Distance Education

Distance Education is a method of teaching and learning in which students may not be required to be present physically at specific locations or times during the school term. Students complete course work by communicating with teachers through exchange of print and/or electronic materials. Distance education meets the needs of students requiring flexible schedules to learn at their own pace at times and locations convenient to them.

At Alberta Distance Learning Centre, students choose from several delivery methods to facilitate learning. More complete descriptions are accessible by clicking a choice below.

Students are successful in distance education courses when they are self-motivated, organized, and work well independently.

Delivery Methods

Print service offers the flexibility of independent reading of instruction and completion of assignments. Print service is for students preferring printed materials while accessing ADLC teachers for assistance.

Online service offers the attraction of using materials on screen to students who prefer working on computers and Internet. Students must have sufficient access to the Internet. Simulating the classroom experience, online programs offer flexibility, various assessment tools and strategies, and frequent student-teacher interaction.

A combination of print and online is now also available for certain courses. These new "All in one" courses provide full access to the online environment or physical materials may be ordered for those students wishing to complete the course in print. In this situation students may still use the online environment as a supplement. Currently only the following courses are available in this format:

• Spanish 4, 5 & 6
• French 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 & 9
• Math 10C, 10-3
• Math 20-1, 20-2, 20-3
• Math 30-1, 30-2, 30-3
• Social 30-1
• Social 30-2

CD service is a new offering which provides both print and online material in one enrollment. When a student enrolls in this course they are provided a CD which contains all print material in a PDF format. It also has a simulated online environment which can be run directly from the CD. As part of this course offering a student is also given a user name and password which gives them full access to the online course. This allows the student to select the learning style which best suits their needs. They can even switch from one delivery mode to another mid course.  

Custom Services Delivery involves adaptation of the services of ADLC to schools and students. ADLC provides blends of print with online delivery using varied combinations of e-mail, website interaction, team teaching, and/or online synchronous teaching. Contact ADLC administration to customize a program to suit your school’s needs.

Virtual Classroom involves classes conducted over the Internet. The entire class meets at a regular time. Students and teachers communicate using microphones, drawing tools, and shared computer software. The atmosphere is exciting and motivating with students typically enjoying tremendous success. These are setup on request. Please contact the main switch board for more information.

Video-conferencing is the AISI (Alberta Initiative for School Improvement ) project at Alberta Distance Learning Centre. Access to this optional mode of instruction is dependent upon equipment and bandwidth of partnering schools.

Team Teaching is a partnership between a classroom teacher and the ADLC teacher-developer. The classroom teacher provides individualized instruction while the ADLC teacher-developer provides classroom support and self-paced instructional materials. Team Teaching effectively enhances classroom teaching through ADLC’s delivery services.