 |
Population: 5,020,302 Number of K-12 Schools: 1933 Number of K-12 Students: 633,805 — Number of K-12 E-Learning Programs: 74 Number of K-12 E-Learning Students: ~65,000 |
Note that these profiles are taken from the most recent edition of the report, please review additional annual profiles below.
Governance and Regulation
The Ministry of Education defines distributed learning (i.e., a term used to include both distance and online learning) as a method of instruction that relies primarily on indirect communication between students and teachers, including Internet or other electronic-based delivery, teleconferencing, or correspondence.
The distributed learning landscape has remained relatively stable over the past years. The legislative language in section 3.1 and section 75 (4.1) of the School Act, 2006, as well as section 8.1 of the Independent School Act, 2006, still govern the operation of distributed learning programs. Both pieces of legislation contain similar language concerning the establishment of distributed learning schools “only with the prior agreement of the Minister” and ensuring that students may exercise their rights under legislation to choose distributed learning instruction within a coordinated province-wide distributed learning system. Districts and independent school authorities that enter into an agreement with the Ministry are required to:
- commit to meet or exceed the Distributed Learning Standards;
- for public distributed learning schools, agree to participate in the Quality Assurance Review process and aligns its website to meet Ministry requirements; for independent distributed learning schools this quality assurance function is conducted through scheduled inspections as set out in the Independent School Act
- ensure it has supports in place to comply with the Ministry policy and standards;
- provide training and professional development for teachers, and – for public distributed learning school – employs only teachers who have experience and/or training in distributed learning methodology;
- meet policy requirements related to funds for designated resources to parents and learners;
- ensure that all learners in the board’s catchment area who are receiving distributed learning instruction from anywhere in the province from a public distributed learning school are receiving appropriate support;
- provide records and reports on student achievement as specified by the Ministry;
- work to achieve a 100 percent participation rate in Foundation Skills Assessments and Satisfaction Surveys;
- provide current and accurate distributed learning contact information to the Ministry; and
- each public distributed learning school provide accurate information regarding its Distributed Learning website, courses offered, and contact information to the Ministry by July 31 of each year, updating the information as required.
Finally, the funding for distributed learning is somewhat different than traditional brick-and-mortar schools. For full time students in kindergarten to grade 9, traditional bricks and mortar schools, school districts are funded one time for a program of studies, as at September 30th (students in seats), while students in grades 10-12 are funded per course. K-9 distributed learning schools have three funding opportunities depending on when the students meet eligibility requirements:
- September (30th) distributed learning schools receive 100% of per pupil funding,
- February distributed learning schools receive 50% of per pupil funding, and
- May distributed learning schools receive 33% of per pupil funding.
During the 2018-19 school year, the basic allocation school-age equivalent (i.e., FTE) for students attending a brick-and-mortar school was $7,468 (or $933.50/course), while only $6,100 (or $762.50/course) for a student attending a distributed learning school. Further, Group 1 independent schools receive 63% of the public distributed learning per pupil amount (all independent distributed learning schools in the province have Group 1 Certification.
It should be noted that in February 2018 an Independent Review Panel launched consultations with all 60 school districts and independent schools to examine how K-12 education, including distributed learning, was funded. This Panel presented a report to the province in December 2018. Four Working Groups from all education representatives and advocacy groups were formed and invited to respond to the recommendations. One of those Working Groups focused on online learning and was tasked with assisting the Ministry of Education in determining the best approach to implementing Recommendation 10 of the Independent Review Panel’s report:
With the shift to a per-student-based funding model, the Ministry should develop a new policy and program delivery model for Distributed Learning to ensure consistent access to quality programming for all students in the province.
The conclusion of this process is expected during the 2019-20 school year.
K-12 Distance and Online Learning Activity
The Ministry tracks student enrolment through the Student Achievement Data Exchange (SADE). SADE collects course level data for every student for all distributed learning schools offering kindergarten through grade 12. School districts and authorities operating distributed learning schools are required to submit this information annually.
In 2018-19 there were 57 district-level public distributed learning schools and 16 independent distributed learning schools that enrolled approximately 65,000 unique students in one or more courses. Additionally, Open School BC also provided provincial content and online hosting services on a cost-recovery model to school districts lacking the capacity or desire to manage their own distributed learning program. Finally, the Western Canadian Learning Network is a consortium of school districts providing online courses and digital resources for use by distributed learning schools in British Columbia, as well as Alberta and the Yukon.
