Web-based courses with Donald Girouard and Sophia Palahicky

In class today we were visited by two presenters, Donald Girouard and Sophia Palahicky. Donald and Sophia came to share information with us about Web-based courses offered in the Manitoba educational system. Previous to their presentation, I thought of web-based learning as simply taking an online course. However, Donald and Sophia shared that there are actually 4 ways to use web-based learning, which include: 1) As a teacher resource 2) With a face-to-face class, 3) With actual distance learners, 4) As part of blended learning environments. The last one, a blended learning environment, involves using a variety of instructional approaches, which can include face-to-face teaching, HTV or Web Conferencing, Web-Based course options, teacher mediated options, and independent study options. Donald and Sophia suggest that the best instructional models use blended approaches.

So what are the reasons for taking courses online? One of the biggest reasons we talked about was the limited variety of course option available in rural school divisions. In a small town where only 2 students wish to take Physics, the course is likely to be cut. Web-based courses solve this problem and helps small town’s support their students’ educational goals.  Another reason we discussed which I think would be very beneficial for high school students is Credit Recovery.  Students who fail a course are given the option of credit recovery through web-based courses, whereby the student completes units/topics that they struggled with and does not have to re-do units that they were already successful in. Web-based courses also benefit students by offering them alternative methods of learning and earning credits, resolving timetable issues and preparing students for lifelong learning.

A question/concern that Sophia and Donald have heard from teachers about Manitoba’s web-based courses is that online learning will take away teachers jobs. Sophia and Donald assured us that this will not happen. Manitoba Education developed web-based courses to be mediated by teachers, to support teachers and school, to support learners, to assure congruence with the curriculum, and to model good pedagogy for e-Learning and in assessment strategies. So we future teachers need not worry.  With 46 web-based courses currently available, this is sure to be a great resource for educators and students. To see the list of Web-based courses available, click on this link. A big thank you to Donald and Sophia for visiting our class today. ~T