Online and Technology-Supported Learning

Update: October 2025

We have now passed the halfway point since the 2023 release of the Guidelines for Institutional Frameworks for Online and Technology-Supported Learning. At this point, we have met with several universities about their work to date, and the feedback we have received has been very helpful.

Below you will find some of the common questions we have received and the answers we have provided. We also include here the Spring 2025 update to the definitions of delivery modes and the new “Tip” to help guide institutions.

(The terms, updated definitions, and new “Tip” were incorporated into the July 2025 release of the MPHEC Assessment Standards and Criteria and the Information Requirements for New Programs.)

We thank you again for your cooperation and feedback throughout this important process, and we invite you to contact us with any other questions you may have.

Question: Can universities omit some of the MPHEC delivery modes from their academic calendar (if the institution has no programs or courses that use that mode and no intention to develop any), or add others that are not included in the MPHEC list (e.g., “dual delivery” – students are either in-person or online [without flexibility to move between the two options] and complete synchronous learning activities together, as would be the case with courses that run over multiple campuses)?

MPHEC Answer: The Guidelines were designed to be broad enough to encompass the range and variability of online and technology-supported offerings within and across institutions in the region. The MPHEC expects that institutional frameworks will differ, depending on an institution’s current offerings, its strategic plans for digital learning, and its resources and procedures. It is recommended that institutions adopt the MPHEC terms for delivery modes as much as possible, to allow for common understanding and consistency, but some differences may be reasonable and appropriate.

Question: What format should be used for the institutional framework that would capture the information required?

MPHEC Answer: We suggest that each university’s framework include a preamble of 1-2 pages that provides relevant context. This might include, among other information, details about the university’s academic governance (e.g., what Senate committees oversee policy pertaining to online and technology-supported learning?), its current offerings (e.g., what delivery modes are employed for current courses and/or programs?), and its plan for online and technology-supported learning (e.g., does it plan to develop more courses and programs using online, hybrid, or hyflex delivery modes?). We suggest that universities use the table from the Guidelines as the structure for their framework, which will help confirm that all standards and criteria from the Guidelines are included. Additional columns should be added, as needed, to include details that address each criterion (e.g., a brief explanation of how it was/will be addressed in policy/practice, a status update including the date of completion/expected completion, and documentation of links to the policy or other evidence in support of the criterion).

Question: Can universities submit their completed frameworks before (or after) May 2026?

MPHEC Answer: Yes, universities can submit their completed frameworks before May 2026 if they are ready.We understand that, for a variety of reasons, submission by May 2026 might no longer be feasible for all institutions. A slight adjustment to the timeline could therefore be made. Universities are invited to reach out to discuss this with MPHEC staff. As a friendly reminder, until a university has its framework vetted by the MPHEC and implemented internally, it is required to submit a proposal for a program modification to change an approved in-person program to online delivery if the program is presented to students or advertised as fully online (or online for all coursework but with a work-integrated learning experience that may or may not be online).

To allow for common understanding and consistency across the region, the terms for delivery modes and definitions below (updated May 2025) should be incorporated into universities’ institutional frameworks (as stipulated in the “Planning and Policies” dimension of the Guidelines).

Delivery Modes ^Tip

☐ In-person learning - all instruction takes place in an in-person setting

☐ Online learning - all instruction is fully online and is:

☐ Synchronous

☐ Asynchronous

☐ Both synchronous and asynchronous

☐ Hybrid learning – a required combination of online (synchronous or asynchronous) and in-person instruction. All students in a hybrid program are expected to undergo the same combination of online and in-person activities.

☐ Hyflex learning – instruction is available simultaneously online (synchronous and/or asynchronous) and in-person. Students can decide which modality to use to access the program components and can make that decision on an ongoing basis.

Tip: The definitions of the delivery modes focus on the instruction, i.e., the direct teaching provided by faculty and other instructional staff (or equivalent, such as an industry mentor). An in-person course or program may also include technology as support both inside and outside of the classroom (e.g., online learning spaces for collaboration, communication, and access to course materials; simulations and virtual laboratories; assistive technology, etc.), but the instruction is provided in person and student presence is required. Offering online sections of some courses in a program does not typically affect the delivery mode of the entire program. However, if the in-person sections of the same courses were eliminated and those courses were required (not elective) for a program, then that program would become de facto hybrid, as students would be required to complete some components online and others in person. If online courses are optional, the program, as a whole, is still considered an in-person program by design. Even with a gradual increase in online course offerings, an in-person program would only become a fully online program, and, in most cases, be a program with an in-person and an online version, if/when all the required components (e.g., core courses, select electives, and enough general electives) are provided online. (The Guidelines for Online and Technology-Supported Learning requires institutions to ensure each program has appropriate academic oversight to regularly review the appropriateness of the mode of delivery and its impact upon the pathways for students, considering how incremental changes might gradually affect the program overall). Another example of a hybrid program is one that requires students to complete online courses and an in-person practicum or residency. A hyflex program would offer two or three different delivery modes simultaneously (i.e., in-person and online synchronous and/or online asynchronous). Hyflex programs are quite rare, partly because of the technology and development required as support and the increased workload and training required of faculty and staff.

Modes de prestation ^Astuce

☐ Apprentissage en présentiel– tout l’enseignement se fait en présentiel;

☐ Apprentissage en ligne – tout l’enseignement se fait en ligne, de façon :

☐ synchrone

☐ asynchrone

☐ synchrone et asynchrone.

