A study of the learning preferences of four remote communities in Northern Alberta Patrick J. Fahy, Nancy Steel Athabasca University CNIE Ottawa 11 May, 2009

Athabasca University Research in Northern Alberta Learning Communities project (June 2007 – present): –Investigate and facilitate learning interests of workers in CNRL camp residences, and of residents of rural, remote, and aboriginal communities throughout Alberta

AU on CNRL Horizon site Information sessions in camps (6) Recorded inquiries, replied with detailed information Responded to personal requests for advisement Followed up by re decision to enroll (or not) Organized Speaker Series (presentations on various topics: health and wellness, nutrition, financial management, information on Athabasca University, etc.) Fahy, P. J. & Steel, N. (2008, September). Post-secondary learning priorities of workers in an oil sands camp in Northern Alberta. Journal of Vocational Education & Training, 60(3), pp. 273 – 295.Journal of Vocational Education & Training 60

Focus of this study Questions: Post-secondary resources available in remote northern communities? Predominant learning interests? Issues affecting participation/non-participation in programming? –How satisfied are residents with current provisions, content and delivery? Technical resources, attitudes

Four Northern communities Wabasca Fort Chipewyan Fort McKay Fox Lake (Plus remote hamlets “back lakes” regions, where possible.)

1. Fox Lake3. Fort MacKay 2. Fort Chipewyan4. Wabasca

Research methods & timelines Field test, paper survey, Wabasca ( August 2008). Interviews and surveys, Fox Lake ( September 2008). Interviews and surveys, Wabasca ( October 2008). Fort Chipewyan & Fort McKay (2007 & 2008). Reports of all community visits were reviewed by community members.

Community contacts Learning preferences survey, and interviews: Band Council members Local private citizens College/education administrators, instructors Municipal, provincial, and federal workers Community groups, committees, representatives School administrators, staff

Research considerations Broad range of contacts (more important than numbers) One-to-one contact offered Researchers invited guests at meetings Two researchers available: Better ability to capture information Ability to compare observations and interpretations More flexible in responding to invitations for visits, conversations Assisted by reading questions and recording responses, as required.

Community Research in Canada Canada a “land of mediocrity” –low level of worker literacy, –failure to take advantage of the potentials of proven training technologies, –falling levels of professional creativity (Scoffield, H. (2007, June 13). Canada: Land of mediocrity. Globe & Mail (globe&mail.com). (Downloaded 14 June 2007 from:

Community research in Canada (con’t) OECD Education at a Glance, 2007: –Canada unable to provide information on 57 of 96 indicators (almost 60%); worst performance of any member country. –2008: Director General, Council of Ministers of Education Canada, began consultations with Statistics Canada to develop a strategy for better collection and reporting of data for all education sectors. (Charbonneau, L. (2008, March.) Two new projects aim to fill gap in PSE [post-secondary education] data. University Affairs, pp ).

Statistics: Northern Residents N. Comms. AB HS diploma11-37% 80% Apprentice/trade cert Unemployed Labour market participation Median family income$22-52K $74k Median fulltime employed$ k* $43.9k Median married couples$41-72k $83k Median lone parent$11-36k $40k *Fox Lake

Alberta to post-secondary enrolments Overall, up 10.6% –colleges up 0.6% –University enrollments up 13.9% –IT enrollments up 15.7% –Northern enrolments down 11% (27% in one region); Athabasca University (distance) enrollments up about 39%. –(From 2001, AU’s growth 3 to 57 times higher than other three universities.)

Main learning interests Adult upgrading, GED (39%) Business, office administration (30%) Trades, technologies (passim) Safety, First Aid, WHMIS, H ² S, CPR (15%) Life skills (9%) Parenting (6%) Variety of non-credit language, arts & crafts courses (sports, music, languages, crafts & culture, etc.)

Computer readiness Can use a computer?92% Access to a computer?88% Computer in home?86% Computer access convenient?82% Have taken a college course?49% Taken a course on computer?44%

Delivery/Access preferences Teacher66% Computer-based42% Video, TV20%

Barriers Job59% Family36% Training timing, location48%

Reasons for non-enrolment Course not at convenient time26% Desired course not offered20% Required technology lacking 5% Cost 4%

Issues affecting participation Stay in community Uncertain about distance learning – how it works, fear of learning alone, equipment access Concern about stress of learning while working, raising family Confusion about funding: Who pays for what? Who is eligible? How do you apply?

