Canadian Council on Learning | Conseil Canadien sur l'Apprentissage

The goal of the project was to demonstrate the feasibility of a community of practice and virtual learning (CPVL) in the context of front-line nursing in family medicine groups (FMG) in Quebec. A successful CPVL was established and conditions to foster a sustainable CPVL were identified. In the process of implementing this project, the Centre d’expertise en santé de Sherbrooke (CESS) developed the general consulting expertise that can be applied to CPVLs for other practice communities. Information about this service is available at www.expertise-sante.com/communaute-virtuelle-pratique.htm. A demo of the electronic discussion platform is also available on this site (in the section Communauté de pratique des infirmières GMF – not currently available in English). The project has already demonstrated capacity for ongoing sustainability through implementation of a member-funded CPVL for nurses specializing in emergency care. As a further testament to the success of the project, the Quebec Department of Health and Social Services has contacted the CESS in order to explore the possibility of supporting a CPVL for nurse navigators in oncology.

This project pioneered an innovative approach to the use of webinars to advance effective practices in school health promotion. The program of webinars engaged an audience of practitioners, researchers and officials in over 30 knowledge exchange sessions. Session topics included nutrition, aboriginal students, safety/bullying, physical activity, mental health and sexual health. Participant feedback on the sessions was very positive. The school health promotion webinar program is now ongoing and sustainable through a combination of registration/membership fees and small grants from a variety of funders. As a testament to the program’s success, other organizations such as the World Health Organization and the Public Health Agency of Canada are replicating this approach in the use of webinars. An example of a wiki developed to support a webinar presentation can be seen at: http://shwebinar-substanceabusepolicies.wetpaint.com/

This project was designed to increase the use of the teaching and learning software ePEARL (Electronic Portfolio Encouraging Active Reflective Learning) with a pan Canadian audience of policy makers, educators, students and parents. The goal was to promote student self regulated learning, while enhancing core literacy competencies. In conjunction with research partners, over 400 teachers and consultants were trained in the use of ePEARL - a tool to help students adopt self-regulation strategies such as setting their own process goals, articulating task demands, providing and receiving feedback, and evaluating progress. Products from the initiative include production of a Swap & Share DVD (http://grover.concordia.ca/epearl/en/epearl.html), a teacher and workshop activity guide, a virtual tutorial (http://grover.concordia.ca/epearl/tutorial/), and further development of a wiki (https://cslp-epearl.wikispaces.com) for ongoing networking and dissemination of information about ePEARL. As a result of the project, enthusiasm for ePEARL has grown nationally and internationally and funding has been secured to support three annual training institutes over the next three years.

This project involved a collaboration of the Women's College Hospital with the Women's College Research Institute and the Ontario Women's Health Network to develop Women Wading through the Web: a Health Toolkit to guide women in navigating the confusing maze of health information on the web. This online toolkit provides information on: how to use the internet to search for health information, how to judge the quality of a health website, how to interpret medical research, and how to understand media and web-based health information. The toolkit was and continues to be extensively promoted to the media, to consumers and healthcare intermediaries and through speaking engagements. The toolkit is available at: www.womenshealthmatters.ca/toolkit/index.html

This project provided support in the development and delivery of media education to Ontario educators who are required to teach media as part of the provincial curriculum. Through face-to-face and virtual collaboration, resources were mobilized for development of the Media Literacy Project: Research-Based Monograph Series - a publication in four volumes comprising essays on key educational practices in the 21st century and a digital complement (www.mediaeducationproject.ca) that functions as a meeting place for participants throughout the province to discuss media education. Both resources make research on media and education more accessible and useful to educators. They address concerns about inequity in access to media and ways that media can contribute to social and cultural divides.

