The Ontariolearn.com consortium began offering online courses within the Province of Ontario, Canada, in 1995 with originally 4 colleges and a total enrolment of 365 students. The original goal was to find a way for colleges to share curriculum, thereby making previously un-economical courses, practical and resulting in broadening the geographical reach of online education. After 15 years of growth, the consortium now has 22 member colleges, an annual enrolment of over 70,000, an inventory of 1,100 courses, and a reputation as a national leader in online education. This presentation will describe the evolution and operation of the consortium with special focus on the delivery model, governance, policy and individual college leadership issues. Special attention will be given to how programs were adapted to service new student demands, technology changes and recent economic trends. The presentation will address how changing demographics has impacted course/program delivery and how these changes have affected the "global" nature of our operation. The development of key partnerships aimed at providing an effective support system across multiple LMS platforms in a 24x7x365 day environment will also be described.
Attendees who are interested in a cooperative model, among colleges who still compete with each other, will learn how this self funded consortium has been so succeful.
