Towards a National eLearning Strategy: Challenges and Opportunities in Canada

1. Shaping our Future: Towards a Pan-Canadian eLearning Research AgendaOn-line Conference, from Montreal, May 22nd, 2008The Case for an eLearning Research and Innovation Strategy Gilbert PaquetteLORNET Scientific DirectorCRC in Instructional and Cognitive EngineeringLICEF Research Center, Télé-universitéwww.licef.teluq.uquebec.ca/gp

2. Study on International eLearning Initiatives Financed by CCL/CCA in 2005

3. Obstacles to an e-Learning strategy in Canada • Education is not a federal competency ? • Too many provincial jurisdictions with tight budgets ? • E-learning is already sufficiently disseminated ? • Insufficient awareness on the importance of eLearning in the knowledge society ? • No need for sustained, coordinated programs and initiatives; no need for a eLearning strategy ?

4. Organizations & Multiple Jurisdictions • JISC_UK (since 1993) • England, Scotland, Wales & Northern Ireland • Education.au (since 1997) • All Australian states and territories education authorities (8); • European Union – eLearning programs (since 2003) • 27 countries; Multilingual • Educause - USA • 50 states

5. Main Findings • E-learning seen as a productive part of the new economy • Strategies and actions are government initiated • Embrace a wide scope of activities and stakeholders • Substantial public funding • Research, a fundamental dimension in the e-learning strategy • Jurisdictional competencies and cultural diversity are not constraints to collaboration

6. JISC Initiatives Wide range of services and financial support to projects

7. Education.au Initiatives • Wide range of services & capacities centered around accessing, developing and sharing online content & services : • Business services (user needs) • Technical services and solutions • Comprehensive web services • Scalable web solutions • Standards and interoperability • Web desk services • Main current projects : • EdNA Learning Object Repository • myfuture.edu.au- Australia's career information service • The Le@rning Federation : Australia / New Zealand, 2001-2006 • Government Education Portal (Commonwealth) • Interoperability standards development • <.edu.au>domain name management

8. European Initiatives • EC eLearning program (2004-2006): • Education, training and lifelong learning • Teachers, trainers, learners • Schools and higher education institutions • Promoting digital literacy • European virtual campuses • e-Twinning of schools & promotion of teacher training • Transversal actions for the promotion of e-learning in Europe (including elearningeuropa - eLearning portal) • European Schoolnet • School networking and services • Policy and Practice • Interoperability and Content exchange

9. EDUCAUSE (USA) Initiatives • Professional development activities • Applied research • Strategic policy advocacy • Teaching and learning initiatives • Online information services • Print and electronic publications, including books, monographs, and the magazines EDUCAUSE Quarterly and EDUCAUSE Review • Special interest collaborative communities • Awards for leadership and exemplary practices

10. Type of organizations • JISC A NFP Organization led by Higher Education Councils of UK countries, Research Councils and UK universities representatives • Education.au ltd. Non-profit Corporation put in place by a federal Australian Law in agreement with the Ministers of Education of the 8 States and Territories governments • European Unioninitiatives They are projects put in place by EU Education Ministries decrees, funded by EU Governments • EDUCAUSE : member-driven initiative Non profit association of 2,000 colleges, universities, educational organizations, 200 corporations, and 15,000 active members

11. Funding • JISC • 2004-05: 137 M$ CAN funding from HE councils • Education.au • 2005 : 10 M$ CAN • European Union • eLearning prog. 2004-2006: 63 M$ CAN • Eur. Schoolnet, 2006: 5,46 M$ CAN • « eContent plus » 2005–08 : 214 M$ CAN • TeLearn, 2005-06 : 78 M$ CAN • EDUCAUSE • 2006 : 13,6 M $US (only for central management)

12. The Situation in Canada-Key issues and concerns

13. Canadian Initiatives • Huge investments in the ICT infrastructure • CANARIE’S eLearning : 32 projects through its 29 millions $ cost-shared; Program ended after 5 years • Industry Canada funded Canadian participation in IMS and IEEE, now absent from these decision centers • SchoolNet had a huge impact on K-12 and was ended while it was more and more productive • Canadian participation to international initiatives like GLOBE is fragile • The LORNET research network has achieved important R&D results that need to be transferred and disseminated; no funding for that

