LEADERS IN LEARNING
CAMBRIDGE-STRATEGIES.ORG SCCYBER.NET
CANADA
“THE ULTIMATE GOAL IS FOR GREATER ACCESS TO EDUCATION TO STRENGTHEN ECONOMIC INCLUSION AND PROSPECTS”
SCCYBER E-LEARNING COMMUNITY
LINGUISTICALLY AND CULTURALLY diverse, Canada’s indigenous peoples comprise more than 600 First Nations communities spread across the country, representing just over 4 per cent of the total Canadian population. They often live on remote, rural reserves, and have long had a lower high-school completion rate than non-aboriginal students, leading to unemployment, poverty and unrealised potential. It’s a problem that inspired Martin Sacher to co-found the SCcyber
E-learning Community, Canada’s first electronic learning programme for First Nations education. With more than 30 years’ experience in schools—including two decades as a high-school principal—Sacher has become a leading advocate for tackling educational inequality. He believes that a different strategy is required for Canada’s Inuit, Metis and First Nations communities. “There is currently a lack of understanding of how to educate First Nations
people,” says Sacher, “and a lack of access to qualified education and educators in many First Nations communities.”
DIGITAL DELIVERY SCcyber was established in 2000 and is an accredited private school for students in grades 7 to 12. It offers both high-school age and adult learners online access to more than 100 high-school and vocational courses, each of which is accredited by the Alberta Ministry of Education and post-secondary institutions. Learning programmes are delivered in more than 25 reserve and urban locations throughout Alberta and the Northwest Territories, and more than 600 students are educated each year. “What makes SCcyber different from other e-learning platforms is its
model for a blended learning approach,” says Sacher. “A typical SCcyber site differs markedly from both traditional classrooms and conventional distance delivery. Students work at their own individual computer workstations with headphones. They might be sitting right next to each other, but each student might be studying a different subject with a different teacher.”
SCcyber students benefit from both real-time synchronous online
instruction from highly qualified teachers and the support of local mentors at individual centres. Its students can also communicate with teachers at any time during their lesson using web-conferencing and messaging tools. All of these courses are also completely mobile, and accessible from
tablets, smartphones and other devices. It makes SCcyber the only accessible 100 per cent mobile learning programme in Canada. “Our site surveys have highlighted many problems that inhibit quality
education being delivered on reserves,” says Sacher. “They include a lack of local leadership, and the inability to attract and retain good teachers on such locations. Our programme is different because it’s addressed these types of problems. That is why it’s successful.”
STUDENT SUCCESS Today, SCcyber is enjoying success rates that parallel those of aboriginal students in Alberta’s provincial school system. In surveys, many of the learners have praised the programme. “It is supportive and understanding of First Nations issues and challenges,” said one; another enjoyed “the social, personal and academic support provided by mentors”; yet another felt that “students of all ages are welcomed”. The high quality of SCcyber’s e-learning programmes has earned
the organisation a host of awards. In 2011, Sacher received the Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education’s Award for Outstanding Service to Digital Equity, and the following year, Ashoka Changemakers awarded SCcyber Top Project for Student Retention Across Canada. Canada’s indigenous youth is now the country’s fastest-growing
demographic, and SCcyber’s ultimate goal is for greater access to education to strengthen their economic inclusion and prospects. “We are having real success,” says Sacher, “and feel very strongly that the model should be used for First Nations students in all provinces across the country.”
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