TORONTO: The Ontario government is investing $50 million in virtual learning and educational technologies to help expand access to high-quality, market-responsive, and globally competitive “Ontario Made” education.
The move will strengthen the province’s position as a global leader in the postsecondary sector.
“This is a historic investment that will support lifelong learners in achieving their educational and professional aspirations,” said Ross Romano, Minister of College and Universities.
“It’s the first of its kind in our province’s history – providing dedicated funding to support virtual learning at publicly-assisted colleges, universities, and Indigenous Institutes.”
Informed by consultations with the postsecondary sector, the Virtual Learning Strategy will emphasize the importance of sustainable growth in educational technology and virtual learning, and support Ontario’s efforts to grow our digital footprint by:
• Positioning Ontario as a global leader and testbed for digital innovation in educational technology.
• Establishing Ontario as a global leader in virtual learning by creating opportunities for international students who want to study from their home, while accessing Ontario’s world-class, digital content.
• Encouraging lifelong learning by supporting virtual micro-credential programs to help people learn new skills at their own pace, when and where they need their education most.
• Increasing the quality and availability of virtual learning efforts to build upon the work of the Ontario Government and the Special Implementation Team on Intellectual Property to advance Ontario’s Intellectual Property Action Plan.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the importance of high-quality and accessible virtual learning. In the early days of the pandemic, our sector’s immediate and short term response to building upon our virtual needs was an absolutely necessary step to guaranteeing the academic continuity of our students and ensuring that no one lost a year of study,” said Minister Romano.
The Virtual Learning Strategy for postsecondary education is one of more than 30 projects in Ontario Onwards: Ontario’s COVID-19 Action Plan
“Through our government’s Virtual Learning Strategy, we are harnessing the power of technology and leveraging innovation to provide world-class post-secondary opportunities to Ontario’s students,” said Peter Bethlenfalvy, President of the Treasury Board and Minister Responsible for Digital and Data Transformation.
The Virtual Learning Strategy will build on and leverage Ontario’s existing digital learning organizations – Contact North and eCampusOntario – that improve access and drive innovation in virtual teaching and learning.
• eCampusOntario is a center of excellence in online and tech-enabled learning that is governed by Ontario’s publicly-assisted postsecondary institutions.
• Contact North is a community-based bilingual distance education and training network that expands access to distance education courses, programs and training for Ontarians in underserved northern, remote, rural, Indigenous and Francophone communities.