Race heats up for education on demand

Provincial funding cuts of more than 20 per cent and the demand for learner-centred (as opposed to faculty-centred) education have forced major changes in post-secondary education across Canada. One of the most significant is a shift in focus from synchronous classroom-based instruction to asynchronous, computer network-based learning.

Often referred to as distance education, asynchronous learning is intended to overcome the limitations -- namely time and locations -- of more traditional instructional techniques. Students don't go to school, school comes to them. This type of learning is especially attractive to adults who already have a diploma or degree but want to upgrade their skills, or anyone without geographical access to desired education programs. Last December, Memorial University in Newfoundland received funding from the federal government to develop a distance education service to be piloted with adult learners serving on vessels at sea.

With funding a major issue and competition on the rise, Canadian colleges and universities are now pursuing non-traditional markets with as much focus on the business of education as on its intellectual contribution. Many institutions have already been forced to sharply increase tuition and fees, triggering significant public concern. As a result, they are now searching for ways to better control costs and increase their productivity. The opportunity for growth in the post-secondary student market is no longer in traditional residential undergraduates. It is in the part time, employed part-or full-time, geographically dispersed and more-than-25-year-old population.

It's that same group who are most interested in anytime anywhere learning that can be adopted to their individual requirements. From the education institution's point of view, the opportunities through online distance education are many and lucrative. They include reduced variable costs for additional students, increased flexibility in program offerings and reduced over-head in campus and residential services; a seemingly perfect marriage of opportunity and offering.

The catch is in the competition. The post-secondary education market has never been more crowded. Just south of the border, there are more than 3,600 four-year colleges and universities attempting to capture the same global market. According to Maclean's magazine, Internet courses delivered by virtual consortiums of American universities are growing at a rate of 20 to 30 per cent a year. These programs have become big business.

One of the most mature Canadian players in distance learning is Athabasca University in St. Albert, Alta., with the highest student enrolment of any MBA program in the country totally supported through its distance education program. Its mandate is "to deliver degree programs to all Canadians regardless of their geographical location or prior education credentials," and it offers 450 distance learning courses for about $700 each.

Canada also has a growing number of co-operative programs including college and university combinations like Centennial College in Toronto and the University of Calgary, which offers the only online degree program in Canada for registered nurses.

Canadian colleges and universities are rising to the challenge of education on demand, but the competition is intense and it really is big business. The race is on and its anyone's guess as to who will win and who will be relegated to the delivery of traditional schooling and declining public budgets.

Distance learning and virtual students may make the difference.

Copyright Plesman Publications Ltd. Feb 2000
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