Canadian Association for Distance Education - Office of Learning Technologies (OLT)

RESEARCH PROJECT TITLE
Determinants of Institutional Readiness for Distance/Distributed Learning

GOALS
The goals of the project are to provide:

i) post-secondary and community organizations with a tool to assess their readiness to adopt learning technologies and a means of identifying the barriers that are unique to their institution; and
ii) recommendations to alleviate the barriers to allow both sectors to work both autonomously and in partnership in order to meet the distributed and distance learning needs within their communities.

OBJECTIVES
This project proposes to respond to the following research objectives:

1. What are the indicators of organizational readiness to develop, deliver and sustain the provision of distance and distributed learning to meet labour market needs?
2. What are the indicators of organizational readiness to engage in partnerships with community organizations for the provision of distance and distributed learning?
3. What barriers prevent providers from using educational technologies and engaging in partnerships in the use of these technologies?
4. What steps can be taken to alleviate these barriers?

ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEMBERS
Joan Collinge, Simon Fraser University
Bill Muirhead, University of Ontario Institute of Technology and Durham College
Jamie Rossiter, Rossiter Consulting
Diane Janes, University of Saskatchewan
Julie Boissenault, Université Laurentienne
Margaret Haughey, University of Alberta

RESEARCHERS
Kathleen Matheos, University of Mantitoba
Raymond Guy, Collège Boréal
Bonnie Luterbach, University of Manitoba

FINAL REPORT DEADLINE – 31 December 2006