Ontario students who wish to take more online classes can soon choose from a list of thousands, thanks to the launch of the eCampus Ontario web portal.
Run by the non-profit eCampus Ontario, the new portal includes a searchable catalogue of over 13,000 courses offered online and access to 277 new and redesigned courses with transferable credits between participating post-secondary schools.
It also includes a feature that immediately identifies credit transfer information and support for faculty to design and deliver courses.
There are currently 114 courses offered by Carleton University on the portal. Students will be able to register for certain courses provided by other universities.
Carleton students will be able to see whether Carleton has previously given credit for the course offered by institutions, and then be directed via eCampus to information about how to register for the course.
“The web portal builds on the province’s strong foundation in e-learning and distance education,” Reza Moridi, Minister of Trades, Colleges and Universities said in a press release.
Ontario is investing $72 million over five years to create and run eCampus. All 45 publicly-funded post-secondary schools in Ontario currently offer online courses through the site.
The portal was endorsed by the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS), with the group stating the portal is important to ensure accessibility to all students.
“It does not necessarily make education more affordable, but makes it more diverse,” said Rajean Hoilett, chairperson of CFS—Ontario. “[It’s] a good opportunity for learners in rural or northern communities to have access to programs they might not otherwise have.”
“We have seen online learning grow in the province, and we do not think it is a substitute for in class learning, but it is complimentary,” Hoilett added.
Charlotte Burrows, a third-year business student at Carleton, said she is open to trying out the new portal. She also said the ability to know which credits from different universities successfully transfer to others would be helpful.
“I’m a transfer student, I went to college before this and it would have been helpful to know in advance which of my credits transferred over,” she said. “I’m also going on exchange and I have no idea where my courses will stand. If I knew, that would be great.”