K-12 Blended Learning Activity
Under the current policy, the delivery method is considered distributed learning as long as the student is at a distance from the teacher for the “majority of the time,” which is not explicitly defined. The current funding model in British Columbia does not differentiate between distributed learning and blended learning or between face-to-face and blended learning. However, there are different funding amounts for face-to-face courses and programs, as compared to distributed learning courses.
At present, the Ministry of Education has also not yet begun to gather data on blended learning programs. However, in the 2017-18 school year the Ministry did administer a survey to all 74 distributed learning schools in the province and through this survey learned that 39 of the 58 public distributed learning schools offered some form of blended learning and 13 of the 16 independent distributed learning schools offered some form of blended learning.
Previous Provincial Profiles
- 2008
- 2009
- 2010
- 2011
- 2012
- 2013
- 2014
- 2015
- 2016 [En français]
- 2017 [En français]
- 2018 [En français]
- 2019 [En français]
History of K-12 E-Learning
K-12 distance education in Canada began in British Columbia in 1919, when the province began offering correspondence education to students living in isolated parts of the province (Toutant, 2003). This centralized system of correspondence education continued until 1984, when the province began to establish the first of nine regional correspondence schools (Dunae, 1997-2008). K-12 online learning began in British Columbia in 1993, with the introduction of New Directions in Distance Learning and the EBUS Academy. By 1994, the responsibility for distance education had largely shifted to individual school districts. Over the past two decades, both public district-based and independent online learning programs have proliferated considerable. Winkelmans, Anderson, and Barbour (2010) provide a comprehensive history of the development of K-12 distance education and e-learning in the province.
References
Dunae, P. A. (1997-2008). Correspondence education. The Homeroom. Nanaimo, BC: Vancouver Island University. Retrieved from https://www2.viu.ca/homeroom/content/topics/programs/corresp.htm
Toutant, T. S. (2003). Equality by mail: Correspondence education in British Columbia, 1919 to 1969. Unpublished Master’s Thesis. University of Victoria, Victoria, BC
Winkelmans, T., Anderson, B., & Barbour, M. K. (2010). Distributed learning in British Columbia: A journey from correspondence to online delivery. Journal of Open, Flexible and Distance Learning, 14(1), 6-28. Retrieved from http://journals.akoaotearoa.ac.nz/index.php/JOFDL/article/viewFile/29/26
Vignettes
- Collaboration at the Forefront of the Western Canadian Learning Network Society (2018)
- BC Teachers’ Federation Task Force On Distributed Learning Recommends On The Work Of DL Teachers (2017)
- Abbotsford Virtual School (2016)
- The British Columbia Distributed Learning Administrators’ Association (2013)
- Educators for Distributed Learning (Provincial Specialists Association of the British Columbia Teachers Federation) (2012)
- Vancouver Learning Network Secondary (2010)
- Virtual School Society (2009) [No longer exists]
- Northern BC Distance Education School (2009)
Brief Issue Papers
- The Story of StudyForge (2016)
- BC Teachers’ Federation Research on the Work of Distributed Learning Teacher (2013)
- British Columbia’s International Online Learning Initiative (2012)
- The Development of Graduate Certificate in Online Teaching and Learning (2012)
- Distributed Learning Funding in British Columbia (2011)
- Independent Schooling in British Columbia (2011)
- British Columbia’s Quality Framework for Distributed Learning (2010)
Individual Program Survey Responses
| Program | Most recent response | Medium | # of Students | # of Teachers | # of Courses |
| Abbotsford Virtual School avs34.com |
2018-19 | Online Blended |
2,900 online 40 blended |
16 full time 6 part time 14 blended |
95 online 55 blended |
| Anchor Academy www.ark.net/ |
2018-19 | Online Correspondence |
872 | 30 full time 5 part time |
114 (gr. 10-12) full K-9 program |
