NORTHWEST TERRITORIES
The Beaufort Delta Education Council’s E-Learning program is aiming to make sure isolation doesn’t limit education, said Chris Gilmour, the council’s IT teacher consultant.
Theresa Cockney and Austin Inuaslurak take a break during their E-Learning class at Mangilaluk School in Tuktoyaktuk. - photo courtesy of Alex Storino
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Gilmour said in addition to online courses, the program uses two-way microphones and video to create a live teleconference with classrooms at East Three Secondary School in Inuvik.
That means students in Tuktoyaktuk and Fort McPherson, the two communities currently taking part in the program, can actually see and hear their teacher and participate in the class.
“This live, synchronous conversation with the videoconferencing with the teacher – that’s one of the most significant pieces that makes the difference for student engagement and, we feel, student achievement as well,” Gilmour said.
The program has the potential to drastically change education in the North, Gilmour said.
Students will have access to courses not offered at some high schools, such as calculus and chemistry.
This fall, Gilmour said the goal is to offer courses to students in communities without a high school, allowing them to complete some courses in their hometowns rather than moving to a larger centre, such as Inuvik.
“That would allow them to stay in the comfort of their community with their parents as opposed to having to leave to get their programs that they want, and help us avoid some of the added burdens and challenges those students face when they leave their community at such a young age,” Gilmour said.
It will also help eliminate split-level classrooms, which include students at different skill levels.
The E-Learning program will allow students at a different skill level to be matched with a classroom working at their skill level in another school.
Gilmour said the goal is to provide the same quality of education to the region’s isolated communities, as they would receive in more populated centres.
“Our hope is we can decrease the gap in achievement between the more rural communities and Inuvik and get everybody on a level playing ground,” he said.
Students will be brought to Inuvik up to twice a year to participate in hands-on learning opportunities, such as dissecting a pig in biology class.
Promotes independent learning
Currently, courses are being offered to students in Grades 10, 11 and 12 and Gilmour said students are screened to ensure they will be able to self-regulate their work.
“We know for students to be successful in this type of environment, they have to have a degree of independence,” he said.
So far, the program is working, Gilmour said. Eighty per cent of students enrolled last year passed their classes.
Theresa Cockney, from Mangilaluk School in Tuktoyaktuk, is currently taking the E-Learning Grade 11 English course. She said she enjoys the course, but knows she has to discipline herself.
“It’s a big responsibility,” she said.
Alex Storino, guidance counsellor at Mangilaluk School, said the courses allow students to take more control over their learning experience. Because material is available online, students can access their courses anywhere with an Internet connection.
“It also gives them a chance to do that work at home,” he said. “They can find everything they need online.”
Cockney said when she works from home, her teacher is only an e-mail away.
“From home, when I’m stuck on my work and I need help, I can just e-mail the teacher and he checks it like 100 times a day, so I have my help right there at home,” she said.
Storino said E-Learning is also a way to balance traditional lifestyles with the modern.
“It’s not always necessarily the objective of getting into post secondary, a lot of kids would rather hunt and trap and live off the land,” he said. “They don’t have to choose one or the other now. This is what holistic education really is.”
For students who want to pursue post-secondary education, E-Learning in high school will teach them how operate online courses offered in many universities and colleges.
“They’re setting themselves up to learn the way they’re going to be taught their college courses,” he said.
Better technology
The program has been in place since 2008, but Gilmour said up until recently, the North’s bandwidth limitations and spotty Internet connections made reliable service difficult. In February, the council partnered with Northwestel to be able to deliver consistent service.
“Only since the past couple of months where we have had this successful service have we really gained a lot of momentum,” said Storino. “Our confidence in this type of platform for the future of our district and certainly it has potential and scalability that potentially could go beyond our district and go anywhere in the territories.”
Gilmour said while the program was initially offered to a few students in Fort McPherson in 2008, there are now 15 students enrolled.
“Next year you’re only going to see that number kind of expand,” he said.
The program can be used in a variety of ways, Gilmour said, providing one-on-one support for students through teleconferencing with a tutor.
It could also be used to preserve and promote aboriginal languages, he added.
For example, an aboriginal language teacher in one community could use the program to reach a wider audience.
“I think it’s a really exciting way to bridge culture, history and local values with technology and new education,” he said.
