Considering a postgraduate education, but don't want to leave your job or family? Distance education programs are on the rise across Canada.
Enrollment in online university education is growing, notes Vicky Busch, executive director of the Canadian Virtual University (CVU), an Alberta-based consortium of 12 universities across Canada that offer online courses and programs. We're seeing a bigger interest from students who see the flexibility of not having to be in the classroom, she says. Last year, we had almost 200,000 registrations at CVU universities.
Universities and colleges across Canada offer courses and entire programs online that allow students to earn their post-grad from behind a computer screen. Some, like Athabasca University, offer all programs online, while Royal Roads University (RRU) in Victoria, BC blends distance and on-campus learning.
In October, Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario launched the Master of Science in Healthcare Quality program, which is almost entirely online. We wanted to open this program up for people across Canada, says co-director Dr. Kim Sears. We wanted to make sure distance wasn't a barrier.
The program is mainly distance learning with some face-to-face, Dr. Sears explains. There are two mandatory face-to-face weeks. The rest of the program is done in online and interactive classrooms using the e-learning tool Desire2Learn. Students are expected to participate in live and interactive discussions.
Laurentian University in Sudbury, Ontario also offers an online MBA program, in which students take online courses for 12 weeks, followed by final exams.
They work in groups of four to seven through asynchronous discussions, says Julie Henri, senior manager of business development and administration with the School of Commerce and Administration at Laurentian. The professor is there to support student learning by fostering collaboration, learning of the main concepts and course objectives, and by providing timely feedback to questions and assignments. Some of our classes require the completion of simulations to further enhance practical experience.
The program caters to mature learners who are working professionals, she adds. Taking a year or two off of work to enhance management skills is very difficult to achieve for both the student and employer. The ability to complete an online program delivered in a flexible format that can provide graduates with the credentials needed to move into upper management positions is highly sought.
One of the biggest benefits is the flexibility. There's the ability to manage work and family life with life-long learning, and the ability to study from anywhere in the world and at any time, says Henri.
Jessica Hadjis, originally from Montreal, just completed her MA in interdisciplinary studies at RRU from Brussels, Belgium. She says the flexibility and the course selection attracted her to the program. I wanted to find something that could accommodate to me rather than me accommodate to it. I did it entirely online. I've never even seen Royal Roads.
While Hadjis initially thought she was going to be disconnected from her peers, she found the program exceeded her expectations. It consisted of video lectures, group work over Skype, and assignments she was able to do while working full-time in Brussels. It was a very personal environment, she says.
But she adds that distance learning may not suit all industries. Hadjis, who focused in international relations, says the fact that she was working abroad at the same time was a benefit. What I was learning was flowing into my work. But for engineering as an example, I don't think it would be a benefit. For the sciences, you need to be at a lab.
As an added benefit, technology has also enriched distance learning, Busch says. Technology now allows for greater opportunities for communication and group work. It's not a single, lone endeavor.
However, Henri says there continues to be a debate about the quality of distance learning, including the isolation of learners and negative stigma.
But Busch says there may have been the sense that an online education isn't as good as a face-to-face education, but not anymore. In fact, she claims the online experience is an advantage to employers. It points to self-discipline, different learning styles and the application of technologies.
Are you considering a Master's or a Ph.D as part of your education?
View more schools that offer postgrad distance education, or visit the Queen's University page for more information about their postgrad programs. Also see Laurentian's MBA distance education program.