| Bulkley Valley Education Connection www.schoolius.com/school/1507332162859575/ Bulkley+Valley+Education+Connection |
2015-16 | Online Blended |
180 supplemental 30 full time 180 blended |
2 full time 1 part time 2 blended |
>50 distance >50 blended |
| Burnaby Online Program online.burnabyschools.ca |
2018-19 | Online | 2,200 | 7 full time 12 part time |
55 secondary |
| Choices DL sd70.bc.ca/school/cdl |
2016-17 | Online Correspondence Blended |
200 FTE distance* 60% students blended |
4 full time all blended |
40 grades 8-12 full K-7 program |
| Christian Homelearners eStreams www.estreams.ca |
2017-18 | Online Correspondence |
200 | 7 full time 3 part time |
some grades 10-12 full K-9 program |
| Coquitlam Open Learning www.sd43.bc.ca/col/Pages/landing.aspx |
2016-17 | Online Correspondence Blended |
~2,500 distance | 7 full time 18 part time 3 blended |
35+ distance 3 blended |
| Cowichan Valley Distributed Learning / Encompass K-9 www.cowichanopenlearning.ca/dl.html |
2017-18 | Correspondence Online Blended |
77 full time (K-9) 26.4 FTE (gr. 10-12) distance 77 blended |
2 full time 4 part time 3 blended |
44 secondary full K–9 program |
| Creston Homelinks homelinks.sd8.bc.ca |
2016-17 | Online Correspondence Blended |
130.5 FTE distance* 130.5 FTE blended* |
3 full time 3 part time 6 blended |
42 secondary full K–9 program |
| Delta Access www.deltasd.bc.ca/content/programs/deltaaccess |
2018-19 | Online | 185.625 FTE | 15 part time | 41 |
| Distance Education School of the Kootenays desk.sd8.bc.ca |
2015-16 | Online Correspondence Blended |
1,000 distance 14 blended |
5 full time 3 part time 1 blended |
33 distance 1 blended |
| Diversity by Design DL Academy diversitybydesign.ca |
2012-13 | Online Correspondence |
100 | 2 full time 7 part time |
~80 |
| Ebus Academy ebus.ca |
2018-19 | Online | ~4000 (~1000 FTE) | 28 full time 11 part time |
59 grades K-6 37 grades 7-9; 129 grades 10-12 40 learner services |
| École Virtuelle CSF ecolevirtuelle.csf.bc.ca/ |
2014-15 | Online Blended |
204 online 12 blended |
6 part time online 1 full time blended |
19 online 1 blended |
| Education Outreach Program eopmoodle.sd83.bc.ca/ |
2017-18 | Online | ~500 | 2 full time 2 part time |
108 |
| eSchoolBC www.eSchoolBC.com |
2017-18 | Online Blended |
3,000 online 3,000 blended |
6 full time 6 part time 6 blended |
60 online 10 blended |
| Fraser Valley Distance Education School www.fvdes.com |
2012-13 | Online Correspondence |
~3,500 | 30 full time 1 part time |
~150 |
| Hands-On Home-Learning oakandorca.ca/handson/index.html |
2014-15 | Correspondence (PDFs) | 82 | 12 part time | |
| Heritage Christian Online School www.onlineschool.ca |
2018-19 | Online Correspondence Blended |
3240 full-time 2400 cross-enrolled 1,944 blended |
59 full time 142 part time 89 blended |
280 distance 66 blended |
| Home Quest homequest.deltasd.bc.ca/home |
2018-19 | Online Correspondence |
73 FTE online 67 blended |
2 full time 1 part time 3 blended |
10 grades 8-9 full K-7 program |
| Island ConnectEd K-12 island-connected.sd68.bc.ca/ |
2018-19 | Online Correspondence |
1,600 online | 17 full time 2 part time |
75 |
| Juan de Fuca Distributed Learning jdfdl.web.sd62.bc.ca/ |
2015-16 | Online Correspondence |
2,800 distance 1200 blended |
8 full time 22 part time 23 blended |
55 distance 26 blended |
| Kamloops Open Online Learning kool.sd73.bc.ca |
2018-19 | Online Blended |
2,500 distance 500 blended |
3 full time 25 part time 20 blended |
140 distance 60 blended |
| Key Learning Centre – NBCDES www.keylearning.ca |
2018-19 | Online Correspondence Blended |
285 FTE (1450 head count) 12 blended |
6 full time 1 blended |
160+ secondary full K–7 program K-1 blended |
| Kleos Open Learning www.kleos.ca |
2017-18 | Online Correspondence Blended |
210 distance 25 blended |
20 full time 2 part time 3 blended |
25 distance 15 blended |
| Kootenay Discovery School www.sd5.bc.ca/school/kds/Pages/default.aspx |
2018-19 | Online Correspondence |
~600-800 | 1 full time 2 part time |
~60 |
| Navigate (NIDES) navigatenides.com/ |
2017-18 | Online Correspondence Blended |
2600 distance 250 blended |
~25 full time ~25 part time 10 blended |
~50 distance full K–7 program blended |
| Next Step Outreach Program www.nextstepoutreach.com/ |
2017-18 | Online Correspondence Blended |
