Ontario Government Launches Distance Education Network

On October 20th, 1986, the Ontario (Canada) Government announced that it would provide up to $5 million a year over the next four years to establish a new Northern Ontario distance education access network. The project was announced jointly by the Coleges and Universities Minister Gregory Sorbara and Education Minister Sean Conway in a combined video and audio press conference that linked Toronto, Sudbury, and Thunder Bay.

Community access points throughout Northern Ontario have been established since that announcement with the objective of increasing the availability of secondary and post-secondary education in both French and English for northern Ontario residents. Each access point is equipped with "conventional" distance education technologies such as audio and video tape playback machines, audio conferencing units, and IBM and ICON computers. As well, each site has a facsimile machine.

While the bulk of the money being provided by the Government will fund the capital and operating costs of the network, the project will also make funding available to colleges and universities for the acquisition and/or development of distance education programs. On March 3rd, 1987, the Ontario Government announced an initial series of grants to 24 post- secondary distance education projects worth a total of $1,241,205. Most of these projects involve collaboration among institutions. The largest provides funding of up to $705,000 over the next four years that will allow registered nurses in northern communities to earn their Bachelor of Science in Nursing via distance education. The program is to be developed by Laurentian University in Sudbury and Lakehead University in Thunder Bay.

Cambrian College of Applied Arts and Technology in Sudbury will receive up to $169,870 over the next four years to prepare a program to train Bilingual Development Services Workers. The program trains students to work with emotionally and physically handicapped to assist them to achieve their full potential. It is the first of its kind to be offered in French via distance education.

To implement the network, the Ontario Government has entered into a contract with Laurentian University and Cambrian College in Sudbury, and with Lakehead University and Confederation College in Thunder Bay. A Northeast and a Northwest Regional Co-ordinating Centre are being established in each city respectively. Key personnel in these sites are the following: Marian Croft, Director of Continuing Education, Laurentian University; Pam Derks, Dean, Continuing Education, Cambrian College; Judy Roberts, Director, Northeast Regional Co-ordinating Centre; Susan Cole, Co-ordinator, Distance Education, Lakehead University; John Arblaster, Chairman, Academic Studies, Confederation College; and Terry Anderson, Director, Northwest Regional Co-ordinating Centre.

Each centre has just completed a training seminar for the first groups of Site Co-ordinators. There will be 17 access points in the northeast initially and 9 in the northwest. It is expected that sites will be added to both regions and that other technologies will be considered as the programming gets under way.