a. 7

4 Terrace Review — - Wednesday, November 29, 1989

Open Learning Agency offers

‘non-traditional’ education

DICK SCALES: Remove tradi-
tional barriers to education.

Learning that fits your life.
This was the message to the Ter-
race Rotary Club from the Open

Learning Agency’s vice presi-.

dent, Dick Scales, last week.
The Open Learning Agency

was established in 1988 with the -

merger of the Open Learning In-
stitute (OLI) and the Knowledge
Network of the west.

“Our mandate is to remove

traditional barriers to education

and training... primarily institu-
tional barriers that restrict time,
place and choice of learning and
to provide open learning systems
that allow individuals to learn
what they want,
want, where they want, and to
some extent, how they want. Itis
learning that fits your life,’’

Scales told Rotary members.

. According to Scales, open

when they -

learning reduces the constraints
of classroom space, scheduling
and local availability of instruc-
tors, but unlike the precedent set
by OLI, is not a traditional cor-
respondence program, Instead,
says Scales, the Open Learning
Agency uses a combination of
printed material, audio and
video tapes, television,
computer-based instruction,

electronic tutoring, group tutor-

ing, teleconferencing and ‘“‘on
the job’’ experience.

Other pluses to the newly
formed agency, according to
Scales, is the “Credit Bank”? —
a system through which people
can have their learning assessed
and educational credits applied.
regardless of the source of their
training — and the fact that
there is now a single agency in

Dick: ‘Scales: served as the
Dean of Students at the Col-
lege of New::Caledonia in
Prince George for 10 years.

“of the: “province” s» Open

the north is still in the fore-
front of his mind. He de-
scribes the Northern Univer-

He is now the vice president 7

i Learning A: j but pis. ap- _.
; _ preciation”” for | ie. “educa-
tional priorities an needs in

Another perspective on the
University of the North

He adds that the Open
Learning Agency has an
‘enormous array”’ of educa-
tional material available on
which at least a part of the
Northern University’s curric-
ulum could be based, and:He
says the OLA would like to
participate in its. develop-
ment,

In speaking of the Dalhoff
model as proposed by the In-

‘sity concept as ‘“‘an idea terior University Society, dresses students’ needs,”
| “whose time has come’’. Scales says we have been Scales says of the society.

- too long and there. is a need

_JSayS,. ‘could, be the. vehicle to
* bring the post- -secondary

using the traditional model

for a change in the post-
secondary education system —
in B.C. And the .Dalhoff -
model, ora variation of it, he

system into the 21st century.
“They have the opportunity
to look at different systems
and put in place one that ad-

vas)

Regional correspondence

school a study in success

Contributed by

_ School District 88
Now. in ‘its second year of
operation, the North Coast
Regional Correspondence

~ School on the lower level of the

Terrace School Board Office
continues in its commitment of
fast. turn-around time for
students’ papers and efficient,
student-centered service.

The Correspondence School
was established as a result of a
Ministry of Education decision
of five years ago to regionalize
correspondence. It serves a wide
variety of students from Kinder-
garten through Grade 12,
located in the geographic areas
‘covered by School Districts 90,
‘88, 80, 54, 52, and 50. Since its

- initial start in September of last
~? year, the school’s enrollment has
increased by over 20 percent. In

a survey distributed to some 200
correspondence students
throughout the region, an over-

_ whelming majority rated the

school’s operation extremely
high. |

Students enroll in the corres-
pondence program for a variety
of reasons. Some take a course
because’ their secondary in-

1 school ‘timé. table. is too -
restricted. Others, : -who' ate ‘out ;

of school. for. certain reasons,

take correspondence courses to
academically upgrade them-
selves or to complete secondary
graduation requirements. Siill
others take a full program of
correspondence courses for
social, religious, or distance
reasons.

Since the new Public School

Act provides for home schooling

of children by their parents,
enrolling these students in some
correspondence courses is a
viable option for this new educa-
tion alternative.

' The North Coast Regional

Correspondence School is run
by Principal Joe Vander Kwaak,
two part-time elementary
markers, three clerical staff and
some 15 secondary contract
markers. The school stocks the
complete fiill-grade programs
from Kindergarten through
Grade 7 and over 100 secondary
courses. Prospective students,
young and old, as well as parents
are invited to tour the school’s
facilities, discuss their education
needs and browse through the
‘correspondence materials.

W.C.B. Industrial |
First Aid Training Courses
offered in Terrace _

Day Course: December 4 - December 15
8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
ALSO ..
Evening/Weekend Course '
Starts December 5th .
Place: Milis Memorial Hospital Training Room.
Instructor: Roger Cloutier
. . FOR INFORMATION AND |
REGISTRATION PHONE 845-7752 ..

. Sponsored by: Northwest First Ald Training

* 41/28e

“|

the province’ to coordinate.open -
learning. Because of. this, says —

Scales; the Open Learning Agen-
cy has been able to work with

Okanagan College to produce a -
computer-based training pro- |

gram for nurses, to design
specialty programs for the Emily

-Carr College of Art and Design,

and to work in cooperation with
other groups such as colleges,
school districts, Native com-
munities, businesses and govern-
ment agencies.

Besides producing . special
educational packages, however,
Scales says, the Open Learning
Agency delivers general educa-

tional programs for both chil- .

dren and adults as well as_pro-
viding television support for the
regular school curriculum. The
Major areas of study are arts and
humanities,
human and social issues and
science and technology. Also of-
fered are more than 200 ac-

‘eredited university programs

which include administrative

~ studies, applied science, natural

resources, criminology, econom-
ics, education, human service
and the sciences.

The Open College provides
125 courses of study leading to
diplomas or certificates which
include Adult Basic Education,
business and hospitality pro-
grams, health and human ser-
vices, technological -and trades
programs and journeyman
upgrading. Many of these pro-

grams, says Scales, are delivered .

in the workplace through ar-
rangements with employers.
“By using open learning systems
employees can be trained, re-
trained, or upgraded without
having to leave the jobsite or

vee +» their community,” says Scales.

; “Skylink

‘owner of Skylink Airlines to

‘five witnesses, and public af-

the environment,

hearing
adjourns

The Civil Aviation Tribu-_
nal hearing requested by the

appeal the cancellation of
their operating certificate by
Transport Minister Benoit
Bouchard has been adjourn-
ed to Dec. 12.

The hearing began Oct. 30,
went through one adjourn--
ment, and reconvened.
Transport Canada has called

fairs officer Stephen Rybak
says they have between eight
and 10 more lined up to go.
on the stand before commis-
sioner Barry Dryvynsyde
when the hearing resumes.

Rybak said he has no idea
how much longer the hearing
may last. One witness, he
noted, spent two days in test-
ifying and cross-examina-
tion.

The Civil Aviation Tribu-
nal is a quasi-judicial body
empowered to hear appeals
against decisions made by
Transport Canada and the
minister, At the conclusion
of the hearing the commis-
sioner can either uphold the
decision or revise it and sub-
mit the revised decision to
the minister for considera-
tion.

Skylink’s operating cer-
tificate was cancelled after a
Transport Canada audit re-
vealed irregularities in the
airline’s record keeping and
operations. The audit was
prompted by the crash of a
Skylink flight Sept. 26 at tlie
Terrace-Kitimat airport in
which seven people died. ~*

The Terrace Public Library book sale was one of many
‘seasonal displays ‘and activities visible In the Skeena Mall

last weekend. The sale was staffed | by library board

member Nirmal Parmar.

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