AC Online Campus Launch
Posted on Friday, October 2nd, 2020
The prepared remarks of President Claude Brulé.
March 05, 2020
Good afternoon everyone. Bonjour. Kwe.
I want to thank you all for joining us here today for this very special announcement.
Before I begin, I would like to acknowledge the tremendous work of our Algonquin College team that made this new campus a reality — in this case, a virtual reality.
Please join me in congratulating and thanking:
• Patrick Devey, Dean of AC Online;
• Sara Munroe, Acting Dean, AC Online;
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And the departments who have worked tirelessly in the background:
• Lois Pollock and her Digital team;
• Alanna McDonell and her Marketing team;
• and Krista Pearson and her team in the Registrar’s Office.
Thank you one and all.
It is easy to dismiss an Online Campus as somehow less than a campus made of bricks and mortar. Just because something is out of sight, though, does not mean that it’s out of mind. In fact, the online world has been on our minds for a long time — it has been part of our evolution for more than two decades, including the past three Strategic Plans. This is why our college has emerged as a leader in digital learning and why we are recognized as a college of choice for personalized learning.
Last year, Algonquin College was ranked first in online enrolments among all colleges and CEGEPs in Canada based on the 2018 National Survey of Online and Digital Learning in Canada.
Now, we are going to cement that achievement by not only providing the quality and variety of courses that our learners have come to expect, but also the support they need to be successful.
From the moment a learner contacts us about online education, to the moment they graduate, they will receive the same support as someone who studies at any of our other campuses.
We won’t stop there, though. We will be using new technology, more interactive elements and custom video content to enrich our offerings and give our online learners all the tools they need to launch or enhance their careers.
I want to take you, for a moment, into a virtual world of scenarios that are, for many people, very real.
Imagine that you are a busy entrepreneur, working from dawn till dusk (and often beyond) in order to keep your business thriving. You simply cannot leave your work to attend classes without risking your business.
Or imagine that you are a single-parent without affordable childcare or adequate transportation to get you to and from classes. You want to upgrade your skills to provide a better life for your child — but you cannot leave him or her alone for the length of time it would take you to get to campus, attend class and travel home.
Or imagine that you have had a long career and have given many years of service to your employer. The only thing that stands between you and a promotion and pay raise is an additional qualification — but it’s impossible for you to take a course for that qualification because it’s only offered during your work hours.
Finally, imagine you are a shift worker who dreams of a different work environment. You can attend some classes, but not others, depending on your shift. Travelling to campus is impossible for you.
What if there was a way to assist all of these people, to give them options, and to help them be the person they know they are capable of becoming, if only they had the chance? When colleges were founded in Ontario a little more than 50 years ago, that was exactly what they were designed to do — to give people a chance, whether it was women training to join the workforce for the first time, or soldiers returning from military duty or those who had found a better career path than the one they had.
Educational technology expert Elliot Masie, the person who is thought to have coined the term “e-learning,” has said that educators need to “bring learning to people instead of people to learning.”
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That is just what our Online Campus will do, by offering courses to students when and where they want to learn, whether it’s overseas, in the middle of the night, or whether they need to learn quickly or whether they need extra time.
It will open new doors for those who previously struggled to find educational options to suit their lifestyle by giving them an alternative that fits their life, no matter who they are or their circumstances.
When you bring learning to people, you also eliminate barriers to education — our Online Campus is not only providing personalized education, but it is providing access where none previously existed for some people. I think that’s a reality we are lucky to live in.
Now it gives me great pleasure to introduce our final guest before our keynote speaker today. Jeremy Roberts, Member of Provincial Parliament for Ottawa-West Nepean, is no stranger to Algonquin College. Born and raised in Ottawa, he has been a long-time community volunteer and has devoted much of his time in elected office to advocating on behalf of caregivers and individuals with developmental disabilities. He has served as vice-chair of the Finance Committee and, since last summer, as Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Children, Community and Social Services. I would like to thank him for taking time out of his busy schedule to be here with us today — please join me in welcoming MPP Jeremy Roberts…
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