Consortium d’apprentissage virtuel de langue française de l’Ontario (CAVLFO)

Challenge

Transforming the Learning Experience 

Consortium d’apprentissage virtuel de langue française de l’Ontario (CAVLFO) was founded in 2010 as a collaboration between the 12 French-language school boards in the province of Ontario, the Consortium du Centre Jules-Léger, and the Ontario Ministry of Education. The organization aims to create an equitable French-language education environment in the province by offering high school students more than 100 online courses across subjects such as mathematics, computer science and social sciences.  

“The user experience is everything to us,” says Amanda Di Lullo, educational designer at CAVLFO. “Students face a lot of distractions—the course needs to be intuitive so that they know where they need to go, what they will achieve and what they need to achieve it.” 

Brightspace has been instrumental to the design and delivery of CAVLFO’s online courses over the past 15 years, and the CAVLFO team knew it was the right platform to help them transform the learning experience for French-speaking students across Ontario. 

Solution

Partnering With Experts 

CAVLFO teamed up with D2L Learning Services to support the redesign of an online Grade 11 Geography course. The two organizations now meet three to five times a week across leadership, project management and content creation teams to ensure that the new course is developed to the highest standards.  

The course design began with the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to generate engaging, outcome-aligned content and assessments, that  were then refined by instructional designers to ensure pedagogical integrity.

To elevate learner engagement, the team integrated a mix of Creator+, H5P, Brightspace tools and custom HTML components to create a highly interactive experience. Custom elements—including a branded HTML template, illustrated graphics, diverse video and audio assets, and tailored features like intuitive navigation and glossary tooltips—were developed to enhance usability and accessibility. The result is a custom, media-rich course that fully leverages the Brightspace platform to deliver a dynamic and impactful learning experience. 

“We appreciate the fluidity of the discussions we’ve had with D2L,” says Isabelle Chartrand-Dubois, principal of CAVLFO. “It’s an agile partnership.” 

The courses are mainly delivered asynchronously, but they include synchronous elements such as check-in meetings and face-to-face assessments to help students stay on track. Teachers also have beginning-of-year meetings to welcome  students and to provide  them with key information. 

“In an asynchronous learning environment, building relationships is very important,” explains Renée Belhumeur, assistant principal at CAVLFO. “Students can understand that there is a real person behind it all—it humanizes the courses.” 

By integrating meeting applications into  Brightspace courses, teachers can empower students to connect and access support whenever they need it throughout the semester. 

“Teachers can set up different ways to meet with students,” explains Daniel Dubé, educational consultant at CAVLFO. “Some have a Google Meet link always available, some will have a standing appointment.” 

Engaging the Student Voice 

To design engaging courses that adhere to the standards set by the Ontario Ministry of Education, CAVLFO has created robust communication and feedback processes. Staff at every level, from teachers to third-party consultants working on the behalf of the ministry, are involved.  

“We are listening closely to what our teachers want and what we can implement to get students more engaged,” notes Isabelle Chartrand-Dubois. 

Another significant aspect of this redesign process is the inclusion of student voice. Through focus groups and surveys, CAVLFO measures the user experience and the learning impact for its students. 

“Having a good learning experience is important because sometimes it can be the spark to a lifelong passion,” adds Belhumeur. 

Innovating and Customizing 

Teachers are encouraged to utilize tools in Creator+ to customize their courses and create personalized, engaging content. For example, the Physical Education teachers have created individualized landing pages with newsletters to ensure students get all the information they need to succeed in one place. 

Together with D2L experts, CAVLFO is now exploring further possibilities within the Brightspace platform. 

“We are learning so much from D2L,” explains Chartrand-Dubois. “There are many Brightspace features that we haven’t used before. With support from the Learning Services team, we can ensure that the platform is being used to its full potential.” 

With H5P tools to support the creation of more interactive content, the organization can customize its courses and ensure an engaging experience for  students. 

“Across our different courses, including intensive summer courses, we have many different student profiles and they all have different educational needs,” says Belhumeur. “In an asynchronous environment, it can be hard for them to be consistent. Having those engaging components in Brightspace is very important to make sure that they keep coming back.”  

Result

Engagement for All

With the redesign process in full swing, CAVLFO is already seeing the positive impact of the new courses. 

“We’ve had great feedback from the School Boards and teachers that work with us on behalf of the ministry,” says Di Lullo. “Brightspace allows us to create high-quality content and we are excited to introduce customized aspects such as a progress bar to help students see how far they are in their course.” 

Significantly, the new content is available not just to CAVLFO teachers and students, but to educators across the province. Along with the redesign, CAVLFO has developed a portal of over 400 modules and interactive activities that teachers in brick-and-mortar schools can use to elevate the learning experience. 

“It’s wonderful to make all these resources available to teachers,” notes Di Lullo. “Tons of activities, lessons and plans are just ready and waiting to help all teachers create an engaging hybrid learning environment.” 

Stepping up for Students Across the Province 

As CAVLFO expands, close internal collaboration will lead the organization to success. 

“We have been growing fast, and the team has stepped up,” explains Chartrand-Dubois. “We are where we are because we support each other and are willing to embark on these new journeys together.” 

In parallel, strong external partnerships support the small team in their mission to deliver education opportunities equitably. 

“The Francophone experience across Ontario is unique,” says Chartand-Dubois. “The D2L Learning Services team has been very cognizant of this and has supported us with creating courses that convey not just the French language, but the cultural aspects that come with it.” 

Moving forward, CAVLFO aims to continue to innovate by developing new language courses such as Spanish, Italian, and French Sign Language (langue des signes française)—and it will do so while staying at the forefront of technological advancements in education. 

“We like to push the envelope,” concludes Chartrand-Dubois. “We are working to add gamification to our courses and we have been leading the conversation about how to use artificial intelligence in an ethical and appropriate way. With Lumi en française coming soon, D2L is the ideal partner to support us on this journey.”