In our summer update we asked for success stories. We heard a beautiful success story from Central Vancouver Island Multicultural Society, from Nanaimo, BC. They have been exploring a ‘Demonstration Classes’ model to support digital skills development and engagement in online learning.
Image and story provided by CVIMS
Since April 2025, the Department of Language Services at CVIMS has been offering English language instruction to remote communities using online learning platforms, like Avenue.ca and Zoom. Their team expressed that they thought that it was going to be an easy transition for both the students and instructors, but instead they encountered some challenges.
It soon became clear that aside from language support, students needed to learn computer basics, access learning platforms, navigation to do assignments, all in a really short time!
In response, CVIMS online instructors took time to explain every aspect of their online class. The department’s digital navigator opened a regular line of communication with the students in need of extra help after class, and to hold sessions on digital literacy. On top of that, they met up with students once a month in person to present important aspects of their online work, discuss their progress, issues, and concerns.
CVIMS realized that even though online support, online classes and email correspondence between students and the language team is lively and constructive, students feel that the class is most “real” when they meet the team in person.
