
2012, 2013, 2014

24
Issues
Challenges
Innovation
LEADERSHIP

Foundations for flexible learning:
1. Policy and funding
• What is supporting?
• What is required?
• Strategies for change…
2. Curriculum alignment
• Conflict or Concert?
• Building congruence…
3. Organizational models
• Blended Learning approaches
• Changing horses in the middle of the stream…
4. Learning Resources
• What is missing?
• Where can you find it?
5. Teachers' technological and pedagogical skills
• Strengths?
• Challenges?
• Strategies to support…
Table Talk…

THANK YOU
http://CANeLearn.net

27
•Randy LaBonte
rlabonte@canelearn.net
@rlabonte
rlabonte23
http://CANeLearn.net

Contact Information
• Randy LaBonte
– CEO
– rlabonte@canelearn.net
– @rlabonte
– rlabonte23
http://CANeLearn.net

• Newfoundland and Labrador
– Single province-wide program
– No regulations (currently being created)
• Nova Scotia
– Single province-wide and district-based programs
– Regulations in Provincial Teachers’ Agreement
• Prince Edward Island
– Uses distance education from other provinces
– Two Ministerial Directives
• New Brunswick
– Single province-wide program
– Series of Ministry policy documents
State of the Nation in Canada Report

• Quebec
– District-based programs (provincial level
content provider)
– Provincial consortiums
• Ontario
– Province-wide LMS and course content
– Private virtual schools
– Provincial consortiums
– eLearning Ontario district coordinators (EEOs)
State of the Nation in Canada Report

• Yukon
– Utilize British Columbia resources & program
– Launched own Aurora Virtual School
– referenced in legislation, largely governed by an inter-provincial
agreement with BC school district
• North West Territories
– Utilize a program in Alberta (ADLC
– Several Ministry policy documents
• Nunavut
– Past and future plans for pilot programs (may utilize services in
Alberta)
– No regulations
State of the Nation in Canada Report

• Manitoba
– Three province-wide programs (for online province provides CMS and
course content, used by district-based programs
– Ministry policy documents currently being updated
– Discussion of provincial FMNI division
• Saskatchewan
– District-based programs (since 2009-10)
– No regulations since devolution from Ministry
• Alberta
– Province-wide and district-based programs
– Limited Ministry policy documents (more extensive policies currently
being formulated)
• British Columbia
– District-based and private (independent) programs
– Several legislative items (additional Ministry documents)
– Highest regulated
State of the Nation in Canada Report

33

Measuring Quality: Randy LaBonte 34