TORONTO, July 14, 2016 /CNW/ - Dr. David Porter, the associate vice-president of education support and innovation at the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT), has been selected as the new CEO of eCampusOntario, the board of directors of eCampusOntario announced today.
"This is a tremendous opportunity to help more Ontario students get access to post-secondary education," Porter said. "In the new economy, online and digital education is an increasingly important part of the post-secondary landscape. I look forward to guiding eCampusOntario's efforts to further expand the reach and breadth of online college and university programs and courses throughout the province."
eCampusOntario board co-chairs Judith Morris and Dr. Franco J. Vaccarino said they look forward to having David on board for the continuing expansion and promotion of online learning and the furthering of new innovations in teaching and learning through new technologies.
Porter begins his new role Sept. 12. In his current position at BCIT, Porter has provided leadership in academic planning, teaching and learning excellence, library services and educational media.
Prior to joining BCIT, Porter was the project leader for the Task Force on Flexible Education at Simon Fraser University (SFU), where he managed a university-wide process over an 18-month period to define the strategy, infrastructure and support systems to allow SFU to expand the reach of its academic programs.
He has also previously served as the executive director of BCcampus.ca, where he led a team that developed an online learning service organization that has become a model for Canada and internationally. BCcampus.ca actively used information and communications technologies to connect the expertise, programs and resources of all 25 of British Columbia's post-secondary institutions under a collaborative service delivery framework. It enhanced and amplified what institutions could provide individually.
eCampusOntario was formally launched in October 2015 with a new portal for learners looking to find online college and university courses and programs. The portal includes a searchable catalogue of more than 14,000 online courses, 750 online programs, registration information and more.
eCampusOntario has been led by interim co-executive directors Catherine Newell Kelly, the director of the Centre for Extended Learning at the University of Waterloo, and Linda Rees, the former dean of the Centre for Continuing and Online Learning at Algonquin College.
"The board of directors sincerely thanks Catherine and Linda for their hard work in launching eCampusOntario under very tight timelines," said board co-chairs Judith Morris and Dr. Franco Vaccarino. "Their work also produced the organization's first strategic plan and developed a solid foundation for the new online portal upon which David can build."
Funding for OOLC and the eCampusOntario initiative comes from the Government of Ontario.
SOURCE eCampusOntario
please contact the co-chairs of the eCampusOntario board: Judith Morris, President and CEO, Lambton College, 519-542-7751 Ext. 2410; Dr. Franco J. Vaccarino, President and Vice-Chancellor, University of Guelph, 519 824-4120, Ext. 52200
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