LaBonte, R., & Barbour, M. K. (2019, March). K-12 distance and online learning services provided to minority language students in Canada. A full paper presentation at the Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference, Las Vegas, NV.

1. Minority Language e-Learning
Services in Canada
Randy LaBonte
Canadian eLearning Network
Michael K. Barbour
Touro University California

2. About the Study
• Selected by the Centre francophone
d’éducation à distance (CFÉD)
• Examine distance learning services
offered by providers in minority language
communities across Canada to determine
o a comparison of equity, funding and parity
between Francophone programs and
equivalent Anglophone programs

3. Section 23: Minority Language Educational Rights
(1) Citizens of Canada:
a) first language learned and still understood is that of the English or French linguistic minority
population of the province in which they reside, or
b) who have received their primary school instruction in Canada in English or French and
reside in a province where the language in which they received that instruction is the language
of the English or French linguistic minority population of the province, have the right to have
their children receive primary and secondary school instruction in that language in that
province.
(2) Citizens of Canada of whom any child has received or is receiving primary or secondary school
instruction in English or French in Canada, have the right to have all their children receive primary
and secondary school instruction in the same language.
(3) The right of citizens of Canada under subsections (1) and (2) to have their children receive
primary and secondary school instruction in the language of the English or French linguistic minority
population of a province:
a) applies wherever in the province the number of children of citizens who have such a right is
sufficient to warrant the provision to them out of public funds of minority language instruction;
and
b) includes, where the number of those children so warrants, the right to have them receive
that instruction in minority language educational facilities provided out of public funds.
Canadian Charter of Rights & Freedoms

4. Minority Languages in Canada
• Charter of Rights and Freedoms enshrines
student’s right to education in own language
(i.e., French or English)
o a minority language ‘guarantee’
• As education is a provincial responsibility,
the federal government enters into
agreements with provinces and territories to
provide funding
• Issues exist for delivery of minority language
instruction in rural areas

5. Minority Languages in Canada
• Protocol for Agreements for Minority Language Education
and Second-Language Instruction
o stipulated that the federal Government would contribute more than
$743 million over five years to the provinces and
• However, according to the Fédération nationale des
conseils scolaires francophones (2016) how these funds
were allocated by each Ministry of Education was not clear,
consistent, or inclusive of the needs of local communities.
o Quebec the annual federal contribution was $64,932,135, while in
Alberta it was $14,205,828
o DE funds for Anglophone students in Quebec was $750,000 to
$800,000, while only $100,000 for Francophone students in Alberta
o This meant that 1.15% of Ententé funds flowed to minority-
language DE students in Quebec, while only 0.7% flowed in
Alberta.

6. National Overview

7. Activity: Distance & Online Learning

8. Methodology
Quantitative data collection
• Online survey
o curriculum; course development; educational services;
resources and assessment tools; funding models;
programming; staffing; quality standards; delivery
models; and delivery mediums (including synchronous
and asynchronous delivery)
• Sent to program
o Francophone and minority language education settings
in Canada and to select Alberta distance learning
providers

9. Methodology
Qualitative data collection
• Interviews focused on:
o identifying needs, current and future, for both schools
and learners;
o collecting data on learner performance, engagement
and program completion;
o understanding learner access to quality learning
resources and learning environment; and
o collecting information on current funding models,
strengths and limitations.
• Leaders of online services for Francophone and
Anglophone programs

10. Methodology
Data Sources
• Leading English Education and Resource
Network (LEARN)
• Consortium d’apprentissage virtuel de langue
française de l’Ontario (CAVLFO)
• École virtuelle du Conseil des écoles
fransaskoises (EVCEF)
• Centre francophone d’éducation à distance
(CFÉD)
• École Virtuelle du Conseil scolaire francophone
(EVCSF)

11. Key Findings
• All Francophone DE programs were supported
by a consortium of Francophone school boards
• Ontario provided access to some resources, but
other provinces did not

12. Key Findings
• Francophone program administrators reported
underfunding, Anglophone program did not
• All Francophone programs reported increasing
enrolment, yet funding was not increasing
• Federal funding was not enough for DE
• Different funding models in provinces have led
to inequities given varied provincial funding
• Widening gap between Anglophone and
Francophone services in each province

13. Key Findings
• Alberta Anglophone online program funded
based on enrolment
o Historically funded by conditional grant, but that
changed in recent years
• Alberta Francophone online program funded
based on conditional grant from Ministry
o Unless the conditions were met to the satisfaction of
Ministry, the funding was not guaranteed

14. Key Findings
• While the percentage of DE enrolment in Canada
is least in the east, greatest in the west
o Québec Anglophone DE program is double the
Francophone program
o BC and Alberta report the highest enrolment in DE,
yet Francophone is less than elsewhere and, at best,
static or declining
• Accordingly, there appears to be a widening gap
between Anglophone and Francophone DE
services across Canada, notably in the west
• In Canada, Francophone DE programs are not
keeping pace with Anglophone programs

15. Key Findings
Province
# of K-12
students
#
enrolled
in DE
%
involved
# of K-12
Francophone
students
(2013-14)
# of
Francophone
students in
DE
%
involved
NB 98,906 2,527 2.5% 29124 900 3.09%
ON 2,003,253 ~94,500 4.7% 98697 2500 2.53%
SK 176,301 ~12,000 6.8% 1460 250 17.12%
AB 691,876 ~60,000 8.7% 6277 450 7.17%
BC 635,037 69,735 11.0% 4744 150 3.16%
Province
# of K-12
students
(2014)
#
enrolled
in DE
%
involved
# of K-12
Anglophone
students
(2013-14)
# of
Anglophone
students in
DE
%
involved
QC 1,003,322 ~41,000 4.1% 87850 9,400 10.70%

16. Additional References
• Canadian eLearning Network
https://canelearn.net/
• Étude de parité de services en FAD (Alberta)
https://canelearn.net/research/canelearn-
research-projects/cfed/
• State of the Nation: K-12 e-Learning in Canada
https://k12sotn.ca/

17. Your
Questions
and
Comments

18. Associate Professor of Instructional Design
Touro University California
mkbarbour@gmail.com
http://www.michaelbarbour.com