This North Island College distance education course gives students access and control of the Tatla Lake On-line Observatory from their home computer to capture and download images of the universe.

Students are then able to study and analyze the image data for their lab reports, making SSA the province’s only university-transfer science lab course offered entirely on-line.

Ron Evans, an instructor at North Island College in Bella Coola, developed the college’s two SSA courses and played a key role establishing the on-line observatory at Tatla Lake School in 2001.

“We needed a way to offer labs at a distance, Science lab courses have posed a challenge for distance education delivery for years because they require access to specialized facilities and equipment. Our on-line SSA courses give students access to and control of a high-quality facility to gather credible data for analysis." explains Evans.

The observatory, which is located on the Chilcotin Plateau, boasts a distinct lack of light pollution and relatively cloud-free skies.

Students can connect to the MEADE 14-inch LX200 GPS telescope from anywhere in the world and take advantage of the ideal viewing conditions.

Some students have hailed from B.C. communities such as Prince George, Cortes Island, Nanaimo, and Vancouver, while others have completed the course from as far as away as Montreal, Korea, and Costa Rica. Several students are working toward their Associate of Arts or Bachelor of Science degrees. However, most are working on their Bachelor of Education degrees. 

The curriculum provides not only an ideal foundation of knowledge for future teachers, but unlike most Astronomy courses, it also covers topics in space exploration and the viability of living in space — a fascinating topic for learners of any age.

The future will provide even greater opportunities for on-line learning with the potential development of a second year Astronomical Observation course and a Space Science and Astronomy Program.