Contact North

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Contact North (French: Contact Nord) is Ontario's distance education and training network with 112 online learning centres that span the more than one million square kilometres that make up Ontario.[1] The network partners with Ontario’s 24 public colleges, 20 public universities, school boards, and literacy and training providers to help Ontarians in communities across the province participate in education and training opportunities without leaving their own community.

The organization’s student portal helps students and prospective students across the province find information on more than 18,000 online courses and more than 1,000 online programs offered by Ontario’s public colleges and universities. Contact North also acts as an advocate, catalyst and facilitator of innovation in online and distance learning.

Contents

[edit] History

In 1986, Contact North was established by the Ontario government to provide fully bilingual access to courses and programs offered by colleges, universities and high schools to residents of Ontario's northern communities. Contact North remains primarily funded by the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities.[2]

In 1992, through funding from the Ministry of Northern Development and Mines, almost every secondary school in Northern Ontario was equipped with Contact North audiographic teleconferencing equipment. This equipment gave all schools electronic access to more than 100 other schools in communities across Northern Ontario and beyond. It also allowed high school students a chance to tour museums, galleries, and other organizations electronically, which the student would not otherwise get a chance to visit. Some of these places include Art Gallery of Ontario, located in Toronto, and the Royal Canadian Mint in Ottawa.[3]

In 2007, the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities announced the launch of a distance education network to provide access to post-secondary education opportunities for residents of small and rural communities across Southern Ontario. The new network was developed to operate under a model similar to Contact North, and Contact North was asked to help in facilitating the startup of the project. Originally called the Eastern and Southern Ontario Distance and Education Network, the new network became elearnnetwork.ca.[4]

In the fall of 2009 Contact North unveiled elearntube.ca as a video-sharing website for partnered colleges and universities to post media.

In the 2010-2011 academic year, Contact North recorded a 16.8% increase in registrations and supported a total of 33,803 registrations in college, university, secondary school, literacy courses and training sessions.

In 2011, Contact North launched two new Ontario wide internet portals – one for educators and trainers and another specifically designed for students.

[edit] International partnerships

Contact North ǀ Contact North has developed working partnerships with:

[5]

[edit] National and international awards

National and international awards

  • Award of Excellence for Institutional Achievement in Distance Education from the Commonwealth of Learning
  • Award of Excellence in Partnership and Collaboration from the former Canadian Association for Distance Education

[6]

[edit] Education and training partners

Contact North works with 44 colleges and universities across Ontario. Through a combination of audioconference, videoconference and e-learning technologies, students access programs and courses offered by these partner institutions at its online learning centres. Contact North also supports the delivery of fully online courses by these institutions through a variety of support services to students of these institutions.

[edit] Online learning centres

Contact North's online learning centres are located in communities across the province. Each centre has staff who can assist students with the technology or with registering for courses. All centres are equipped with computer workstations, Internet, e-learning, audio conferencing, video conferencing (limited number of communities where this is not available) and web conferencing capabilities.

Online learning centres are located in the following communities:

  • denotes First Nation

[edit] Web portals

In 2011 Contact North launched two new Ontario wide portals to support online learning in Ontario.

The Student Portal offers students access to information about more than 18,000 online courses and more than 1,000 online programs from Ontario’s public colleges, universities, school boards, literacy and training providers as well as information about student support services including academic counselling, financial aid and library services.

The Educator/Trainer Portal gives faculty members and other instructors up-to-date information on the latest trends, developments, emerging technologies and information on how online learning is being used by institutions to provide students with flexible, quality learning opportunities.

[edit] Governance

Contact North is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors composed of members that:

  • have senior-level experience with the needs, interests and concerns of Ontario's colleges and universities;
  • are members of the First Nation and Francophone communities;
  • have direct familiarity with and are knowledgeable about English and French school boards;
  • are comfortable working and partnering with the private sector.

Board of Directors


President and Chief Executive Officer:

  • Maxim Jean-Louis serves as President and Chief Executive Officer

[edit] References

  1. ^ http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/relsites/distance.html Ontario Ministry of Training Colleges and Universities
  2. ^ http://ogov.newswire.ca/ontario/GPOE/2006/07/12/c9391.html?lmatch=&lang=_e.html CNW Group - Ontario Newsroom
  3. ^ Journal of Distance Education 1992
  4. ^ http://ogov.newswire.ca/ontario/GPOE/2007/03/06/c7425.html?lmatch=&lang=_e.html CNW Group - Ontario Newsroom: Improving Access To Higher Education For Rural Students In Southern Ontario
  5. ^ http://www.contactnorth.ca/about-us/key-facts
  6. ^ http://www.contactnorth.ca/about-us/key-facts

[edit] External links

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