Welcome to the Burnaby Online Venture Presenter: Ada Cheung November 25, 2007

Who is Ada Cheung? Burnaby school district’s superintendent of 10 years (*role-playing) Oversees all the schools’ major decisions and activities related to education, finance, and growth Founder of Burnaby Online Intentions to expand Burnaby Online

What is Burnaby Online? Online learning of the K-12 BC curriculum Teachers are BC certified and interact with students online via video-conferencing, email, and/or other channels Students complete online interactive lessons and submit assignments to teacher for assessment Currently non-profit and all technical resources provided to the user if needed for no fee

Cube Analysis

Cube Analysis Continued

Management Team

SWOT Analysis: Strengths Alternative to traditional learning Promotes life-long learning with inclusion of adult learners Utilizes technology as medium, which is popular among children and youth Allows for collaborative learning (synchronous and asynchronous) while meeting needs of access anywhere, anytime Funding and loans available for students’ hardware and software needs Allows for greater parental involvement, especially in elementary subjects, where parents are expected to deliver instructions and guide through materials with children Saves district money from maintaining a physical school space

SWOT Analysis: Weaknesses Current program is not profitable because students are not charged, teachers need to be paid, and online sources need to be continuously maintained and updated Lending hardware or software to users increases risks to district’s resources being damaged or lost Macintosh users currently cannot access online demos nor course notes and resources without requesting loans of compatible software Further isolating gifted or special needs learners through this program does not benefit their social well-being Learning is parent-dependent, especially for elementary subjects, where the parent is almost expected to be the teacher in delivering instructions and guidance Teacher-student relationship is weak when communication is almost non-existent unless student makes initiative to ask for support Quality of learning and method of delivery are questionable, especially when online demos do not show methods of interaction and collaborative learning with classmates and one is puzzled as to how learning objectives are met for subjects such as, P.E., Science, and Music.

SWOT Analysis: Opportunities Trends of life-long learning and changing needs of K-12 students demand greater flexibility and online learning experiences Program can possibly be made profitable through expansion and additional services, utilizing technologies that already exist in the district Technology being fully integrated across the K-12 curriculum has never been widely publicized in the local market nor international market; information and publicity can increase enrolment

SWOT Analysis: Threats Program may eventually be considered by district as too costly if enrolments are limited, costs of running it remains high, and program offerings remain static Other districts may be offering similar online programs and can potentially lure away Burnaby’s target students Traditional face-to-face learning in classrooms and schools remain strongly viewed as valuable experiences for learners that cannot be easily replaced/substituted by online learning

Target Market CURRENTLY: K-12 Home-schoolers Gifted & talented learners Elite athletes World travelers Learners with disabilities Students seeking alternate channels of learning Adult learners EXPANSION PRIORITY: International students Adult learners K-12 home-schoolers & students seeking alternate channels of learning

Business Model Offer same services to all target markets with a fee (paying for convenience of technology) International students & adult learners would pay additional because they’re receiving service that isn’t otherwise provided to them Add a marketing representative to management team to promote program to focused target markets by going overseas, advertising in various channels, going into Burnaby schools (esp. ones with large class sizes), etc. Expand current online program with virtual labs & discussions with real classes in the district via video-conferencing to enhance interaction Continuous collaboration amongst the management team as well as collaboration with schools and teachers posing an interest in video conferencing with online groups

Competitiveness Reason for tuition fees is to sell “convenience” of technology Local K-12 students charged a lesser fee as well: they’re paying a premium for convenience just like post secondary online programs Exemptions apply for students with special needs Fees will generate continuous funding for program but can be gradually implemented to allow students to experience value of program as well as fee acceptance

Market Readiness Success/failure evident with enrolment trends Continuation/termination of program service expansion & hiring dependent on enrolment 3 yr term plan for time to penetrate into target markets Annual reviews for progress

Technical Innovation Similar for-profit ventures in BC: Vancouver, New Westminster & Gold Trail school districts Vancouver and New West offer actual overseas school programs & consulting services for profit to increase their funding for local resources Gold Trail offers money to parents and students to purchase educational resources & Internet connection upon online enrolment Burnaby’s Competitive Edge: Online program takes no physical space and saves money from having to built actual schools overseas unlike Vancouver and New Westminster By charging fees and not offering money like Gold Trail, Burnaby Online proves to be a provider of quality online education Other districts may have online programs but no K-12 online program currently offers video-conferencing capabilities with real classrooms for enhance interaction

Exit Strategy Return to original state & terminate/phase out new programs & initiatives if no signs of success within 3 year term Annual reviews will also indicate risk vs. profitability ratio for short & long term direction Win-win scenario for district & investors

References Burnaby Online Program. (2007). About Us, Courses, and Online Demo. Retrieved October 31, 2007, from Burnaby SD 41. Website: http://online.sd41.bc.ca/index.html Kuehn, Larry. (2007). BC Government Promotes Privatization and a Market Approach to Education. Retrieved November 12, 2007, from BC Teacher’s Federation. Website: http://bctf.ca/IssuesInEducation.aspx?id=5950