New Investments and Innovative Programming Driving Canadian Success in a Growing Area of Post-Secondary Education

June 6, 2012

[THUNDER BAY] – Contact North | Contact Nord, Ontario’s distance education and training network has released a new report describing how public colleges and universities across the country are providing extensive and innovative online learning opportunities for their students and positioning Canada as a  global online learning hub.

Online Learning in Canada 2012: At a Tipping Point, is the first in what will become a regularly updated check-up on the state of online learning in this country. With the report, Contact North | Contact Nord hopes to provide a national perspective on the latest developments in online learning in each of the provinces – something that hasn’t been done in more than a decade.

“Online Learning in Canada is part of Contact North | Contact Nord’s ongoing contribution to supporting the post-secondary education and training sector to take online learning in Ontario to the next level,” noted Maxim Jean-Louis, President – Chief Executive Officer, Contact North | Contact Nord.  “This ‘work-in-progress’ will help encourage collaboration and sharing in the field of online learning amongst provinces and territories across Canada, with the ultimate goal of providing a higher quality learning experience for all students.”

The report’s findings highlight Ontario’s major contribution to this internationally growing field:

• Ontario’s 24 public colleges and 20 public universities collectively offer over 1,000 online programs and more than 18,000 online courses;
• Ontario currently has approximately half a million online course registrations – over twice that of any other Canadian jurisdiction;
• Ontario is home to a global technology leader in online learning – Kitchener-based Desire2Learn;
• Ontario’s 24 colleges and 20 universities boast dozens of pockets of innovation(link is external) success stories where faculty is finding new ways to use technology to teach.

“The release of Online Learning in Canada by Contact North | Contact Nord is a good first step in encouraging the sharing of information amongst all provinces and territories,” said Paul Taillefer, Chair, Board of Directors, Contact North | Contact Nord and President, Canadian Teachers’ Federation.  “However, we need to not only enhance and build-out this cross Canada check-up, but we also need to engage in a focused discussion on the challenges we all face and how we can collectively address them for the benefit of students.”

The full Online Learning in Canada 2012: At a Tipping Point report can be downloaded on the Contact North ǀ Contact Nord website. Contact North ǀ Contact Nord is inviting post-secondary institutions in other provinces and territories to share updates and information on new developments in online learning that can be included in future editions.