Virtual Researcher On Call

VROC is the acronym for the Virtual Researcher On Call program by Partners In Research.  Originally a program that was seeded by the Ontario Ministry of Training, Colleges & Universities in 2006, VROC is now recognized as an ongoing and integral program within Ontario's education system.  In 2009 VROC expanded its educational offering to include Quebec and Alberta and in 2010 VROC will begin the expansion to the rest of the Canadian educational system.

The goal of VROC is to enhance student experiences in the classroom through the adoption of cutting-edge technology.  One such example is our videoconferencing program, "Reaching Every Student", which allows students to connect with leading experts currently limited primarily to the fields of health and natural sciences, technology, engineering and mathematics.  On any given day in Canada students from grades 5 through 12 may be interacting with a researcher in a classroom, an astronaut, a computer programmer or just about any expert in any field through a VROC initiative.  These experiences are live and completely interactive which greatly enhance the students' interest in the subject matter while simultaneously exposing them to possible career choices. 

VROC is also putting a fresh spin on its videoconferencing initiatives with the "On The Fly" program, which is designed to provide real-time access for a class of students to a researcher or expert from a leading Canadian institution for a semester or longer.  Through "on-the-fly" connection methods, teachers, on behalf of the class, can contact a researcher in a lab or an expert to answer any questions to enhance a curriculum component.  This is real-time learning which continuously elaborates on information found in textbooks - some of which could be several years out-of-date.  Online forums complement the VROC program and provide researchers with an opportunity to showcase their research activities while helping to foster the interest of our next generation of scientists.