Recently, the Toronto District School Board issued a survey to a random sample of parents/guardians and students, and all secondary school teachers, to better understand their views and level of support for the Government of Ontario’s plan for mandatory e-learning for all secondary students. The survey is called TDSB The Pulse and is used as part of the Board’s internal and external stakeholder engagement strategy.

Results

The results show that of the student, parent/guardian and secondary school teacher respondents most do not support the government’s plan to make e-learning a mandatory requirement for graduation, nor do they believe that it will benefit students.

Do you support the Ministry’s decision to require all students to take two e-learning/online learning credits in secondary school in order to graduate?

• Students – 87% (no)
• Parents / Guardians – 81% (no)
• Secondary Teachers – 97% (no)

In your opinion, would mandatory e-learning/online learning benefit students?

• Students – 67% (no); 21% (not sure)
• Parents / Guardians – 65% (no); 18% (not sure)
• Secondary Teachers – 91% (no); 6% (not sure)

Survey Participants

In total, approximately 5,000 members of the TDSB community responded, including 428 students (Grade 7-12) based on a random sample; 1,938 parents/guardians (Grade 2-12) based on a random sample; and 2,730 of all of TDSB’s secondary teachers.

The survey was conducted between January 30 and February 11, 2020.

In a letter to Ontario’s Minister of Education Stephen Lecce that shared the results of the survey, TDSB Chair Robin Pilkey said, “I want to make it clear that the Board is not against e-learning. However, our survey found that there are significant concerns among students, parents and teachers related to your government’s plan for mandatory e-learning.”

The Chair’s letter went on to request that the Ontario government re-consider its plan for mandatory secondary school e-learning courses and its plans to make such courses a requirement for graduation.

For more information, please visit www.tdsb.on.ca/thepulse