Distance Education is a type of education that aims to deliver education to students who are not physically able to be in school for various reasons. Distance education that requires students to be physical on site every once in a while is called a hybrid program.

Distance learning can be conducted through regular mail, Internet , Radio or television, CD-ROM andPocketPC/Mobile.

Today, more and more activities are moving online. This includes business, banking, and education just to mention a few. The Internet is making learning accessible for so many people, especially the working class. Instead of having to travel to a school or class that is given at a specific time, you can now choose to do all your learning on almost anything, at any time you want online.

It is now a possibility to work full time and still find time and the comfort of your home to further your studies. Students can now to complete their courses without stepping foot on campus. You can enroll, order your books online and communicate with your lecturers / teachers and fellow students in real time.

The public libraries have also gone virtual on most of their books and you can even do your researches online. However, change takes time and for some, you will still have to go to your designated testing centres for your final exams.

Below are some of the accredited colleges in Canada that offer their courses online.

Avon Maitland Distance Education Centre (AMDEC)
AMDEC offers 58 courses from grade 9 to 12 of the Ontario secondary school credits as well as a cooperative education program.
Contact AMDEC

Canadian Virtual University(CVU)
CVU is a group of leading Canadian Universities specializing in distance learning. You will find over 300 certificate, diploma and degree and over 2000 individual courses.
Contact CVU

Centre for Distance Education, Simon Fraser University
Part of the University of Guelph, the Centre of Distance Education, Simon Fraser University offers 180 distance education courses every year.
Contact Cenre for Distance Education

The Commonwealth of Learning
The Commonwealth of Learning is the world's only intergovernmental organisation dedicated solely to promoting and delivering distance education and open learning. It aims to improve access and quality in education through promotion of distance learning techniques and communication technologies.
Contact COL

Contact North
Ontario's most extensive distance education network, Contact North is used by secondary schools, colleges, and universities to provide residents of Northern Ontario access to courses at more than 150 sites. Contact North also has 90 centres through out Northern Ontario.
Contact Contact North

Ontario Learn - Distance Education Opportunities at Ontario Colleges
OntarioLearn.com is a consortium of 22 Ontario Community Colleges who have partnered to develop and deliver on-line courses. Each partner college selects courses from the OntarioLearn.com course inventory that will complement its existing distance education offerings.
See more on Ontario Learn

Independent Learning Centre
As part of TVOntario, the Independent Learning Centre (ILC) provides a wide range of distance education courses that allow adults to earn secondary school diploma credits, upgrade their basic skills, or study for personal development. The General Educational Development (GED) testing program is also available.
Contact Independent Learning Centre

Virtual High School
Virtual High school offers flexible learning capacity to many hundreds of students needing OSSD credits online.
Contact Virtual High School

Virtual Learning Centre
Founded in 1997, the Virtual Learning Centre (VLC) remains Ontario's first operational online secondary school. The VLC provides equitable access to programs for Trillium Lakelands' students, and to students from elsewhere in the province.
Contact Virtual Learning Centre