Aboriginal Focused Programs in Canada

More than a week ago, I got the following mention in Twitter:

This is actually a topic that I’ve discussed in the past on this blog, but never in a specific manner (i.e., various entries on the topic, but nothing that brings it all together).  So I promised Angela that I would post an entry last week about this, but the week just got away from me.

To the best of my knowledge there are four aboriginal focused K-12 online learning programs in Canada:

1. Keewaytinook Internet High School (Ontario)
2. Wapaskwa Virtual Collegiate (Manitoba)
3. Credenda Virtual School (Saskatchewan)
4. Sunchild E-Learning Community (Alberta)

In the past I have posted entries about reports that have been published focused on these programs:

• Report: Optimizing The Effectiveness Of E-Learning For First Nations
• Canadian Virtual School Focused On Aboriginal Students Received $2 Million Donation
• Follow-Up: Advancing Aboriginal Inclusion Through The Use Of E-Learning Technology In The Aboriginal Community
• Advancing Aboriginal Inclusion Through The Use Of E-Learning Technology In The Aboriginal Community
• Conference: Canada’s Aboriginal Virtual Schools and E-Learning

In addition, the last two editions of the State of the Nation: K-12 Online Learning in Canada reports have included content related to these aboriginal programs.

• 2010 edition
  • Brief Issue Paper – Keewaytinook Internet High School: Moving first Nation Students ahead with Technology in Ontario’s Remote North (pp. 14-17)
  • Vignette – Wapaskwa Virtual Collegiate (p. 46)
  • Vignette – Credenda Virtual High School (p. 48)
• 2009 edition
  • Vignette – Keewaytinook Internet High School (p. 30)

Beyond these four programs, there have been several publications and presentations focused upon the provision of K-12 distance education primarily to an aboriginal population in Canada:

• HICE 2011 – Motivation In High School Student Success: The Case Of Aboriginal E-Learners In Rural And Remote Canada
• HICE 2011 – Together@Distance: Online Learning In The Pan Arctic
• EDGE 2010 – The Conne River Project: Muinji’j Becomes A Man
• EDGE 2010 – Where Do We Go From Here? A Canadian Perspective On Aboriginal E‐Learning
• Article Notice – The Effectiveness Of Web-Delivered Learning With Aboriginal Students: Findings From A Study In Coastal Labrador
• SITE 2010: The Challenges of Improving Synchronous Web-based High School Course Delivery In Isolated Aboriginal Community Settings
• CSSE 2009: Web-based Learning In Aboriginal Schools: The Experience In Coastal Labrador

These are all of the K-12 online learning resources focused on Canada’s aboriginal population that I am aware of.  For those who have a more direct involvement in this community, am I missed any?

Also, for my readers south of the 49th parallel, are there any K-12 online learning programs or resources in the United States specifically focused on Native Americans?  I am aware of the Fort Washakie High School (FWHS)/Wyoming e-academy of Virtual Education (WeAVE), but that is really the only one that immediately comes to mind.

Article Notice – The Effectiveness Of Web-Delivered Learning With Aboriginal Students: Findings From A Study In Coastal Labrador

I saw notice of this article come through my Bloglines last night.

The effectiveness of web-delivered learning with aboriginal students: Findings from a study in coastal Labrador
David Philpott, Dennis Sharpe, Rose Neville

Abstract: This paper outlines the findings of a study that explores perspectives of e-learning for aboriginal students in five coastal communities in Labrador, Canada. The rural nature of many communities in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, coupled with a dramatically declining enrollment, has resulted in expanding use of e-learning as a means to provide quality high school curriculum. Recently, a Community University Research Alliance partnered with stakeholders to explore the success of e-learning in the province. Through one of the projects of this alliance, the authors examined the success of this mode of delivery for aboriginal students from the perspective of the students themselves, as well as the perspective of parents and educators. Additionally, student performance was examined in comparison to provincial peers. A wealth of data emerged which affords insights into factors that support and hinder e-learning in coastal areas and also informs educators about the diverse learning characteristics and needs of aboriginal students. As Canadian educators are increasingly challenged to address achievement issues that continue to characterize aboriginal populations, this study offers important data on the viability of e-learning as a mode of curriculum delivery.

