A partnership between Newfoundland and Labrador�s
public secondary and post-secondary education institutions has been
acknowledged by Desire2Learn Incorporated, a world leading provider of
eLearning solutions. The 2009 Desire2EXCEL Community Service Award
recognizes Desire2Learn users that foster leadership, commitment and
continued online collaboration within their own communities.
"Over the past 30 years, this province has been a
leader in distance education, and this award further cements that
reputation," said the Honourable Darin King, Minister of Education.
"Recognizing the importance of distance education for the province,
approximately $1.3 million has been invested in this initiative. By
partnering with Desire2Learn, we are able to offer a province-wide
system that allows students to use the same teaching and learning
software through the course of their education, from high school into
post-secondary. The same applies for students who may move from college
to university or vice versa."
The partnership originates from the Provincial
Government�s White Paper on Public Post-Secondary Education, which
called for greater collaboration among publicly funded education
providers in the province. In support of that directive, Memorial
University�s Distance Education and Learning Technologies (DELT),
College of the North Atlantic�s Distributed Learning Service (DLS), and
the Department of Education�s Centre for Distance Learning and
Innovation (CDLI) selected a common learning management system (LMS) to
support all distance education in the province.
"We would like to extend our congratulations to DELT,
DLS and CDLI on their receipt of the 2009 Desire2EXCEL Community Service
award," said John Baker, President and CEO, Desire2Learn. "The awards
committee, in selecting this group as the winners, recognized the
innovative and collaborative nature of this province-wide project. The
use of Desire2Learn by partner institutions ensures that students will
be connected with each other and with the world. This group has made
enormous contributions to their organizations, to the Desire2Learn user
community and to eLearning as a whole on a global basis."
"Memorial University and the province have built a
reputation as pioneers in the field of distance education," said Ann
Marie Vaughan, director of DELT. "The collaboration with Desire2Learn
has allowed us to enhance teaching and learning on campus, but more
significantly we are now providing people in rural parts of the province
with access to a university education that they wouldn�t otherwise have.
This has made a tremendous impact on the opportunities available to our
learners, and as a result, has had a positive effect on the communities
in which they live."
This is the first time in North America that public
education providers in one jurisdiction have achieved this level of
collaboration. The unique system-wide collaboration among the three
education partners impacts all students in the province. This model is
becoming widely realized as innovative in the field of distance
education, and a starting point for greater collaboration to create a
learning environment for all learners.
"Our partnership strengthens the college's capacity to
provide greater access to quality learning opportunities and to enhance
our classroom delivery at all 17 campuses in Newfoundland and Labrador,"
said John King, chair of DLS. "We have completed a number of
collaborative projects with Memorial and CDLI in the past decade and we
continue to grow in partnership with Memorial, CDLI and Desire2Learn. We
are grateful for the support and vision of government that has enabled
this groundbreaking alliance to benefit learners in all parts of the
province."
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