The Justice Institute of British Columbia (JIBC) is an unusual organization, focusing on the training of police, fire, corrections and paramedical personnel, as well as providing training for social service departments of the BC provincial government.
Tannis Morgan, Associate Dean, JIBC Centre for Teaching, Learning and Innovation, has just posted a very interesting post, Mobile Learning at an Applied Institution, on why and how JIBC has developed its mobile learning strategy, which includes issuing pre-loaded iPads to participants in some programs. If you have any interest in mobile learning, the post is well worth reading. You should click on the graphic at the end of the post under ‘Presentation for ETUG 2014’ for more information from slides prepared for an ETUG workshop.
Particularly worth noting is that most of JIBC’s mobile applications are open and free, because the materials are of direct value to all personnel working in this area, whether they are taking a JIBC course or not. Making the material developed for clients such as the government’s emergency social services department open and free has resulted in more enrolments, as employees and managers see the value of the service that JIBC is providing.
Dr. Tony Bates is the author of eleven books in the field of online learning and distance education. He has provided consulting services specializing in training in the planning and management of online learning and distance education, working with over 40 organizations in 25 countries. Tony is a Research Associate with Contact North | Contact Nord, Ontario’s Distance Education & Training Network.
