Provincial Remote Learning Strategy

Develop a provincial remote learning strategy, including an online high school, to enhance access to programming and learning across the province.

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The Commitment

The Province of Manitoba is committed to working with education partners and stakeholders to enhance provincial remote learning opportunities for high school students across Manitoba.

The provincial remote learning strategy intends to bring together existing and new partnerships to create an integrated system of high school remote learning that complements existing community high schools offering English, French Immersion, and Français programs. The remote learning strategy will support collective efforts to reduce and eliminate barriers to student success, and provide greater learning opportunities for students across the province. Remote learning high school programming will be

• available in English and French
• flexible with synchronous and asynchronous learning options
• authentic, relevant and inclusive learning experiences for students as per the guiding principles and strategies outlined in the Manitoba Remote Learning Framework
• aligned with and will advance the principles of Mamàhtawisiwin: The Wonder We Are Born With—An Indigenous Education Policy Framework
• available for Manitoba students with or without robust access to Internet connectivity.

The department will create a larger remote learning steering committee with members from the department and key partners from across the province, including metro, rural and northern school division representatives, and Division scolaire franco-manitobaine. This committee will help plan and coordinate implementation.

What This Means for Manitobans

For the 2023/2024 school year, InformNet, Teacher Mediated Option (TMO), and DSFM will continue to operate remote learning programming for Manitoba students in Grades 9 to 12.

All Grades 9 to 12 students and their families can work with their school division to explore the available online course offerings and how they might complement the students’ high school studies.

What We’ve Done

• In 2022, the department contracted with IBM Canada Ltd. to perform jurisdictional scans, engagement sessions, and research on policies and governance models. The findings are summarized in their report, Report to Provide Recommendations to Support the Manitoba Remote Learning Strategy (IBM Report, September 2022) ( 1 MB).
• The department conducted virtual and in-person engagements with superintendents, teachers, education leaders and experts, and student stakeholder groups, including
• 287 students who are enrolled in InformNet or Pine Creek School Division’s online school, and members of the Minister’s Student Advisory Council
• 200 education leaders who attended the department’s Learning Forum (Nov. 18, 2022) with a moderated session on the impacts of remote learning
• 88 stakeholders at 11 sessions with education leaders across Manitoba, including  representatives from the Manitoba Teachers’ Society, Manitoba School Boards Association, Manitoba Federation of Independent Schools, Manitoba First Nations Education Resource Centre, and the department’s Indigenous Inclusion Directorate
• follow-up meetings with some superintendents in February 2023 who provided regional perspectives
• The findings are summarized in the April 2023 Provincial Online High School - What We Heard Report and Next Steps ( 958 KB).

Next Steps

• The department is developing a user-friendly website that will list the available high school online courses so that the remote learning opportunities are easy to find and navigate for students, teachers, and families.  
• The development of the Provincial Remote Learning Strategy will continue throughout 2023/24 and into the future.

Reports

• Provincial Online High School - What We Heard Report and Next Steps (April 2023) ( 958 KB)
• Report to Provide Recommendations to Support the Manitoba Remote Learning Strategy (IBM Report, September 2022) ( 1 MB)

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