The Benefits of an Online Education Consortium for Alberta, 3(4)

Abstract

The emergence of online schooling is a recent phenomenon within Alberta. Since 1995, 23 online programs have begun operating in the province. Online education depends on new network technologies to expedite access to information while simultaneously making it possible it to post lessons and course content on the Internet. The development of online programs to address the needs of K-12 students has resulted in duplication of effort among the programs. One solution to the duplication of effort to build course content and the identification of "best practices" for online education is the formation of a provincial consortium. This paper will argue that the formation of a provincial consortium for online education holds many potential benefits for online programs within Alberta.