This project involved the development of a comprehensive website (www.learningandviolence.net) to build understanding and provide a broad range of educational resources including original, creative and appealing multi-media resources to address the impacts of violence on learning. The project also developed a knowledge exchange forum - supported by web-based forums and interactive materials on the website - for researchers, educators and others concerned about the impact of violence on learning. The website models a new direction for educational websites designed to provide a hub for collaboration, reach diverse audiences, and achieve a broad range of goals. Given the project's success in terms of the website's effectiveness, the highly involved and synergistic forum, and the forum participants' commitment to further development of the website, partners are eager to continue the project.

This project delivered continuing education programs to raise awareness of mental health care and to increase the use of the Canadian Collaborative Mental Health Initiative (CCMHI) Education Toolkit. E-learning strategies were used to disseminate the toolkit including: a website (www.ccmhi.ca/en/training.html) that hosts several dynamic resources; five teleseminars providing basic instruction about inter-professional education; and three webinars that use a train-the-trainer format to teach potential facilitators how to implement the toolkit. The project was successful in bringing together a range of health care providers, consumers, family members, caregivers and educators to enhance the delivery of mental health services in primary health care settings. The use of e-learning technology proved to be an effective strategy for increasing awareness about CCMHI resources and for creating a community of learners interested in collaborative mental health care.

This project provided support in the development and delivery of media education to Ontario educators who are required to teach media as part of the provincial curriculum. Through face-to-face and virtual collaboration, resources were mobilized for development of the Media Literacy Project: Research-Based Monograph Series - a publication in four volumes comprising essays on key educational practices in the 21st century and a digital complement (www.mediaeducationproject.ca) that functions as a meeting place for participants throughout the province to discuss media education. Both resources make research on media and education more accessible and useful to educators. They address concerns about inequity in access to media and ways that media can contribute to social and cultural divides.

This project resulted in a website (in a blog platform) to serve as an educational hub about mental health issues. A variety of e-learning strategies provided on the website (podcasts, vodcasts, audio minutes, treatment guidelines, and teleseminars) were proven to be effective based on the feedback obtained at two focus groups the project conducted. Materials and resources resulting from the project are available at www.mentalhealthminute.com.

The Virtual Schools, Educational Resources and Distance Learning Strategies (Écoles virtuelles, ressources éducatives, et stratégies en téléapprentissage, EVREST) project engaged a pan-Canadian community of francophone distance education service providers. It initiated a new era of inter-provincial co-operation for sharing best practices and educational resources through face-to-face meetings, teleconferences, workshops and a wiki internet site. Educators developed new contacts and shared ideas with a view to promoting and expanding online learning in French language minority environments in Canada. The major accomplishment of EVRST was the promotion and mobilization of a pan-Canadian community of online learning practices from pre-kindergarten to Grade 12 in a francophone environment. The EVRST events attracted participants from every jurisdiction in Canada. A prototype of a wiki for the exchange of educational and administrative resources was developed and links with similar projects in Canada and abroad were established. At the end of the project the participants were committed to finding long-term mechanisms for on-line sharing of francophone resources across jurisdictions.

This project involved the development of a database of exemplary practices as well as a series of podcasts to address issues identified in a survey of French as Second Language (FSL) teachers. New FSL graduates and student teachers, as well as the broader general education community, will benefit from greater access to this knowledge to improve FSL working and learning conditions in Canada. The database and podcasts are accessible on the CASLT website.

This initiative was designed to establish a structured and ongoing communication process to stimulate knowledge exchange between career development practitioners, human resource professionals, and prior learning assessment and review (PLAR) practitioners. Focus groups were conducted to gather information on shared needs and priorities for the project. E-leaning technologies including web-based meeting, live and archived webcasts and online discussion forums were used to deliver information sessions on topics of interest. Key results of this project included the establishment of a new knowledge exchange network for human resource, career development, and PLAR practitioners. The section on ‘Communities of Interest’ on the website www.recognitionforlearnng.ca and a contact list of interested individuals and organizations were developed to support ongoing communication. Results from the application of new e-learning technologies were very positive. A basis for ongoing work involving the three professional groups was established.