Delivery Methods

Most full-time programs and part-time courses are delivered via formal instruction in classrooms, shops, and labs at our main and satellite campuses. Formal instruction is complemented by completion of practical projects on or off-campus.

Distance education is a formal instructional process that engages instructors in helping students reach learning goals without having teacher and learner meet in person.

Distributed learning refers to programs and courses that put learners in contact with each other and their instructor so that they work towards learning goals cooperatively.

BCIT correspondence courses are self-directed courses in which students work at their own pace, interacting rarely or not at all with an instructor. Students may be required to submit assignments that are marked and return and also to complete a mid-term and/or final examination or other form of final student assessment. Self-directed courses can be term-based or continuous intake, meaning various start dates.

Online courses provide for rich interaction between student and instructor, between students, or both. Online courses often have weekly scheduled learning activities or assignments in which students may work in collaborative groups or participate in discussion forums. Individual contact with instructors follows a pattern similar to that in a classroom.

Guided courses are most commonly used in health education at BCIT. Learners receive sets of course materials and have a term (12 weeks) in which to prepare of their final exam or evaluation. Assignment due dates are also scheduled. Help from an instructor via telephone and e-mail is available during a set time each week. The courses often encourage or require group work that occurs by telephone conferencing or computer technologies.

Blended courses are those in which classroom students have access to complementary online course content and resources.