☐ Apprentissage hybride – combinaison obligatoire d’enseignement en ligne (synchrone ou asynchrone) et en présentiel. Les étudiantes et étudiants inscrits à un programme hybride doivent tous suivre la même combinaison de cours en ligne et en présentiel.

☐ Apprentissage comodal – les cours sont offerts simultanément en ligne (synchrone ou asynchrone) et en présentiel. Les étudiantes et étudiants peuvent choisir le mode de prestation qui leur convient et passer d’un mode à l’autre

Astuce : Les définitions des modes de prestation sont axées sur l’enseignement, c’est-à-dire l’enseignement direct donné par le corps professoral ou d’autre personnel enseignant (ou l’équivalent, comme une ou un mentor de l’industrie). Les cours ou les programmes en présentiel peuvent être soutenus par des outils technologiques à l’intérieur et à l’extérieur de la salle de classe (espaces d’apprentissage en ligne pour la collaboration, la communication et l’accès aux documents du cours; simulations et laboratoires virtuels; technologie d’assistance, etc.), mais l’enseignement est dispensé en présentiel, et la présence des étudiantes et des étudiants est obligatoire. La prestation en ligne de volets de certains cours n’a généralement aucune incidence sur le mode de prestation du programme dans son ensemble. Cependant, si les volets en présentiel de ces cours venaient à être éliminés et s’il s’agissait de cours obligatoires (et non de cours à option), le programme deviendrait de facto hybride, car les étudiantes et les étudiants seraient tenus de suivre certains volets en ligne et d’autres en présentiel. Les programmes dont les cours en ligne sont facultatifs sont encore considérés, dans l’ensemble, comme des programmes en présentiel. Même avec une augmentation graduelle de l’offre de cours en ligne, les en présentiel ne deviendraient des programmes entièrement en ligne, et, dans la plupart des cas, des programmes comportant une en présentiel et une version en ligne, que si tous les volets obligatoires (p. ex. cours obligatoires, cours à option et suffisamment de cours à option généraux) étaient dispensés en ligne. (Conformément aux Lignes directrices en matière d’apprentissage en ligne et à support technologique, les établissements d’enseignement doivent soumettre chaque programme à une supervision universitaire pour examiner régulièrement la pertinence du mode de prestation et ses incidences sur les parcours étudiants, en tenant compte des effets des changements progressifs sur le programme dans son ensemble.) Les programmes comportant des cours en ligne et un stage ou une résidence en présentiel constituent un autre exemple de mode de prestation hybride. Les programmes comodaux présentent simultanément deux ou trois modes de prestation différents (c.-à-d. en présentiel et synchrone en ligne et/ou asynchrone en ligne). Ils sont relativement rares, en raison, notamment, de la technologie et du travail d’élaboration nécessaires pour le soutien ainsi que de la charge de travail et de la formation accrues qui sont exigées du corps professoral et du personnel.

Spring 2023

The MPHEC’s Guidelines for Institutional Frameworks for Online and Technology-Supported Learning has been released.

As part of this work, the Commission has adopted the following definitions of delivery modes recommended by the Canadian Digital Learning Research Association (CDLRA). To allow for common understanding and consistency across the region, these definitions should be incorporated into Maritime universities’ institutional frameworks (as stipulated in the “Planning and Policies” dimension of the Guidelines):

ONLINE LEARNING means all instruction and interaction is fully online (synchronous or asynchronous)

HYBRID LEARNING means a blend of online and in-person instruction (online instruction is synchronous or asynchronous)

HYFLEX LEARNING means instruction is available online and in-person, and students can move between online and in-person

IN-PERSON LEARNING means all instruction takes place in an in-person setting

SYNCHRONOUS LEARNING means instruction takes place in real-time and requires student presence

ASYNCHRONOUS LEARNING means instruction is available for students to access at a time that works best for them

Over the next three years, all Maritime universities will be required to develop and submit to the MPHEC an institutional framework for online and technology-supported learning that is aligned to the MPHEC’s Guidelines for Institutional Frameworks for Online and Technology-Supported Learning. The Commission has confirmed the following timeline:

Between May 2024 and May 2025, MPHEC staff will follow up with universities to check on the development of their frameworks in order to identify if there are areas of the Guidelines that are particularly challenging to put in place and, as a result, may need to be modified.
By May 2026, all Maritime universities are required to have developed and submitted to the MPHEC an institutional framework for online and technology-supported learning that is aligned to the MPHEC’s Guidelines for Institutional Frameworks for Online and Technology-Supported Learning. Each institution should review and update relevant policies and practices to align with their new framework and should submit to the Commission a copy of their framework and confirmation of Senate (or equivalent) approval. Upon receipt, the MPHEC will cross reference each university’s framework against the MPHEC Guidelines to confirm that each standard and the criteria have generally been addressed; this step is not intended to be an in-depth review. If significant gaps are identified, the MPHEC will follow up with the university.
Starting in May 2027, once each Maritime university has had its framework vetted by the MPHEC and implemented internally, it will no longer be required to submit a program proposal to change an existing in-person program to online delivery. (In the interim, i.e., between now and when a university has implemented its framework, universities will be required to submit a program proposal to change an existing approved in-person program to online delivery or maintain an existing approved in-person program online post pandemic if the program is being presented to students or advertised as being fully online [or online plus a work-integrated learning experience that may or may not be online], whether this be on the university’s website, in the academic calendar, in its marketing material, etc.) Delivery mode will continue to be a part of the assessment process for new programs.