This paper outlines the findings of a study that explores perspectives of e-learning1 for senior level aboriginal high school students in five coastal communities in Labrador, Canada.  Here is a sample of some of the concluding remarks:

“This study provides evidence of the importance, usefulness and learning benefits of web-delivered instruction as a viable alternative to face-to-face instruction for aboriginal students in rural, isolated contexts. It also indicates a critical need for communication and planning, within the context of both the individual student’s readiness to avail themselves of e-learning opportunities, as well as the school’s ability to support them in the process… The data demonstrates that web-delivered instruction is a viable alternative to face-to-face instruction and provides students with the opportunity to engage with the provincial peers and access a more diverse curriculum than their neighborhood school can offer.”

While this study does indicate some positive perspectives on e-learning experiences when comparing year end academic results for the web courses compared to provincial averages, it also lists many area’s of improvement and various challenges that came out of the study. I also found it to be rather weak in addressing the Aboriginal context. For instance, the methodological framework for this study could have been used on any remote community, negating aboriginal factors such as Indigenous knowledge, culture, holistic perspectives etc. It does, however, give us some insight on the best-practices of e-learning projects as a tool to improve education for secondary school students in remote communities.

Philpott, D., Sharpe, D., & Neville, R. (2010). The effectiveness of web-delivered learning with aboriginal students: Findings from a study in coastal Labrador. Canadian Journal Of Learning And Technology / La Revue Canadienne De L’Apprentissage Et De La Technologie, 35(3). Retrieved from http://cjlt.csj.ualberta.ca/index.php/cjlt/article/view/545