Main conference

In its Digital Plan for Education and Higher Education (MEES, 2018), the government outlined three major structural orientations. One included measures to support the development and enhancement of distance learning (DL) in education and higher learning institutions. In Quebec, we do not have a clear overview of distance learning in higher education. Although it is currently difficult to say exactly how many students are engaged in different types of distance learning, we now have intriguing results from key actors in higher education institutions.

Since 2017, the Canadian Digital Learning Research Association (CDLRA) has conducted an annual survey of key individuals at public postsecondary institutions across the country. This paper presents the main results of the 2021 survey conducted from April to July 2021, with a focus on the results for Quebec. The results are influenced by the pandemic, with themes such as mental health and well-being, communication, teamwork and communication during the rapid changes due to campus closures, and online learning evaluations. We will also present some of the trends anticipated by the respondents, in particular the use of digital learning, as well as the place of distance and hybrid learning in the near future.