400 online 400 blended |
1 full time 1 blended |
20 online 20 blended |
| North Coast Distance Education School ncdes.ca |
2012-13 | Online Correspondence |
~3,400 | 8 full time | 65 |
| North Vancouver Distributed Learning School www.sd44.ca/school/distributed/Pages/default.aspx |
2016-17 | Online Correspondence Blended |
~3,000 distance ~550 blended |
8 full time 15 part time 6 blended |
57 distance 3 blended |
| Partners in Education www.sd47.bc.ca/school/pie/Pages/default.aspx |
2019-20 | Online Correspondence |
673 | 6 full time 14 part time |
100+ |
| Quesnel Distributed Learning School qdlonline.com |
2015-16 | Online Correspondence Blended |
150 online 35 blended |
2 full time 1 part time 1 blended |
25 online 16 blended |
| Richmond Virtual School RichmondVirtualSchool.ca |
2015-16 | Online | 1800 online 1700 blended |
2 full time 45 part time |
45 |
| Rocky Mountain Distributed Learning School getsmartbc.ca |
2015-16 | Online | ~350 | 3 full time | 75 |
| Sea to Sky Online School www.seatoskyonline.com |
2018-19 | Online Correspondence |
1438 (179.75 FTE) | 3 full time 1 part time |
50+ distance 5 blended |
| SelfDesign Learning Community www.selfdesign.org |
2016-17 | Online | ~2200 | ~30 full time ~145 part time |
full complement of K-12 |
| South Central Interior Distance Education School www.scides.ca/ |
2018-19 | Online Correspondence Blended |
1,370 distance 27 blended |
7 full time 4 part time 1 blended |
220 distance 1 blended |
| South Island Distance Education School www.sides.ca/en.html |
2018-19 | Online Correspondence |
2748 students (684.25 FTE) | 24 full time 9 part time |
59 grades 9-12 & full K–8 program |
| South Peace Distributed Learning dcss.sd59.bc.ca/spc/spdl |
2015-16 | Online Correspondence |
55 FTE* | 1 full time 4 part time |
16 |
| Surrey Academy of Innovative Learning www.sailacademy.ca |
2016-17 | Online Correspondence Blended |
~2000 distance | 21 full time 300+ blended |
80+ |
| Traditional Learning Academy www.schoolathome.ca |
2016-17 | Online Correspondence Blended |
1000 distance 250 blended |
50 full time 35 part time 15 blended |
80 distance 40 blended |
| Vancouver Learning Network vlns.ca/ |
2016-17 | Online Correspondence |
~5000 | 8 full time 31 part time |
~90 |
| Vernon Virtual Learning vlearn.ca |
2017-18 | Online Correspondence Blended |
1200 distance (248 FTE) 70 blended |
7 full time 5 part time |
72 secondary & 80 elementary (distance) 5 blended |
| YouLearn.ca youlearn.ca |
2016-17 | Online Correspondence |
630 | 6 full time 3 part time |
48 |
* Full-time equivalents, not the total number of students.
To update this information, visit http://tinyurl.com/sotn-program-survey
Inter-provincial and International
If a student in British Columbia took a course from an online program in another province or territory, or even in another country, the student would present him/herself at a local school or distributed learning school and request either equivalency for a credential earned in another jurisdiction or permission to challenge a course for credit based on prior learning or experience. The Ministry’s policy is to allow each school to have their own procedures to guide this process.
At present there is only one school district business company (i.e., SD73 Business Company) that has an agreement with the Ministry to offer distributed learning content to non-resident students. The Business Company is owned by the Kamloops-Thompson School District No.73 but operates at an arms-length and is not able to grant British Columbia credits. A non-resident student who completes a course through the SD73 Business Company would have to go through the process of receiving credit for the student’s course based on the guidelines established in the student’s own jurisdiction, or the BC jurisdiction they register to study in as an international student.
Additionally, there are a few distributed learning programs that have specific agreements in place to serve students in a given jurisdiction. For example, the Northern British Columbia Distance Education School can serve students in the Yukon by special arrangement. The Yukon Department of Education is responsible for recognizing those credits (although the Yukon does follow the British Columbia K-12 curriculum).