Education 6620 Carla Hull Nov . 30, 2012

1. Distance Education Education 6620 Carla Hull Nov. 30, 2012 E-Room

2. Some Communities Offering CDLI in Newfoundland and Labrador South East Bight Hermitage Little Bay Islands Black Tickle

3. The Launch of CDLI in Newfoundland and Labrador “We are able to take advantage of new technologies to provide the same quality programs and services to all our students, no matter where they live. This is part of our government’s commitment to prepare our young people for the ever-increasing opportunities in this province and elsewhere." Premier Roger Grimes Government News Release on CDLI, 2002

4. History of Distance Education in NL • Distance Education has been around since the 1930’s. Newfoundland began to use distance learning in 1988 with a single advanced mathematics course. • A few years later, course offerings included physics, chemistry and French. • There was a drawback. Communication was limited to using regular phone lines and Canada Post.

5. Mandate and Goals of CDLI with respect to K-12 students. • Increase career options for students, particularly those in small and isolated schools. • Development and delivery ofprograms of senior high school distance education learning. • Oversight K-12 technology integration initiatives.

6. CDLI Statistics in NL • 100+ CDLI Schools • 1000+ Students • 1700-1800 Course Registrations • 30.5 E-Teachers

7. Resources/Hardware • 1000+ Computer Workstations • 100+ Videoconferencing Units

8. Learning Tools • Desire 2 Learn (Learning Management System) • Blackboard Collaborate (Web Conferencing Tool) • Video Conferencing (Polycom)

9. Benefits of Distance Education • Access by rural students to educational opportunities is the main benefit of distance education. • CDLI enables students to enrol in courses they have interest in but may not be available in rural schools. For example, French, art, and music.

10. Benefits Continued… • Access to courses not available due to declining enrolments, small class sizes and teacher availability • Access to highly qualified instructors • Exposure to more sophisticated technology • Development of independent study skills

11. Other Advantages • Students are able to print a copy of class notes for studying purposes. • Recorded classes enable students to revisit them if they have to miss them for any reason. • Weather days are not a problem because students can sign on at home. • When students login, they have a calendar which displays all important dates.

12. Challenges of Distance Education • Classroom Management Issues • Centralized Scheduling • Technical Support • M-Teachers • Student Characteristics • Disconnect between teachers and students

13. Other Considerations… . • Further declining enrollment leads to more students • requiring online courses. • Schools deemed necessarily existent have to rely on CDLI • Students that require more support and supervision are • disadvantaged when it comes to distance learning.

14. Conclusions • Distance Learning provides access by rural students to educational opportunity. E-learning removes geographical barriers and allows for students in very remote areas to be taught by some of the most qualified instructors. • Decrease in enrollment will necessitate further reliance on • distance learning. • Supervision at the school level is a growing concern. • Currently teachers and administrators are responsible • but time, availability and scheduling are ongoing concerns.