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Distance Education in Qubec

Robert SaucierP/TDEARocky Harbour, Terre-Neuve29 septembre 2009

*DE in QubecSome basic facts [grounded or online]

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www.clifad.qc.ca

Saisie de la page daccueil du Portail

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portailfad.qc.ca

Saisie de la page daccueil du Portail

*Statistics of DE in QubecSecondary, Cgep, UniversitiesContinuous growth in course registrations

1996: 60 515 2008: 123 719

*Statistics of Secondary DESales compared to registrations2001: 18 900 registrations 2008: 38 400 registrations 17 500 sales 25 500 sales

*Brief history of DE in Qubec1995, all student services go to the SB

*SOFADSocit de formation distance des commissions scolaires du Qubec1996, SOFAD is officially borna central body, outside the Ministry, administered by the SBto develop, produce or coproduce learning materials for general educationeither in DE or in adult education centresto promote DEto carry out studies and research to foster the use of new technologiesto encourage partnerships

*SOFAD Learning materialsA publisher of learning materials used in many learning situations

For both French and English speaking communitiesFor the adult population (16 years and over)Self-pacedFor DE or adult education centres

More than 200 courses offeredAll academic courses Secondary 1-5 (French and English)Vocational courses in Secretarial Studies and Accounting (French)A few professional training and popular education courses (French)

*SOFADA Dichotomy of Learning Materials

*Different learning materials Different distribution systemsPaper based materials

SOFAD.QC.CASOCADISSBStudents

*Different learning materials Different distribution systemsOnline materials

eduSOFADSBStudents

*SOFAD Learning materials sales: paper vs online

*SOFAD The challenge of online communicational educationSOFADSBSTUDENTS

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DE and E-learningSometimes in the future

*SOFADHuman resources24 peopleProjects coordinatorsResearch & Communication advisorDigital rights negotiatorTechnical supportWeb integratorClient servicesSupport staff

*SOFADHuman resourcesOutsourcing for 2/3 of production costsSubject matter specialistsResearchersAuthorsSystem analysts and programmersIllustrators, recording studios, actorsGraphic designers Interface designersContent reviewersLinguistic reviewersProofreadersTechnical reliability testersWebmasters

*SOFAD 2009-2010 development plan

The need for new materials because of the reform of the curriculum

No new online courses development

*Issues DE for the Youth SectorSOFADs opinion (november 2005)http://www.sofad.qc.ca/pdf/SOFAD_Avis_FD_jeunes.pdfAn experimentPhysique 534 (partnership with one SB)An inactive file at the Ministry

*Recent DevelopmentsMaterial for the GEDTSTests have been accepted by the MELS since 2004Mandate from the Ministry to produce learning materials, in French, for the preparation to the testsMaterials in print and online.

*SOFAD Customized ServicesDelivery of a service rather than a productPaper, online, in french, in english, learning materials, exams,

*SOFAD A 2008-2011 business plan

Requested by the Ministry in the early summerTo be applied to the present fiscal year and the two following onesA thinking/writing process; a consultative processBusiness plan will be sent in a few days

*SOFAD A business plan

*Conclusion The personal computer is the bicycle of the mind. (Steve Jobs)

**On the West Coast NL in 2004, on Highway 430

Call your tutor from anywhere

SOFAD and MinistryResearch vs Communication

*PG, president, myself, secretary, for the last two years

Since last year, 2 other universities have joined (ENAP, UQAT)

Total 16 institutions8 universitiesCgep@distanceSOFAD and 6 SB

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Online since November 2007*RS Registrations stats for all the institutions

Since 1995-1996, first year of the new system in DE, the level of registrations has more than doubled.

The most important growth observed is at the secondary level.*There is a growth of our sales of SOFAD materials used in a DE situation.

But in the last few years, the number of people using the DE system grows faster than the use of SOFADs DE materials.

SOFADs share of the DE market which was close to 100 % is now down to 66 %. *DE was created in 1946 in Qubec. For the next 50 years, it remained in this same configuration of a single unit at the Ministry of Education

Then in 1995-1996 there was a complete reorganisation.

