9 February 2017: R00031
Brock University is getting nearly $430,000 from the Ontario government to help develop content for new online courses.
A $330,000 eCampus Ontario grant will let the University create an online four-year bachelor’s degree program in Adult Education, while a separate grant of nearly $100,000 supports development of open course modules associated with the University’s Environmental Sustainability in Practice course in the Environment Sustainability Research Centre.
The Adult Education expansion builds on the success of Brock’s existing three-year bachelor’s degree program — the first fully online degree program introduced by the Faculty of Education in 1999.
“It makes a direct contribution to the University’s strategic goals when it comes to online learning,” said Associate Professor Camille Rutherford in the Department of Teacher Education. New courses will be developed over the coming year in partnership with Niagara College as a supporting institution, she added.
The program’s fourth-year option is expected to launch in September 2018.
Work will be done in conjunction with Brock’s Centre for Pedagogical Innovation to look at best practices for online learning and how to incorporate them into the program’s technical design. The intent is to develop strategies and templates for online courses that can be used across the University.
Rutherford said online learning is crucial for people who require a flexible approach to post-secondary education. For instance, most students in the Adult Education program have day jobs, and need a work-around as they endeavour to improve their teaching skills.
“We have a large number of learners that teach within the college system, people in social services, health care, in instructional roles in the military and a large cohort at the Bruce Nuclear Plant,” Rutherford said, adding those students enrol from across the province.
“This gives them an opportunity to engage in those learning experiences regardless of their location. It fits into their work life.”
The expansion, she said, will allow Brock to “continue to distinguish ourselves as a desired place to be, a leader in e-learning and supporter of future-ready skills.
“This will be an exemplary program, not just here at Brock, but across the province.”
The Environmental Sustainability Research Centre (ESRC), one of Brock’s five transdisciplinary hubs, also has plans to share its grant-funded work once its new Environmental Sustainability in Practice course is created. The course, set to launch in September, will be available to students in various undergraduate programs looking to take a minor in Environmental Sustainability.
Once the modules are completed, they will be made available to institutions across the province for incorporation into various undergraduate programs.
“The University is absolutely delighted to see these successful eCampus Ontario grant proposals in online course module, program development and research and innovation categories,” said Vice-Provost Anna Lathrop.
These projects, she said, will add to Brock University’s reputation as an institution that prioritizes 21st century learning in forums that integrate technological fluencies and personalized learning.
For more information or for assistance arranging interviews:
* Dan Dakin, Media Relations Officer, Brock University ddakin@brocku.ca, 905-688-5550 x5353 or 905-347-1970
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