Page 18 - 2022 Feb Report

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February Report 2022
Martin Family Initiative report (6) Fourth Goal for Year 1:
Integration and Expansion
In the final stage, an extensive review and evaluation of the EY-1 course informed our integration and expansion strategy moving forward for ensuring the most accessible and user-friendly experience possible for learners, the Indigenous early learning professionals across communities for whom the course was designed and developed.
Through an extensive review and evaluation of the EY-1 course informed primarily by the feedback and reflections from the Maskwacis Health Services EY-1 online course development, implementation and evaluation, the Early Years decided in July 2021 to move away from SEW’s LMS, Brightspace, and establish a new relationship with the British Columbia based web developer, Learnbase.
While the LMS Brightspace is widely used within the e-learning field, the Early Years Curriculum and Training team found
that Brightspace and the ‘Rise’ file format through which this LMS supports course content posed undesirable limitations
on content adaptability for facilitators and did not maximize course accessibility for EY-1 learners.5 Additionally, from the initial course digitization phase through to the pilot course delivery, the Early Years confronted many obstacles related to the limitations of SEW’s capacity to troubleshoot and adapt
the standardized Brightspace features for the specific needs
of EY-1 learners, such as their more socially-oriented learning styles and their need for ongoing guidance and support through consistent online interactions with course facilitators.
Looking for an innovative way to overcome these challenges, the Early Years found that Learnbase’s WordPress-based LMS, Learndash, supported by a variety of plug-ins, would allow
for increased accessibility for learners and more interactive functions within the online course. These include online journaling, embedded Zoom meetings for online synchronous learning, and social media-style forum and chat features that could accommodate more diversity of learning styles and allow learners to be better connected and supported.
Furthermore, it was determined that the Learnbase team had the capacity to more efficiently and cost-effectively adapt the EY-1 courses to meet communities’ needs. The Early Years
5 Software Advice, “Brightspace vs LearnDash - 2022 Comparison -,” 2022, https://www. softwareadvice.com/lms/brightspace-lms-profile/vs/learndash/.
therefore contracted Learnbase to continue the work of SEW by transferring the Maskwacis Health Services EY-1 online course to the WordPress-based LMS, whereby the recommended course revisions could be easily applied in accordance with the feedback received. This process was completed by Learnbase in collaboration with the Early Years in August 2021. With
two additional cohorts of learners from the four nations of Maskwacis, including Early Years Visitors and Maskwacis Aboriginal Head Start on Reserve (AHSOR) staff completing this new version of the course through the Learndash LMS in November 2021, the ongoing course evaluation and integration strategy continues with Learnbase’s high-quality support.
In July 2021, the Early Years received additional private
funding for the creation of a professional learning network, envisioned as an online hub designed to facilitate dynamic learning relationships, knowledge and resource sharing,
and collaboration between and across Early Years sites, as
well as with many other Indigenous-centred early learning programs and organizations. As both an in-person and virtual space for delivering and accessing culturally relevant training, professional development and peer mentorship opportunities for early learning professionals across communities, the Learning Network is well-positioned to house all adaptations of the Understanding the Early Years (EY-1) online course, in addition to a variety of other related trainings, workshops and resources designed by the Early Years and partner organizations.
The professional learning network is currently in its initial stages of development carried out by the web developer, Learnbase, under the direction of the Early Years’ Learning Network Coordinator and the Curriculum and Training team. To date, it features a demo EY-1 course for interested stakeholders and potential partners to preview, in addition to the Maskwacis Health Services EY-1 online course and the Yukon First Nation Education Directorate EY-1 online course. The Inuit course will be launched on the learning network in January 2022. Each of these online courses features interactive e-learning functions such as online journaling, live video session hosting, discussion groups, forums and chats that are supported by WordPress plug-ins and designed to enhance learners’ experiences. Additionally, each EY-1 course is accompanied by both a culturally-adapted instructor’s and learner’s guide, written by the Curriculum and Training team in collaboration with each community.
THE EARLY YEARS
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