First, in January 1995, all student services went to the SB who volunteered for this new mandate, which was the case of about 40 of them.

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*The paper based material is often (some 40% of the total) a multimedia material, the print material being completed by CDs, DVDs, accompanying websites,

The online material is actually digital only material, in the sense that if there is a component that is actually, so to speak, a mini-textbook, it will only be available as an online PDF document.

Lately, we have had an output of around 30 new courses or services made available each year.*Information on new courses via emails (with Course descriptions) to our partners/customers in the SB

Course Catalogues and Course Brochures are accessible on our Web Site.

Ordering and sales are done through our distributor, SOCADIS.

*In operation since March 2004

Information on new courses via emails (with a Course description and a link to the course demo)List and demos of Courses and Services on the portalOrdering and sales via the portalFree access to the courses for instructors/tutors at any time

The courses are complete elearning environments providing all learners need to learnall teachers/tutors need to support learning

The courses are self paced

All this happens (or does not happen as we will see) within the established SB /SOFAD structure

*2004-529 417 vs 6 2005-637 217 vs 232006-738 429 vs 126

A business plan was presented to the SB in June 2003 to incite them to put money into the development and production of online courses.

The projections were that at the fourth year of operations, eduSOFAD would offer 60 to 70 courses that would gather 60 000 plus registrations (no differentiation between use in DE, in a class or as an independent learner).

After that, everything was done in a magic bullet theory kind of way, as if all you have to do is shoot with a well designed IT gun, and you always score some great educational results We all know it does not work like that, that change agents must bring together all the conditions necessary for change.

We are halfway through the sixth year. There is about 30 courses offered. So the registrations would total about 30 000 if the projections of the BP were right. In fact, last year was the best one with only 764 registrations.

The issue is never confronted or resolved.

*The online DE has to go through the SB to happen

But the administrative split of 1995-1996 planned and managed by the Ministry in secondary DE in QC, between SOFAD and the SB, comes to its worst negative consequences here.

SOFAD produces materials that the SB hardly use.

The principal stakeholder, the Ministry of education, has an extremely low educational return on its investment. The Ministry has never shown any sign of annoyance with this situation.*The many years of magical thinking

We can see a big wave coming.

Theres gonna be a snowball effect.

We are ahead of the demand.

People are waiting for us to have complete series of courses online (Science, Maths,) to jump in.

From 2005 to 2009, the total number of courses offered : 4, 8, 16, 20, 27

Number of registrations (no matter the learning situation, be it DE, in a center or as an independant student) : 57, 84, 599, 507, 764

Mean number of registrations by course each year: 14, 11, 37, 25, 28.

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*The decision to have materials in DE compliant to the reform translates into a plan to develop 28 print materials (14 in French, 14 in English) related to Common Core Basic Education).

7 have been published so far in FrenchIn English, SOFAD is still waiting for a confirmation of financing

Otherwise, SOFAD is completing the online courses that were already at the development stage, but no new online materials are planned this year.

*Physique 534Any teacher in Qubec has free access to the material.The course is in line with the present program, but it tries at the same time be in line with the principles of the new program.The course can be used in any situation, be it DE or a class situation.Anecdote CSBE

Youth sectorThe Ministry went from slow to still The youth sector file has been put in the freezer.A new Portrait of situation prepared and paid for by the Ministry has been completed since last fall and is still unpublished. For a while in June of this year, there was - to everyones amazement - a rumor that the Ministry might organise some sort of a DE forum this Fall Nothing happened

*General Educational Development Testing ServiceCEES Certificat dquivalence dtudes secondaires

Its a work in progress, so to speak.The 6 print materials are now offered.The 6 online ones are planned to be out before the end of 2009.*A good exemple (a best practice) of being positively preoccupied with the learners needs and with the context of learning.*The expression BP was used since the beginning of this process. In my perception, what was actually produced is a request for money with a description of where and when that money will be spent, that mixed with elements of what could be put in a vision statement of the organizion... But it seems that this was exactly what the Ministry was looking for.

That is the slide that presented the BP situation last October. The 12 months since then have been... (diapo!)*foggy (Trout River Pond)... as far as our relationship with the Ministry is concerned.

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