60 Years of Distance Education 10 Years of

60 Years of Distance Education 10 Years of SOFAD DE at the Secondary Level in Québec Robert Saucier Présentation à la rencontre de la P/TDEA Iqaluit, Nunavut 26 septembre 2006 1

Introduction • Information technology and globalization have resulted in significant changes in the relationship of space and time, so that one can speak today of a contraction or «shrinking effect» (Paul Virilio) with regard to space. This change is having an impact we are but starting to define on the social constitution of the individual and the parameters of social interaction. Architecture, as a medium of social integration, deserves a central role in this context, as does photography, the oldest of the new media. Photography does not reproduce architectonic space but gives a specific impression of it in time. • Hubertus von Amelunxen, Tangent e Alain Paiement, CCA, Montréal, 2003, p. 13. 2

Places of the School Without Walls 3

Brief history of DE in Québec One unit at the Ministry for 50 years n 1946 • • • Lack of materials for vocational education Lack of technical schools Solution: a correspondance school for voc. Ed. 4

Brief history of DE in Québec Mapping the clientele in 1956 5

Brief history of DE in Québec n 1972 • n 80’s • • • n General education Popular education and cegep level courses Business minded organisation Registrations peaked Early 90’s • • • DE institution created for the cegep level First courses offered in English «Planned» decline of DE takes place 6

Brief history of DE in Québec • 1995 -1996 • End of single unit for DE at the Ministry • A new system with two subsets • The school boards (SB) • Société de formation à distance des commissions scolaires du Québec (SOFAD) 7

Brief history of DE in Québec n 1995, all student services go to the SB 8

Brief history of DE in Québec Continuous growth in course registrations 1995 -96: 10 600 2004 -05: 28 000 + 9

Brief history of DE in Québec 1996, SOFAD is born n n n a central body, outside the Ministry, administered by the SB to develop, produce or coproduce learning materials for general education, either in DE or in adult ed. centres to promote DE to carry out studies and research to foster the use of new technologies to encourage partnerships 10

SOFAD Learning materials n n n For both French and English speaking communities For the adult population (16 years and over) Self-paced For DE or adult education centres More than 200 courses offered ¡ All 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) 11

SOFAD Learning materials n n n Information on new courses via emails (with Course descriptions) to our partners in the SB Course Catalogues and Course Brochures accessible on our Web Site www. sofad. qc. ca Ordering and sales through our distributor SOCADIS 12

SOFAD Human resources 26 people ¡ Projects coordinators ¡ New technologies consultant ¡ Research & Development advisor ¡ Institutional research & Communication advisor ¡ Digital rights negotiator ¡ Technical support ¡ Web integrator ¡ Client services ¡ Support staff 13

SOFAD Human resources Outsourcing for 2/3 of production costs ¡ Subject matter specialists ¡ Researchers ¡ Authors ¡ System analysts and programmers ¡ Illustrators, recording studios, actors ¡ Graphic designers ¡ Interface designers ¡ Content reviewers ¡ Llinguistic reviewers ¡ Proofreaders ¡ Technical reliability testers ¡ Webmasters 14

SOFAD Recent Developments and Issues Online Learning Some operational principles • All credit courses developed online and in print • Online and printed versions available at about the same price for the student • Courses designed for DE as well as in-class students • Courses also available to independant students 15

SOFAD Recent Developments and Issues Online Learning Courses are: n complete elearning environments providing ¡ ¡ all learners need to learn all teachers/tutors need to support learning in an integrated fashion n self paced and, when appropriate, collaborative learning n within established SB/SOFAD structure 16

SOFAD Recent Developments and Issues Online Learning 17

SOFAD Recent Developments and Issues Online Learning n n 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 www. edu. SOFAD. com Ordering and sales via the portal Free access to the courses for instructors/tutors at any time 18

SOFAD Recent Developments and Issues Online Learning 16 courses and 7 services ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ Test de classement - Anglais, langue seconde Test de classement - Français, langue d’enseignement Test de classement - Mathématiques Placement test in Mathematics Le système reproducteur et la périnatalité chez l’humain The Human Reproductive System and the Perinatal Period Réunions d’affaires Communication bilingue L’industrialisation et l’urbanisation au Québec La démocratie et la culture au Québec À la recherche d’un emploi Bilan et choix professionnels Géométrie III Introduction aux logiciels d’exploitation Le système respiratoire chez l’humain The Human Respiratory System Méthode de doigté pour tous Outils de télécommunication Recherche d’information Trigonométrie I Initiation aux ressources informatiques Éveil à la lecture et à l’écriture Du français sans fautes 19

SOFAD Recent Developments and Issues Online Learning A new e-learning platform provider: OPOSSUM n Development of a «new» platform this fall, for more flexibility, more control by SOFAD n Implementation in December 2006 n Work on other developments, starting in January, focused on new communication possibilities (in-house email application, instant messenger, …) and the integration of the e-portfolio 20

SOFAD Recent Developments and Issues DE for the Youth Sector n SOFAD’s opinion n http: //www. sofad. qc. ca/pdf/SOFAD_Avis_FD_jeunes. pdf n First project ¡ ¡ ¡ A partnership with one SB Physique 534 (100 hours course) An online course A prototype in January 2007 Online on edu. SOFAD in June 2007 21

SOFAD Recent Developments and Issues Material for the GEDs n n Tests have been accepted by the Ministry since 2004 A mandate from the Ministry Production of the learning materials, in French, for the preparation to the tests Should be available, in print and online, in 2007 22

SOFAD Recent Developments and Issues Customized Services n New launch, new staff: ¡ ¡ 2 project coordinators 1 market development coordinator 23

SOFAD Recent Developments and Issues Various projects • An international conference in Quebec City in the spring of 2006 on the E-portfolio for life-long learning http: //www. sofad. qc. ca/pdf/portfolio_numerique. pdf • The need for new materials because of the reform of the curriculum • A research project about student support in DE • A survey 24

Conclusion DE as a continual construction 25

Conclusion DE as a continual construction n Hopes or challenges ¡ … growing clientele in General education… ¡ … possibilities in Vocational education… ¡ … the youth sector… ¡ … inequity in «remote areas» … ¡ … financing of SOFAD… ¡ … joint effort for online learning with the SB 26

Conclusion DE at the Secondary Level in Québec ? or ! 27