Résumé : Cet article présente les résultats d’une étude qui explore les perspectives de l’apprentissage en ligne pour les élèves autochtones dans cinq collectivités côtières du Labrador, Canada. Le caractère rural d’un grand nombre de collectivités de la province de Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador, jumelé à une baisse spectaculaire de la scolarisation, a mené à une utilisation accrue de l’apprentissage en ligne comme solution permettant d’assurer un curriculum de qualité au secondaire. Récemment, une alliance de recherche université-communauté a travaillé de pair avec les intervenants afin d’étudier les résultats de l’apprentissage en ligne dans la province. Grâce à l’un des projets de cette alliance, les auteurs ont examiné le succès de ce mode de prestation auprès d’élèves autochtones du point de vue des élèves eux-mêmes, ainsi que du point de vue de leurs parents et de leurs éducateurs. En outre, le rendement des élèves a été comparé à celui de leurs pairs au niveau de la province. Une foule de données en sont ressorties, ce qui permet de mieux comprendre les facteurs qui favorisent et qui entravent l’apprentissage en ligne dans les zones côtières; ces données informent également les éducateurs sur la diversité des caractéristiques et des besoins d’apprentissage des élèves autochtones. Les éducateurs canadiens sont de plus en plus mis au défi de trouver un moyen de surmonter les problèmes de réussite scolaire qui continuent de caractériser les populations autochtones, et cette étude leur fournit des données importantes sur la viabilité de l’apprentissage en ligne comme mode de prestation du curriculum.

Full Text: HTML

Without having read the article yet, I suspect this is the result of the work being done by the Killick Centre at Memorial University of Newfoundland on their “Participation of high school students in the isolated aboriginal communities of coastal Labrador in web-delivered learning” project.

Report: Optimizing The Effectiveness Of E-Learning For First Nations

One of my fine colleagues here north of the forty-ninth, Vince Hill (principal of Credenda Virtual School), alerted me this past week to the following report.

Optimizing the Effectiveness of E-Learning for First Nations

This report looks at how to optimize the effectiveness of e-learning to improve the educational outcomes of First Nations people living on a reserve.

Report by Ashley Sisco
The Conference Board of Canada, 43 pages, May 2010

Document Highlights:
E-learning can help close the education gap between First Nations people living on a reserve and Canada’s non-Aboriginal population. Based on a brief literature review and interviews, this report found that optimizing the effectiveness of e-learning in improving the educational outcomes of First Nations people living on a reserve requires: better engagement of First Nations in e-learning program development and implementation; the development of an e-learning strategy; an increase in funding amounts and the extension of funding terms for e-learning; the assessment of community needs and educational outcomes; building tools and capacity to support e-learning; the development of a strategy to improve teacher engagement; consideration of generational differences among students; the promotion of student commitment; the expansion and increased flexibility of programs, with holistic program delivery; and better integration of e-learning under the overall Indian and Northern Affairs Canada education umbrella.

To view this page and the link to the report, go to http://www.conferenceboard.ca/documents.aspx?did=3614

Credenda is one of four aboriginal K-12 online programs in Canada – the others are Keewaytinook Internet High School, Wapaskwa Virtual Collegiate, and Sunchild E-Learning Community.  As some of you may recall, I’ve written about Sunchild (see Advancing Aboriginal Inclusion Through The Use Of E-Learning Technology In The Aboriginal Community and Follow-Up: Advancing Aboriginal Inclusion Through The Use Of E-Learning Technology In The Aboriginal Community), along with Credenda (see Elluminate Newsline – December 2008 and Canadian Virtual School Focused On Aboriginal Students Received $2 Million Donation) – plus Keewaytinook was the focus of the vignette from Ontario in the 2009 State of the Nation: K-12 Online Learning in Canada (see page 30).  However, the Wapaskwa is knew to me – so I’m going to have to spend some time learning about this program.

