Strategic Issues in Single- and Dual-mode Distance Education: The Organizational Blending of Two Canadian Distance Universities

Abstract

The year 2005 witnessed a dramatic transformation in the provision of open and distance learning (ODL) in Canada. On the one hand, the Télé-université de l'Université du Québec (TÉLUQ) gave up its status as a self-standing, singlemode ODL university within the Université du Québec (UQ) system, and joined the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM). On the other hand, the British Columbia Open University (BCOU) was acquired by the University College of the Cariboo (UCC), which in turn became Thompson Rivers University (TRU), the sixth public university in today's British Columbia system. While TÉLUQ's change in status resulted from a process that the institution had itself initiated, the wheels for BCOU's transformation were set in motion by a provincial government decision. As such, and after about 30 years, Canada has moved from boasting three single-mode ODL universities to having only one, Athabasca University.