Adaptation of online courses for new educational contexts

One of the challenges in online learning is adaptation of material developed for one educational setting to be appropriate in another. Qualitative case-study research explored adaptation of online continuing education modules, developed by the Public Health Agency of Canada for public health practitioners. Two adaptations were studied: the College of Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, and English-speaking Caribbean countries. The first case involved adaptation for different learners, but in a similar culture. The second case involved similar learners, but in a different culture. Results show that adaptation of existing online courses can be practicable, and may take less time and fewer resources to implement than creation of a new course. Benefits extended beyond immediate educational objectives to address strategic goals of both originating and recipient organizations.