Ontario Government Report: The Role of the Province in Establishing eLearning Policy for Higher Education and the Regulation of for-Profit eLearning
The government in Ontario plays a key role in shaping the vision, goals, direction, and strategies for eLearning in post-secondary education. This report, respectfully submitted to the province of Ontario’s Ministry of Training, Colleges, and Universities (MTCU) under a new NDP government, is divided into four parts. First, it gives a brief introduction to the purpose of the report and a rationale for increasing the province’s capacity for eLearning based on the values of accessibility, quality, cost-effectiveness, and social responsibility. Second, it describes the context of, and current direction for, supporting eLearning[1] at the post-secondary level.[2] Third, it summarizes key benefits and limitations of the previous government’s efforts to enable eLearning, and limitations of both government and private sector involvement in general. Fourth, it articulates a framework that expands provincial eLearning policy-setting, national eLearning planning, and semi-privatization to achieve a vision of eLearning based on educational, economic, and civic goals. Although the role of the provincial government in technology planning and managing should be strong, it should use its strength to empower educational communities. In an appendix, this report makes further recommendations for regulation, innovation, and financial investment to support eLearning provincially.
[1] eLearning refers broadly to the use of electronic technologies in the delivery of education and training, as well as to the pedagogical principles and practical concerns that shape its development and delivery. There are many variations in the spelling and meaning of the term eLearning. In this document, eLearning is spelled as such to indicate that “electronic media” modifies learning, but the capital “L” indicates an emphasis on learning.
[2] To retain focus in this report, analysis will be limited to English-based public universities and colleges, and exclude an analysis of federal initiatives, private colleges, private degree-granting institutions, and pre-university/adult education programs. It will also not consider the state of public schools in Ontario, although priorities, initiatives, and plans for eLearning for K-12 education should intersect and co-inform those of post-secondary education.
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