Other reported issues … Concern about travel/commute Concern about lack of adequate literacy skills –Conferenece Board of Canada (2006): Out of six predictor variables to determine earnings variance, respondents’ literacy proficiency was most significant (p. 5). Programs not available –Trades training Program continuity unpredictable –Reports of year 2 not always available immediately after year 1, in same locations, under same conditions.

Canadian Council on Learning report, 2009 Identifies additional barriers to Aboriginal PSE participation: –Distrust of mainstream education institutions –Parental lack of experience with PSE –Lack of knowledge of funding supports –Uncertainly about incurring debt – recoup the investment

Taylor, A., Friedel, T. L., & Edge, L. (2009). Pathways for First Nation and Metis youth in the oil sands. Canadian Policy Research Networks Research Report, April Available from: Factors seen as contributing to the poor quality of education for First Nation and Métis students in rural schools (p. vii): –Low expectations, lack of discipline/structure in schools –Staff turnover; insufficient preparation of staff to teach in the province’s small, northern schools –Low levels of parental involvement at home or in the school Influences include legacy of residential schooling, and work demands on parents –Addiction issues in northern communities –Inadequate educational facilities/resources in small communities, especially declining student enrolments; underfunding of education few staff with the expertise to deal with students who have special needs –Too few Aboriginal teachers –“Social pass” – promoting children to the next grade before they are academically ready –Streaming of Aboriginal high school students into non-post-secondary courses (vii).

DE problems, failures 1.Ignoring the needs of the student; 2.Ignoring the salient characteristics of the environment, and predictable barriers; 3.Not considering students’ learning styles and expectations; 4.Failing to recognize local political expectations; 5.Reliance on unreliable delivery and communications technologies; 6.Few Canadian educational institutions know about or emulate the successful programs and models, domestic and foreign, that might result in more successes. ( McMullen, B. & Rohrbach, A. (2003). Distance education in remote aboriginal communities: Barriers, learning styles and best practices. Prince George BC: College of New Caledonia press. (Available from

Canadian Council on Learning report, 2009 Identifies additional barriers to Aboriginal participation in PSE: Distrust of mainstream education institutions Parental lack of experience with PSE Lack of knowledge of funding supports Uncertainly about incurring debt – recoup the investment

Benefits of PSE Both male and female Aboriginal people earn significantly more than other minorities when they possess post-secondary credentials; Male Aboriginals are at the top of the earnings hierarchy, compared with all post-secondary graduates; Aboriginals, both males and females, have better employment prospects if they have graduated from a trades or college program than from a university program, if they do not return to reserves where there are (usually) fewer employment opportunities (Walters, D., White, J., & Maxim, P. (2004). Does post-secondary education benefit Aboriginal Canadians? An examination of earnings and employment outcomes for recent Aboriginal graduates. Available from ).

Potential Statistics Canada (2008): While the participation rate of Aboriginals in university- level programs was significantly lower than for non- Aboriginals, “... differences between the Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal population participation rates were non significant for college and for other types of institution” (Table3, ¶1). As noted by others (Malatest and Associates, 2004): “Aboriginal student [post-secondary] enrolment rates are growing substantially faster than those of other demographic groups, albeit from a very low base” (p. 5).

Thank you Pat Fahy Nancy Steel

Solutions? Comments? What has been your experience? … about reluctance to leave community? … about uncertainty about distance delivery? … about managing home/life/work balance? … about funding confusion? … about lack of foundation literacy skills? … about lack of availability of preferred courses? … about ensuring continuing availability of courses? … about barriers specific to Aboriginal PSE participation?

On a final note … Alberta North research project entitled “Best Practices for Attracting and Retaining Learners from Under-represented Populations ” Paper: “Preferences of Residents in Four Remote Alberta Communities Regarding Local Post-Secondary Programming” (In review)

Where are the students? Given the presence of education providers in these communities, the education resources in the community, internet connectivity, and the expressed learning interests …where are the students? ( We know that enrollments at the colleges that serve Alberta’s northern regions fell an average of over 11% - in one northern institution, the decline was almost 27%)

College campuses in Northern communities Fox Lake: Kayas Cultural College Fort Chipewyan: Keyano College Fort McKay: Keyano College Wabasca: Northern Lakes College

Adult education resources Each community has an Alberta North Community Access (CAP) Site (Except Fort McKay, under development) Each has Community Education Committees But: No Community Adult Learning Councils No Volunteer Tutor Adult Literacy Programs