October 15, 2009 - 3:39am
Online technology will soon improve access to education for Aboriginal learners in remote First Nations communities and others interested in the shellfish industry.
VIU’s Centre for Shellfish Research (CSR) has received $78,000 in BCcampus funding to convert three introductory shellfish aquaculture courses into an online format.
“We applied for BCcampus funding to start this initiative because of feedback we received from Aboriginal students. They want access to courses in their home communities,” said Koren Bear, Training Program Manager for the CSR. “Online courses provide several advantages. Students can access the material at their convenience, and do not have to leave jobs to attend classes. They also learn transferrable skills, computer technology and software applications.”
The three courses will be developed over the next year and should be online by September 2011. They include courses in the Shellfish Tenure Application Process, Shellfish Grow Out Systems and Introduction to Shellfish Culture.
“These industry training courses were originally developed in 2004,” said Bear. “We developed them in response to interest shown by First Nations communities in training for the shellfish aquaculture industry. We hope the online courses will whet the appetites of students to want to learn more. Hopefully it will spark their interest to pursue a career in shellfish aquaculture.”
The delivery of more online courses could expand VIU’s market outside of Canada, Bear added. “Online learning makes education accessible to people all over the world,” she said. “We’ve already had interest expressed for these particular courses by potential students in Alaska.”
The online courses are being developed with First Nations partners including Naut’sa mawt (Coast Salish territory including Snuneymuwx) and the Tribal Council representing the Nuu-chah-nulth First Nations on eastern Vancouver Island.
Bear added online courses are part of a larger blended program the CSR hopes to operate out of the Deep Bay Field Station, which is currently under construction. Credit for the blended program could be laddered into VIU’s diploma programs in Fisheries and Aquaculture or the Resource Management Officer Training program, added Bear.
“Our goal is to provide the hands-on training component of shellfish aquaculture courses at the Field Station in combination with the online courses,” she said.
First announced in October 2002, BCcampus provides access to online education services offered by provincial public post-secondary institutions. It administers provincial development funding through the BCcampus OPDF, which helps educators and institutions develop online courses and programs targeted to students’ need to access education courses from anywhere in B.C. to complete degrees, diplomas and certificates.
Tags: In the Community