Canadian Virtual School Focused On Aboriginal Students Received $2 Million Donation

I first saw this news item from my good friend Darren Cannell over at Teaching and Developing Online (see entry entitled Cameco gives $2M to virtual school).  It was also in my RSS reader courtesy of Virtual School News (see entry entitled Cameco gives $2M to virtual school). Finally, another colleague, Chantal in Regina, e-mailed me the news item:

Cameco gives $2M to virtual school

By Cassandra Kyle, The StarPhoenix
January 30, 2010

When Edward Benoanie first signed up to take math and science courses through Credenda Virtual High School, he wasn’t sure how his studies through the pilot program would go.

“I was basically the guinea pig,” he said. “Everything was new to them and it was new to me, too.”

It turns out Benoanie’s e-learning program set him on the right track to higher education. Not only were his math and science skills upgraded, but so were his English, writing and typing skills; he moved from 20 words a minute at the start of the program to 70 by his graduation date.

Now 21, the Hatchet Lake-raised man is set to receive a bachelor’s degree in education this May after graduating from high school in 2006.

“When you have a teacher right in front of you, it feels like you’re in the spotlight all the time. But when you’re online, you’re fully concentrated and you’re in your own personal space,” he said.

Benoanie hopes more youth from northern Saskatchewan have the same online education experience through Credenda as he did. With the school receiving a $2-million investment from Cameco Corp. on Friday, the likelihood of higher enrolment at the non-profit institution has increased.

In fact, said school director Vince Hill, the school expects significant growth in students at the start of the next term on Monday. At last count, 194 students were taking 291 classes through Credenda, which was established in 2005 by the Prince Albert Grand Council (PAGC).

To continue reading, click here.

The thing that I like most about this donation is that it was given to an online program that focuses upon Canada’s aboriginal population. For those of my readers not familiar with Canadian history, while we did not treat our native population quite as poorly as the United States treated their Native Americans, Canadian aboriginals were treated quite bad. Many of the problems that exist in the aboriginal community today are a directly result of government mistreatment and misguided policies.

At present, there are three K-12 online learning programs in Canada that focus specifically on Canada’s aboriginal population.  The first is Credena Virtual School in Saskatchewan (i.e., the one features in these news items).  Another one is the Sunchild e-Learning Community in Alberta (see Advancing Aboriginal Inclusion Through The Use Of E-Learning Technology In The Aboriginal Community and Follow-Up: Advancing Aboriginal Inclusion Through The Use Of E-Learning Technology In The Aboriginal Community for previous entries on that program).  The third is Keywaytinook Internet High School in Ontario (see page 30 of the State of the Nation: K-12 Online Learning in Canada report for a vignette on this program).  I’d also be remiss if I didn’t mention the aboriginal population served by the Centre for Distance Learning and Innovation in Newfoundland and Labrador (which is the focus of one of the sub-studies as a part of the Killick Project for E-learning Research).

Personally, I believe that this is a population of under served students where more research is needed – and much more support should be provided.  Congratulations Vince!!!

Follow-Up: Advancing Aboriginal Inclusion Through The Use Of E-Learning Technology In The Aboriginal Community

As a follow-up to my earlier post on this topic (see Advancing Aboriginal Inclusion Through The Use Of E-Learning Technology In The Aboriginal Community), the link for the recording of this session is:

http://elluminate.nait.ca/play_recording.html?recordingId=1228166497893_1232557306586

Again, this session was:

Title: Advancing Aboriginal Inclusion through the use of E-Learning Technology in the Aboriginal Community
Presenter:  Linda Robinson, Vice-Principal/Registrar, Sunchild E-Learning Community

Abstract: Sunchild E-Learning is a leader in on-line educational delivery to Aboriginal Communities in Canada using technology to advance aboriginal inclusion in higher education and the work force, making a difference in the lives of Aboriginal Students.

Partnering with major oil and gas companies, and Aboriginal Communities, Sunchild E-Learning provides educational opportunities to aboriginal students on reserve and in urban settings, enabling them to complete their High School Diplomas, move onto University and College or Trades, and close the gap that exists between the Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal communities in terms of quality of life and opportunity.