Queen’s University has received approximately $1.2 million in funding from eCampusOntario to develop or redesign seven online programs through the New Program Development grant program.

eCampusOntario, which represents Ontario’s 45 colleges and universities, put out a call for proposals in July 2016 and received 174 submissions. A total of 61 submissions received funding totaling more than $21 million.

Of the seven successful proposals from Queen’s six were submitted by the Faculty of Arts and Science and one was submitted by the Faculty of Health Sciences.

The successful proposals cover a broad range of subjects including entrepreneurship and innovation, health leadership, and undergraduate research.

“Queen’s has a proven track record in securing funding to support the development of online learning,” John Pierce, Acting Vice-Provost (Teaching and Learning), says. “In this round alone, over 10 per cent of the 61 successful proposals were from Queen’s. Our successes are a direct result of the expertise and engagement that our faculty and staff bring to the development of these innovative, well-designed courses. Collectively, we remain committed to facilitating a transformative online learning experience for our students, and these new projects will contribute to that.”

Queen’s already has more than 160 courses available online, as well as five full degree programs. More information about online offerings is available on Queen’s online learning hub.

Ontario’s shared online course funding program was created to promote the development of online courses at universities and colleges and to give students greater flexibility as they pursue their degrees. 

The Queen’s online programs receiving grants from eCampusOntario are:

Doctor of Science - Rehabilitation and Health Leadership
Grant: $182,594
Project will work to develop the new Doctor of Science in Rehabilitation and Health Leadership (DSc RHL) plus four courses within this program. The DSc (RHL) is a professional doctorate that will produce ‘leader scholars.’

Queen's Entrepreneurship and Innovation Certificate (QEIC)
Grant: $363,835
Project is to develop a new fully online certificate program in innovation and entrepreneurship to be launched in Fall 2018. This will be a uniquely collaborative academic initiative that brings together participants from nine Queen’s faculties, schools, departments and service units to develop, design and deliver the program.

Master of Earth and Energy Resources Leadership
Grant: $151,317
Project will develop three courses for the new online Master of Earth and Energy Resources Leadership (MEERL) to be launched in January 2017. MEERL is a part-time, course-based, graduate program introduced by the Department of Geological Sciences and Geological Engineering at Queen’s that: 1) Capitalizes on Queen’s widely recognized strengths in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, the Faculty of Law, the Smith School of Business, the School of Policy Studies and the Department of Economics; 2) Works with industry to deliver courses that take an interdisciplinary approach focused on resource-related decision-making; Can be leveraged by those working in natural resources, policy, and regulation.

Certificate in Employment Relations (CEMPR)
Grant: $262,956
Project will redesign a certificate program in employment relations for fully online delivery, to be launched in Summer 2018. Project brings together two universities and participants from several Queen’s Faculties, Schools, Departments and Programs to develop, design and deliver the program.

Global Action and Engagement Certificate (GAEC)
Grant: $212,517
Project will develop a new, fully online undergraduate Global Action and Engagement Certificate (GAEC), and three core courses, to launch in Fall 2018. The fully online delivery model will make this innovative program: 1) Accessible to learners across Ontario and Canada; 2) An ideal way to earn a recognized credential that demonstrates cross-cultural competencies, intellectual creativity, collaborative problem solving skills; 3) The standard for proficiencies to work/volunteer in complex global settings.

Certificate in Advanced Research Skills
Grant: $187,298
Project will develop a new, fully online certificate program in advanced research skills, to be launched in Fall 2017. The fully online delivery model will make this innovative program accessible to learners from all disciplines in Ontario and across Canada. To our knowledge, it is the first interdisciplinary and multi-disciplinary research skills certificate. This ground breaking course will: 1) Recognize the ability of the learner to construct her or his own learning; 2) Create opportunities for self-directed learning; 3) Be aligned with the pedagogical approach of inquiry-based learning.

French for Professionals Certificate
Grant: $214,047
Project is to develop a new fully online undergraduate certificate in French for Professionals to be launched in Fall 2018. In Canada, new graduates, professionals and other job-seekers who can communicate effectively in French as a Second Language (FSL) are more likely to be successfully employed in bilingual workplaces (Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Development, 2016). Goal of this new certificate program is to enable learners of French as a Second Language to develop and enhance language skills to work in bilingual professional environments such as health care, government, law and other industries.