Evolving Practices: How Continuing Education in Canada is Changing

The Pre-Pandemic Landscape

In 2018, the CDLRA found that most Canadian post-secondary institutions (92%) offered continuing education (CE). At that time, face-to-face classes that were not for credit were the most common type of CE and were offered at 87% of institutions with CE programming. Survey respondents at the time described an increasing demand for online CE options and several institutions mentioned that they were exploring micro-credentials and their potential as part of their long-term CE strategy.

According to Colleges and Institutes Canada (CICan), micro-credentials are defined as “a certification of assessed competencies that is additional, alternate, complementary to, or a component of a formal qualification.” In other words, a micro-credential is a for-credit offering. The mention by survey respondents in 2018 that they were exploring micro-credentials as part of the CE strategy, indicates that there was an interest at institutions in expanding their for-credit offerings even though most offerings at the time were not for credit.

By 2019, nearly one-half of institutions that responded to the CDLRA survey were experimenting with alternative credentials (including micro-credentials). The open-ended survey responses from that year showed that among institutions using alternative credentials, there was a sense of ambiguity about what constituted an alternative credential or how different types of alternative credentials differed from one another. Some institutions considered professional certificates and CE certificates (for-credit and not-for-credit) to be alternative credentials, blurring the lines between CE offerings and alternative credentials.

What About MOOCs?

In the early 2010’s there was a sense of hype surrounding massive open online courses (MOOCs). By 2018, the hype was fading at institutions. The CDLRA survey data showed that by 2018, institutions were mostly uncertain about (35%) or disinterested in (31%) supporting MOOCs at their institution. Although MOOCs did not gain the traction or widespread popularity that scholars anticipated in the early 2010’s, they were an important stepping stone toward the development of micro-credentials. A key characteristic of a MOOC was that it was open access, meaning that anyone could sign up to take a MOOC course; however, credit for completing the MOOC was not guaranteed. In some instances, MOOC participants received a certificate of completion or a credential. In other cases, the course itself was free, but a fee was charged if the student wanted credit for completion.

The Lasting Impact of the Pandemic

Prior to the pandemic, many institutions recognized the importance of increasing their online CE offerings; however, the pre-2020 findings indicate that the overall implementation of online and hybrid CE offerings across Canada was still in its infancy. The pandemic appears to have been a catalyst for accelerating the growth of online CE, particularly micro-credentials.

In Canada, many post-secondary institutions moved to a fully (or almost fully) online course delivery model for the 2020-21 academic year in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Uncertainty prevailed as new variants emerged, and those who worked in post-secondary education wondered when a sense of normalcy would return and how education would be changed by the widespread shift to online learning. One of the key findings from the CDLRA surveys that has persisted since 2021, is the expectation that there will be more online and hybrid options at post-secondary institutions in response to learner demands for flexibility and access.

The CDLRA has not specifically investigated CE since the onset of the pandemic; however, findings from survey questions about micro-credentials indicate that this is an area of growth. The 2021 survey found that 63% of respondents anticipated more alternative credentials than pre-pandemic. For the 2022-24 surveys, the findings consistently showed that most respondents expected an increase in alternative credentials.

Future Insights

What might all these changes in the CE landscape mean for the future? The CDLRA findings indicate that growth is occurring in two significant places: 1) online and hybrid delivery of CE offerings and 2) alternative credentials.

Over the years, the CDLRA survey findings have clearly shown that there is an opportunity for institutions to add innovative pathways and programs to their existing offerings. In doing so, institutions can attract new demographics of learners who are not well-served by traditional programs or ways of teaching and learning.

There is no question that post-secondary education is undergoing a season of disruption, but with that comes a new freedom to experiment and pioneer improved ways to help more people advance their knowledge and careers. This the right time to rethink our pathways, practices and programs.

¹ The CDLRA is a non-profit organization that conducts applied research to advance knowledge about digital learning strategies, policies, and practices in close collaboration with Canadian post-secondary institutions and affiliated organizations. Since 2017, the CDLRA has been conducting annual Pan-Canadian surveys to track digital learning trends. D2L has helped sponsor the CDLRA’s research work since 2017 and the organization thanks D2L for their ongoing support.

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