British Columbia School District eases funding shortage by using Nautikos as their distance-learning platform.

In times of restraint and cutbacks, School District 69 in Qualicum, BC has found an innovative solution to increase funding utilizing the Nautikos learning and content management platform from Odyssey Learning Systems.

In times of restraint and cutbacks, School District 69 in Qualicum, BC has found an innovative solution to increase funding by recapturing learners lost to other distance education providers. By October 2002, a Distance Education Program will be offered to Grades 9 to 12 home learners, giving them a local alternative to attending a traditional school. Utilizing the Nautikos learning and content management platform from Odyssey Learning Systems and over 30 high school courses, the program will be administered as an extension of Ballenas Secondary School in Parksville. Ballenas staff will oversee all aspects of the program, and the revenue generated from the program will be split between the School District and Ballenas.

With this arrangement, School District 69 will be guaranteed an additional income that is currently lost. The same courses that are being taken by home school learners through other distance education channels can be completed via the Ballenas Nautikos program. Fully qualified and certified instructors will work with parents and guardians to facilitate all necessary course credits. Individualized learning plans will be created for each student, and they will be given access to all educational services provided to students in School District 69. To further facilitate the easy access of curriculum, the program will even provide Internet access support, as well as computers and printers to families on a "free-lease" basis.

It makes sense to run this Distance Education Program from Ballenas using Nautikos. For the past six years, the Learning and Content Management Platform has been utilized at the School to run an Individualized Learning Program. Starting with less than 100 students in its initial year, the Ballenas program now boasts over 200 students each semester that take courses through Nautikos. This does not take into account the 50 Evening Program and 70 Summer School students who enjoy the benefits of learning electronically.

Apart from its ability to deliver learning in any environment, from online to networked or standalone computer, even where Internet access is unavailable, the beauty of Nautikos lies in its ability to allow students to work at their own pace. As Ballenas instructor Ed Seidel says, "It doesn't make sense to make a student repeat the entire course if there is only a portion of it that they had trouble with. The Nautiikos platform's freedom and flexibility allows us the opportunity to customize paths to suit distance learner's varied needs , while at the same time meeting the Ministry of Education outcomes. Nautikos provides us with a greater efficiency in tracking our learners, which is essential to an effective Distance Education program. Based on our experience with Nautikos over the past six years, I feel that Nautikos is the best way to go for our Distance Education Program (CEAP). " This, and the fact that students are responsible for their own learning pace, means boredom issues are practically nil. After all, Seidel points out, "They want to learn with Nautikos."

"Although many districts are using Nautikos for their eLearning needs, Qualicum is the first school district to use the Nautikos platform and courses as their total onsite and distance education solution, and we are thrilled about it," enthused CEO Tanya Northcott. " We have worked hard to produce an incredibly flexible product that can be integrated to meet any low or high tech need, and to price ourselves competitively. We think eLearning and distance education providers are beginning to see the advantages of that flexibility, accountability and pricing!"

About Odyssey Learning Systems Inc. (www.odysseylearn.com) -
Odyssey Learning Systems Inc. is dedicated to developing, delivering and supporting cutting-edge computer-managed learning products and services. Odyssey's suite of products enables educators to design and build integrated learning approaches that meet the unique needs of their learners. The company's flagship product Nautikos is the most versatile computer-managed learning and content management platform on the market. Nautikos delivers effective elearning onsite or online, with or without the Internet, and simultaneously in any language. The company also offers a multitude of both educational and corporate courses operating on the Nautikos system.