Canadore College News Release ******************** Canadore College Faculty Mark Lamontagne, a professor in the School of Business, has been helping to pave the way for new technology and educational opportunities in Sri Lanka.
Canadore College Faculty Mark Lamontagne, a professor in the School of Business, has been helping to pave the way for new technology and educational opportunities in Sri Lanka.
Since May 2006, Lamontagne has been working on a high-profile project in Sri Lanka through the Association of Canadian Community Colleges.
The Distance Education Modernization Project is a $60 million US, multi-year project funded by the Asian Development Bank. The goal was to establish a national online distance education system across the country of Sri Lanka. The online system not only brings education to rural areas of the country but addresses the needs of more than 100,000 qualified A-Level (grade 12 with "A" averages) graduates who are not admitted to the public university system and cannot afford an international postsecondary education.
The project involved establishing:
1. The fiber-optic network, network operating centre, and course hosting/management/support services
2. Institutional readiness with online course designers, web-writers, instructors, and of course, curriculum
3. A revitalized and renewed Open University of Sri Lanka that is offering modern online education
The project involved approximately 15 international consultants and 50 local consultants. There was Canadian representation from reputed Canadian institutions such as Athabasca University, Red River College, the Canadian Association of Distance Education (CADE), Simon Fraser University, and Canadore College.
Lamontagne's primary role was as the International Online Education and Training Specialist. In this role, together with some colleagues, he trained over 500 people in various positions that included web-writers, course design and development specialists, online instructors, and access centre operators.
As of Fall 2007, seven Sri Lankan institutions (four universities and three professional associations) are offering online degrees and diplomas, six of which are making their entire program available online. There are currently 10 fully functional high-speed access points across the country, and the online hosting and network operating centre is functional. Expectations are that approximately 4,000 students will be enrolled this fall. Lamontagne returned to Canadore in July 2007.
