OntarioLearn'com

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Education At Your Fingertips
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Session Topics

• Background
• How it works
• Why it works
• Course Development Facilitation Standards
• The Technology
• Questions and Answers

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Background
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What is OntarioLearn.com

• Partnership of 22 Ontario Community Colleges
• Launched in 1995
• Partners design and deliver on-line courses for
  their students
• Share course curriculum and avoid duplication

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Membership OntarioLearn.com
Lambton Loyalist Mohawk Niagara Northern Sault
Seneca Sheridan Sir Sandford Fleming St.
Clair St. Lawrence

• Algonquin
• Cambrian
• Canadore
• Centennial
• Conestoga
• Confederation
• Durham
• Fanshawe
• George Brown
• Georgian
• Humber

Membership OntarioLearn.com
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Organizational Structure

• Board of Directors
• Executive Committee
• Regional Committees
• Administrator
• College Coordinators
• Technical Service Provider
• Project Coordinator (NEW)

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Enrollment Trends
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How OntarioLearn Works
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Role of a Host College

• Develop the course
• Hire the instructor
• Provide course information to all partner
  colleges each semester
• Provide the final grades

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Role of a Registering College

• Select courses from the OntarioLearn Course
  Inventory to offer at their college.
• Advertise the courses
• Register students and collect fees
• Order and sell required textbooks
• Invigilate final exams
• Pay share of the instructor fee to Host College
• Pay Technical Service Provider

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Example Accounting 1
15 colleges contributing to the overall course
enrolment.
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Benefits for Colleges

• Access to each colleges strengths
• Eliminate course duplication
• Combine registrations - able to run a course
  with minimal students
• Cost effective

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Benefits for Students

• Improved connection between students and
  instructor
• Participation, interaction and collaboration
• Flexibility for different learning styles
• Improved access
• Schedule flexibility
• Diverse selection of courses

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Other Details

• All courses have a start and end date.
• Semester-based (majority)
• Monthly Intake
• All courses are instructor-led.
• Many courses have final exam requirements. The
  exam format may be
• Online
• In-person at the Registering College
• Invigilated by an approved proctor
• The students Registering College is the
  credentialing institution.

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How a Student Gets Started.

• The student selects their course.
• Course Inventory section at www.OntarioLearn.com
• Partner college information (web site or college
  publications)
• The student registers for the course through one
  of the partner colleges.
• The student is provided with their course access
  details by their Registering College.

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OntarioLearn Course Inventory

• gt700 courses currently available.
• gt330 courses under development.
• No duplicates allowed.
• College has one year to develop and deliver
  course.

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Why It Works
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Relationships

• Collaboration
• Cooperation
• Communication
• Recognition of others contributions
• Trust

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Economics

• Low Risk
• Rationalize resources
• Avoid duplication
• Choice
• Flexibility

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Course Development and Facilitation Standards
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Course Development Standards

• Established minimum standards and created
  resources for partner colleges
• OntarioLearn Developing Facilitating Online
  Courses manual.
• Course Development Checklists which specify
  mandatory and recommended design elements

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Blackboard Course Development Checklist


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Enforcing Course Development Standards

• Implemented a Course-Standards Evaluation
  Process to provide a mechanism to evaluate all
  courses against established course development
  standards.
• Strive to evaluate 20 of all courses annually.
• Host College has one semester to correct any
  identified design problems.

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Facilitation Standards

• Established minimum standards and created
  training resources for partner colleges
• OntarioLearn Developing Facilitating Online
  Courses manual.
• Online Facilitation Course for all faculty
  (available 2005).
• Publish an online Faculty Newsletter each
  semester.

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Enforcing Facilitation Standards

• Implemented a Course Review process that is
  completed at the end of each semester.
• Students complete an online course evaluation
  survey.
• Any course with poor ratings is subject to
  further review to determine if sanctions are
  required.

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Our Commitment to Quality

• In the event of design and/or facilitation
  problems a course can be placed on
• Level One Course Evaluation Follow Up Status
• Level Two Course Evaluation Follow Up Status
  (which could mean the cancellation/ suspension of
  the course).

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The Technology
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Technical Service Provider

• Embanet Corporation (Toronto)
• Largest e-Learning provider. Supported 1,000,000
  enrollments last year with over 30,000 student
  saves
• Provides hosting, live 24/7/365 support for
  faculty and students, course development and
  training
• Specializes in increasing retention and
  completion rates for online programs

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Platforms Used

• FirstClass
• Blackboard
• WebCT
• Additional Platforms Embanet Supports
• ANGEL, IntraLearn and SAKAI

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Summary Total Calls Taken By Embanet Helpdesk

• Period of January 1st 2005 to March 31st 2005
• Embanet

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Summary of Calls
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QUESTIONS?