The welcome session and round of introductions at the ADED Facilitator Day 2010 could have doubled as a geography lesson on Ontario.

Twenty-one facilitators came from across the province — east, west, north and south — to participate in the day-long annual event, held recently by the Centre for Adult Education and Community Outreach (CAECO), at Brock’s Hamilton campus.

Their attendance highlights the reach, diversity and accessibility of those who participate in Brock’s online and on-site adult education programs.

Sharon Abbey, CAECO director, described the day as more like “old home week.”

“This is the best day of the year,” Abbey said. “We have a great team and you are part of our team – each of you is professional, insightful and committed.

“I read the evaluations that we receive from students each year and I’m blown away by the highly positive comments that they share about you. Obviously you should be proud of what you do.”

Facilitator Day featured several sessions, including:

• representatives from Pearson Canada gave a demonstration of the online MyCanadianCompLab
• Matt Clare of Brock’s Centre for Teaching, Learning and Educational Technologies, talked about Sakai and was joined, via Skype, by his CTLET colleague Giulia Forsythe
• Barbara Smith, CAECO facilitator advisor, updated the group on curriculum revisions, evidence of engagement, APA and working with rubrics

The agenda wrapped up with an hour-long roundtable in which facilitators discussed best practices, resources, online learning, effective evaluation and trends and issues around adult education.