Where life and learning click
eCampusAlberta’s activities are focused on furthering five objectives:
Follow the above links to learn more about each objective.
eCampusAlberta improves the Alberta post-secondary education system’s ability to serve current markets and increase access for people who are not traditionally well served by the system.
The development of a comprehensive online post-secondary education system will enable individuals from across the province to enrol in courses and programs they could have otherwise accessed only by leaving their home community to attend classes on a campus.
eCampusAlberta’s lead and partner model enables students to register in a course or program offered by any member institution while accessing the on-campus services, such as the library and academic counseling, through an institution located near the student’s home community.
Education delivered using this model ensures that more individuals have the opportunity to pursue post-secondary studies while maintaining the lifestyle they choose. Many eCampusAlberta students are working full time and/or raising a family in addition to pursuing their studies.
Underlying all of the above objectives is the need to build awareness of eCampusAlberta and its role within Alberta’s post-secondary system. eCampusAlberta is currently working to develop new outreach strategies to ensure that all Albertans are aware of the online education opportunities available to them. Only through increased awareness will eCampusAlberta realize its full potential as a key component of, and change agent within, Alberta’s post-secondary system.
While Alberta’s growing economy requires more skilled workers every year, eCampusAlberta is increasing opportunities for students to access more than 700 courses and more than 60 online certificate, online diploma and applied degree programs offered by member institutions. All of these programs are designed to enable students to gain the marketable skills they need to help them enter the work force and find employment in areas of critical shortage, including health care, business, human resources and many other growing fields.
As well, because eCampusAlberta operates as a consortium, students can easily access the online courses and programs offered by all member institutions and remain living in their home communities. This approach helps increase capacity within the post-secondary system.
Several notable achievements during 2010/11 demonstrate eCampusAlberta’s efforts towards increasing capacity in Alberta’s post-secondary system.
Enrolments in eCampusAlberta courses have grown at a phenomenal rate each year since the consortium was founded and reached 16,213 during the 2010/11 fiscal year. This is up from 13,107 in 2009/10, a 24 per cent increase.
More than 700 courses were offered online during 2010/11. As well, the number of credentials available fully online continues to increase each year and now includes more than 60 online certificates, online diplomas and applied degrees.
eCampusAlberta facilitates effective collaborations on online course and program development projects and delivery amongst member institutions.
As an example, SAIT and MacEwan jointly offer the online diploma program: Business Administration – Management Studies.
This type of collaborative work yields many benefits for the Alberta post-secondary education system as a whole and for each individual institution. Through collaboration, the costs of course and program development can be shared amongst the partners.
As well, students are the ultimate beneficiary of collaboration because they have access to high quality online courses that have been developed using the best resources available from all the members.
eCampusAlberta has a mandate to ensure the highest standards in online education delivery are maintained for all courses offered through the consortium in several ways.
Since 2005, eCampusAlberta has awarded more than $3.9 million to member institutions through the Online Curriculum Development Fund to assist them with developing high quality online courses and programs.
Since 2005/06, the OCDF has supported the development of approximately 400 new online courses. More than 250 of these courses have been completed, evaluated to ensure they meet the Essential Quality Standards and added to the eCampusAlberta inventory.
In the fall of 2007, eCampusAlberta announced $250,000 to create a Faculty Development Fund. This money is being used to fund several initiatives that will assist faculty with developing and delivering online courses.
The consortium researches best practices in online learning and shares them with member institutions.
As well, eCampusAlberta supports monthly curricula and professional development sessions throughout the academic year to encourage the creation of new communities of practice amongst member institutions.
Learn more about the online courses and programs offered through eCampusAlberta.
© 2012 eCampusAlberta