For the second year in a row, Queen’s has enjoyed considerable success in securing funding from the Ontario Online Initiative to support the development of new online courses and modules. The university will receive funding to develop or redesign 20 online courses and modules out of the 94 across Ontario that were awarded funding.

The Ontario Online Initiative (OOI) was created by the Government of Ontario to promote the development of online courses at universities and colleges to give students greater flexibility as they pursue their degrees. Twenty universities submitted proposals in the second round of the competition this. Last year was the first round of funding available to universities and 13 Queen’s courses were among the 68 that were awarded funded.

“Queen’s success again this year speaks to the very high quality of our online learning design and the expertise that our faculty and staff bring to the development of these courses,” says Jill Scott, Vice-Provost (Teaching and Learning). “I would like to thank all the individual faculty members, academic units and professional staff in educational support roles who contributed to this success.”

“Queen’s success again this year speaks to the very high quality of our online learning design and the expertise that our faculty and staff bring to the development of these courses.”

- Jill Scott, Vice-Provost (Teaching and Learning)

The courses and modules to be funded through OOI span a range of disciplines and include topics like Indigenous Educational Leadership, History of Literature in English, and the Fundamentals of Clinical Trial Design, Conduct and Analysis. The Continuing and Distance Studies unit within the Faculty of Arts and Science is leading the development of many of the funded courses.

“We are committed to delivering the highest possible quality online courses by incorporating evidence-based best practices,” says Brenda Ravenscroft, Associate Dean (Teaching and Learning) in the Faculty of Arts and Science. “This includes clearly articulating learning outcomes, engaging students through active learning, and encouraging interactivity in the online environment. We are also committed to continuous improvement in course design through student evaluations and a rigorous process of review.”

Queen’s participation in the Ontario Online Initiative is part of its commitment to expanding online, blended and technology-enhanced learning opportunities for its students. The online courses and modules that received funding will be offered during the 2015-16 academic year.