British Columbia – State of the Nation: K-12 E-Learning in Canada

Population: 4,683,139
Number of K-12 Schools: 1930
Number of K-12 Students: 635,037Number of K-12 E-Learning Programs: 74
Number of K-12 E-Learning Students: ~63,350

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 and Training 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.” Districts and independent schools that enter into an agreement with the Ministry are required to:

ensure that students may exercise their rights under legislation to choose distributed learning instruction within a coordinated province-wide distributed learning system;
commit to meet or exceed the Distributed Learning Standards;
agree to participate in the Quality Assurance Review process and aligns its website to meet Ministry requirements;
ensure it has supports in place to comply with the Ministry policy and standards, including resource investment;
provide training and professional development for teachers, and 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 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
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. Distributed learning funding is provided to the public school district or the independent authority providing the distributed learning program. For full time students in kindergarten to grade 9, traditional bricks and mortar schools, school districts are funded one time, as at September 30th (students in seats), while students in grades 10-12 are funded per course. 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 2016-17 school year, the basic allocation school-age equivalent (i.e., FTE) for students attending a brick-and-mortar school was $7,218 (or $902.25/course), while only $6,030 (or $753.75/course) for a student attending a distributed learning school.

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 2016-17 there were 58 district-level public distributed learning schools and 16 independent distributed learning schools that enrolled approximately 57,046 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 BC Learning Network, a consortium of school districts providing online courses for use by distributed learning schools, has entered the final year of its content development plan, to create online content and digital resources that can be used in all learning environments.

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. Based on recent responses to the annual Individual Program Survey, approximately half of all districts and authorities offering distributed learning provide a blended learning program, for a total of approximately 6300 students. Most of these programs appear to be small, pilot initiatives that serve less than 50 students each. However, there are also three programs that serve more than 1200 students each.

Previous Provincial Profiles

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

Individual Program Survey Responses

*Program*	*Most recent response*	*Medium*	*# of Students*	*# of Teachers*	*# of Courses*
Abbotsford Virtual School http://avs34.com	2017-18	Online Correspondence Blended	~2,000 online 80 blended	14 full time 3 part time 4 blended	100 (gr 10–12) & all subjects (K–9) online 15 blended
Anchor Academy http://www.ark.net/	2010-11	Online	503	30 full time	~80 (gr. 10-12) 70-80 (K-9)
Bulkley Valley Education Connection http://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 http://on-line.sd41.bc.ca	2018-19	Online	2,200	7 full time 9 part time	75 secondary
Choices DL http://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
Coquitlam Open Learning https://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 http://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 http://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 http://www.deltasd.bc.ca/content/programs/deltaaccess	2017-18	Online	126 FTE	14 part time	34
Distance Education School of the Kootenays http://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 http://diversitybydesign.ca	2012-13	Online Correspondence	100	2 full time 7 part time	~80
Ebus Academy http://ebus.ca	2017-18	Online	3860 (1012.125 FTE)	28 full time 11 part time	134 secondary full K-9 program
École Virtuelle CSF http://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 http://eopmoodle.sd83.bc.ca/	2017-18	Online	~500	2 full time 2 part time	108
eSchoolBC http://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 http://www.fvdes.com	2012-13	Online Correspondence	~3,500	30 full time 1 part time	~150
Hands-On Home-Learning http://oakandorca.ca/handson/index.html	2014-15	Correspondence (PDFs)	82	12 part time
Heritage Christian Online School http://www.onlineschool.ca	2017-18	Online Correspondence Blended	~2,998 supplemental 2,959 full time 1,525 blended	47 full time 136 part time 85 blended	287 distance 66 blended
Home Quest http://homequest.deltasd.bc.ca/home	2017-18	Correspondence	63	1 full time 2 part time	all subjects (K-9)
Island ConnectEd K-12 http://island-connected.sd68.bc.ca/	2017-18	Online Correspondence	1,921 online	17 full time 2 part time	all subjects (K-9) 51
Juan de Fuca Distributed Learning http://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 http://kool.sd73.bc.ca	2017-18	Online Blended	3,300 distance 400 blended	3 full time 23 part time 12 blended	144 distance 60 blended
Kleos Open Learning http://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 http://www.sd5.bc.ca/school/kds/Pages/default.aspx	2017-18	Online Correspondence	800	1 full time 2 part time	73
Navigate (NIDES) http://navigatenides.com/	2015-16	Online Correspondence Blended	570 FTE distance* 175 FTE blended* 110 FTE adult*	32 full time 8 part time 8 blended	120+ distance full K–7 program blended
Northern BC Distance Education School http://www.des.prn.bc.ca	2016-17	Online Correspondence	435	4 full time 2 part time	160 secondary full K–7 program
North Coast Distance Education School http://ncdes.ca	2012-13	Online Correspondence	~3,400	8 full time	65
North Vancouver Distributed Learning School http://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
Quesnel Distributed Learning School http://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 http://RichmondVirtualSchool.ca	2015-16	Online	1800 online 1700 blended	2 full time 45 part time	45
Rocky Mountain Distributed Learning School http://getsmartbc.ca	2015-16	Online	~350	3 full time	75
SelfDesign Learning Community http://www.selfdesign.org	2016-17	Online	~2200	~30 full time ~145 part time	full complement of K-12
South Central Interior Distance Education School http://www.scides.ca/	2016-17	Online Correspondence	182 grades K – 12 & 1519 cross-enrolled (total 294 FTE) distance	10 full time 4 part time	full program K-7 distance >150 gr. 8-12 distance
South Island Distance Education School http://www.sides.ca/en.html	2017-18	Online Correspondence	7,963 distance	27 full time 7 part time	full program K-7 55 gr. 8-12
South Peace Distributed Learning http://dcss.sd59.bc.ca/spc/spdl	2015-16	Online Correspondence	55 FTE*	1 full time 4 part time	16
Surrey Academy of Innovative Learning http://www.sailacademy.ca	2016-17	Online Correspondence Blended	~2000 distance	21 full time 300+ blended	80+
Traditional Learning Academy http://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 http://vlns.ca/	2016-17	Online Correspondence	~5000	8 full time 31 part time	~90
Vernon Virtual Learning http://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 http://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).