I am a member of 'The Canadian Consortium of Technology Support Providers for Adult Basic Understanding'.

The consortium describes itself as "A proposed network of organizations, groups and
individuals interested in maximizing the potential of
technology assisted delivery to address the adult basic
education needs of learners across Canada".

In 2008, the consortium conducted a SWOT analysis of online learning for adult learners in Canada. “SWOT” analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats)

Here are some of the results:

Strengths: Good existing on-line resources and strong providers
Creative and engaged practitioners
Established literacy community in Canada
Some government support
Well educated population and workforce
Increasing access to computers
A major area of interest
Innate advantages of on-line learning

Weaknesses: Slow connections in some areas
Access to computers for some learner groups
Lack of critical mass for software developers
Copyright restrictions
Jurisdictional issues
Disparities among provinces, locations and groups
Lack of stable core funding
No systematic framework for professional development
Limited resources for special needs learners
Need for research and evaluation

Opportunities:Harvesting and networking of resources
Partnering and collaboration
Networking and communication through the Web
Technological advances
Proliferation of free on-line resources
National leadership
Addressing individual needs of diverse learners


Threats: Loss of funding
Provincial or sectoral silos
Sustainability issues
Changes in government policy
Canadian Consortium of Technology Support Providers for Adult Basic Education
Digital rights management and commercialization
Competitive culture re: funding
Rapid changes in technology and obsolescence