La Cité

Synopsis

1. Number of technology-assisted courses: unstated;
2. Number of online courses: 105;
3. Number of courses under development: 10;
4. Number of online programs: 20;
5. Platform: Desire2Learn;
6. Multimedia rooms: 1 TelePresence room, 5 mobile modules;
7. Estimated investment: Infrastructure: $1,000,000 + $400,000 per year of operation; $450,000 per year to develop courses;
8. Human resources: 11 employees (4 full-time);
9. Challenges: Adoption of technology; incorporation into institutional strategies;
10. Initiatives: Learning through “serious gaming”; personalized dashboard; Centre Innov@Cité, MOOCs;
11. Common areas of interest: Mitigation of innovation risks; international offering monitoring; voluntary partnerships; joint technology purchasing agency; e-book strategy; common virtual library.

Technology-assisted and online learning represent an important transformation that needs to be properly managed. Conditions need to be created to support the shift from traditional to virtual classrooms and benefit from the full potential of these modes to transform the virtual class, rather than replicate the face-to-face classroom. The challenge is to roll out pilot project experiences into core institutional strategies.

The central argument remains the improvement of teaching through the use of technology. The forces driving the change are as follows:

1. First and foremost, the needs of students who require learning tools that correspond to technologies already omnipresent in their daily experience;
2. Admission offices that take into consideration changing demographics, the courses and programs available from other institutions, and their market share;
3. Funding incentives that allow exploration and risk-taking, support the transformation of institutional systems, and mitigate the risks related to innovation.

La Cité sees the convergence of its interests with those of the other Aménagement Linguistique Policy (PAL) partners in the following areas:

1. As geographical borders disappear with online learning, it has become necessary to monitor international offerings, include wider community representation (for example, under the Ministry’s policy, program advisory committees must be comprised of at least 70% of local stakeholders) and develop customer relationships in new national and international markets;
2. The organizing principle must be voluntary participation in joint projects with one or more partners. La Cité already partners with other institutions: joint programs were developed with other colleges in Ontario and the rest of Canada (webmaster, health and community service management, etc.); program content is routinely shared, as are best practices;
3. A joint technology-purchasing agency could raise the purchasing power of individual institutions. Certain resources for faculty could also be shared. Sharing technology may be more of a problem, as customer support and 24/7 customer service remain concerns;
4. A French-language virtual library could be shared;
5. A shared French e-book strategy could be developed.

The detailed fact sheet can be found in Appendix 4 of the accompanying document. This fact sheet is available in French only.

Technology-assisted and Online Courses and Programs Currently Offered