14. Why Are We Behind ? • Discontinuity of major initiatives • Short-terms financing of small projects • Duplication and waste of efforts • Separation of research and innovations projects from implementation and deployment initiatives • Multiplicity of centers of decision • Lack of strategy, long-term vision, determination and continuity • Funding totally insufficient

15. Proposals for an eLearning Strategy and a Research Agenda

16. Internet, the Ubiquitous Learning Platform • Did you use the Internet at least once in the last seven days ? (NetTendances 2007, Cefrio)

17. Needed: A Vision and a Strategy for the Quality of Learning • Learner centered approaches must be instrumented across boundaries, in a life long learning perspective • Repositories of content resources, design resources, and interoperable tools must be made available to learners and educators and evaluated by them to ensure more quality • Programs for the development of high-quality content and learning designs should be put in place systematically in workplace sectors and subject matters in universities, colleges and schools • Programs for the professional development of teachers and trainers must be supported using eLearning technologies, including competency self-assessment resources.

18. Needed Initiatives • eLearning R&D Dissemination Fund • Action Research Joint Funding Program by the Canadian Research Councils • Research Program on eLearning standards Implementation and Professional Training • Sustain a Network of Learning Object Repositories Linked to the Globe Project. • Support Communities of Practice to Develop High-quality Content and Learning Designs.Implement a User-based Evaluation Process. • Develop eLearning Modules for educators eLearning professionals and Create Competency Assessment Programs

19. A Coordinating Agency Infrastruc-ture, Tools & Standards Policy orientation & Planning Business IntelligenceProgress & NeedsAss.. Research Programs ELearning Dissemina-tion Support Community Awareness Programs Coordinating Structure Nunavut Centre BC Centre Prairies Centre Québec Centre Atlantic Centre Ontario Centre

20. Some Research Priorities

21. Research on the Educational Web K Internet Generations 4 Intelligent Web 3 Semantic Web Increasing Knowledge Networks 1 Information Web 2 Social Web S Increasing Social Networks

22. IMS-LD Web 1.0 - The Technical Challenges: Interoperability, Reusability, Scalability, Flexibility SCORM QTI Etc.

23. Leaning Object Respositories:Networking Worldwide for Quality LORNET(CANADA) SCHOOLNET(EUROPE) ARIADNE(EUROPE) MERLOT(ÉTATS-UNIS) FRANCO : RAFAEL NIME(JAPON) EDNA(AUSTRALIE) LACLO(AMERIQUE DU SUD)

24. Web 2.0 - Social Interactivity

25. Mobility - PodCasting

26. Web 3.0 – The Knowledge Web

27. MegaTrends – The Future is Here • New communication means and interfaces • Collective creation and sharing of knowledge • Prosumerism: Content production by users • New forms of socialization • Augmented and Virtual Reality Environments • Personal mobile multimedia assistant • Internet as the unique and ubiquitous educational platform

28. Profund Impact on Learning • Learning through personal research – Renewed importance on « Learning to Learn » • Multiplicity of (valuable or unreliable) information sources • Information management competencies are key • Creating a new equilibrium between search/browsing and human interaction, between real and virtual activities • New means for an active, constructive pedagogy based on real situation, problem solving, project-based learning, etc.

29. Evolution of the Tasks and Roles of Educators • On-line learning questions traditional models : inevitable focus on learner – team work – facilitation • Frontiers between departments, institutions, countries are blurring – shift towards higher competencies – specialization and collaboration are essential • Mobility of knowledge diversifies ways, time and places where to learn – Distance Ed is the future • Large gap between students and professors towards perceptions and use of technologies - digital divide to evercome • The number and the interaction of teaching decisions increases – need for a new ISD methodology

30. New Institutional Challenges • Educational institution and training department must change their processes towards networking instead of the industrial model • Need to develop new forms of interaction, collaboration, evaluation and work for instructional design, learning resource production and search, and delivery processes • Importance to model knowledge and competencies linked to processes and resources • Invent services, content and media to be delivered in multiple ways: desktop, mobile devices, F2F meetings,… • Become learning organizations - Offer means to acquire and develop information, media and method competencies to professors, staff and students – New roles for the libraries linked to knowledge portals

31. Shaping our Future: Towards a Pan-Canadian eLearning Research AgendaOn-line Conference, from Montreal, 22nd, 2008Merci ! www.licef.teluq.uquebec.ca/gp