Audiences, Content, and Strategies for Distance Programming in Remote Alberta Communities

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Audiences, Content, and Strategies for Distance
Programming in Remote Alberta Communities

• A Vision and an Initial Assessment
• Pat Fahy Nancy Steel
• Athabasca University
• ADETA Conference, Edmonton
• 18 October 2007
• Mayfield Inn

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Origin of the Learning Communities Project

• Athabasca University model distance education
  university offering supported online learning
  (with some paced elements).
• Other models rejected DE ideal for remote and
  rural communities, especially for camp residents.
• Project funded by a donation from Canadian
  Natural.
• Develop people, wants competitive advantage.
• Do well while doing good.

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Project chronology

• April 2006 initial planning meetings
• November 2007 Budget vetted, tentatively
  approved
• April 2007 - RF and PM hired
• September 2007 first launch
• January 2008 first report due
• 2010 project ends

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Project principles

• Focus on 4 targeted audiences camp workers,
  northern and rural residents, aboriginals
• Develop partnerships to provide access to range
  of target groups, based on ongoing assessment of
  needs, interests, and preferences
• a. Partners must share distance philosophy
• Communities contribute access, time, expertise,
  and material support

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Project objectives

• To transform the workplace and communities.
• To address personal goals with respect to career
  advancement and achievement.
• To work out new ways of creating learning
  communities in rural and remote areas.
• (For corporate sponsors) To address problems
  attracting and retaining skilled workforce.

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Project Activities

• Investigate and address learning needs of
  employees.
• Investigate and address the learning needs and
  preferences of selected rural and remote
  communities.
• Conduct on-going project evaluation, continuing
  needs analysis.
• Conduct a literature review.
• Report regularly on project outcomes.
• Contribute to peer reviewed journals.
• Pilot test mobile learning.

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The labour market backdrop to the LCP

• Urgent need for highly skilled workforce
• Current shortage of skilled workers, especially
  in the northern Alberta oil sands operations
• Need to develop untapped labour pools
  Aboriginals, immigrants
• Need for young, highly skilled workers to replace
  retiring workers - mentorship
• Labour force skill levels impact workplace
  productivity and Canadas ability to compete in
  global market

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Social backdrop to the LCP

• Urgent need for highly skilled citizens
• Individuals skill levels affect their income
  levels, employment prospects, and ability to use
  technologies.
• Individuals skill levels affect their ability to
  participate in formal and informal learning,
  adapt to change, and participate in their
  communities
• In short, individuals skill levels affect their
  personal well being and the well being of society
• The aim of the LCP is to develop people in
  communities and the workplace.
• Learning a Living First results of the adult
  literacy and life skills survey
  http//www.statcan.ca/english/freepub/89-603-XIE/
  2005001/pdf/89-603-XWE-part1.pdf

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Distance education for LCP

• Availability of Supernet at CAP sites in remote
  and rural communities
• Internet connectivity at Canadian Natural,
  Horizon site
• Bloom where planted

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Current project progress

• Literature review
• Statistics Canada
• Organization for Economic Cooperation and
  Development
• Canadian Council on Learning
• Chronology of events, inquiry tracking
• Four occasional reports circulated

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Recent activities

• Project launches at 3 work camps at Canadian
  Natural, Horizon site
• 5 work camps housing approximately 500 2000
  residents, each
• Approximately 10,000 workers on site, mostly
  construction contractor workers and other trades
  people
• Union non-union workers, primary union is the
  Christian Labour Association of Canada
• http//www.cnrl.com/horizon/

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Recent activities

• Study of current adult education learning
  opportunities in selected remote and rural
  communities
• Baseline information (intended first paper)
• M-learning planning

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Key findings to date

• Potential students needs and interests vary
  greatly, and are influenced by their occupation.
• In camps, distance delivery is viewed positively.
• However, computer access among workers at the
  Horizon site is uneven.
• So far, expressed learning interests are
  uniformly related to career enhancement or
  advancement.

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Current challenges and issues

• Tracking LCP registrations at AU and other
  education institutions
• Educating some potential students about distance
  education
• Need to create a customized course catalogue
  for the project
• Determining the role, viability of m-learning for
  the target audiences

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• Pat Fahy (patf_at_athabascau.ca)
• 866-514-6234
• Nancy Steel (nancys_at_athabascau.ca)
• 866-569-8051

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• Learning a Living First results of the adult
  literacy and life skills survey
  http//www.statcan.ca/english/freepub/89-603-XIE/
  2005001/pdf/89-603-XWE-part1.pdf
• The Well Being of Nations, OECD
  http//www.unece.org/stats/documents/wgssd/zip.5.
  add.2.e.pdf

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