Adult Education and Training Diploma, 52 Weeks Online
A 52-week online diploma for people who already teach, train, or tutor adults.
Adult learners now study on their own schedule, often around jobs and family, which is why this program dedicates 200 hours to asynchronous design and AI in learning.
52 Weeks | 1,040 Hours · Fully Online, Asynchronous · New Intake Roughly Every Three Weeks
Who This Program Is For
This program is for you if you are:
- Already teaching, training, tutoring or facilitating adult learners and want a formal qualification in adult education
- A subject specialist who was given teaching or training responsibility but never trained in how to teach
- A teacher or trainer who qualified outside Canada and wants a Canadian adult-education credential
- Supported by an employer who backs professional development in learning and development
This diploma qualifies you in adult education. It is not a route to becoming a school teacher, and it does not lead to Ontario College of Teachers certification.
If You Trained as a Teacher Outside Canada
If you earned your teaching credential outside Canada, it likely isn’t recognized here, and this diploma doesn’t solve that problem directly. This program does not evaluate or convert your existing credential, and it is not a path to Ontario College of Teachers certification or a role in a school.
What it does offer is a Canadian adult-education credential in its own right, built around the teaching experience you already have.
To apply, you need:
A university degree or college diploma from an accredited Canadian institution, or a recognized international credential equivalency (ICAS/WES).
1,040
Hours
Ten courses across 52 weeks, fully online
200
Hours
On asynchronous design and AI in learning, taught as subjects of their own
6
Deliverables
Pieces of work you leave with, including a full training program you designed
25
Students
Class size is capped at 25, so progress is tracked individually
What This Credential Does
You already have the subject knowledge. That’s not in question; it’s what got you into teaching or training in the first place. This program addresses the part that comes after: whether you can formally demonstrate that you know how to teach it.
Job Bank’s requirements for College and other vocational instructors (National Occupational Classification 41210) state:
“A bachelor’s degree, a college diploma or demonstrated expertise in the field of
instruction is required…A certificate, diploma or degree in adult education may be required.”
Source: Job Bank, accessed August 2026
In other words: knowing your subject gets you in the room. The qualification is what gets you taken seriously once you’re there.
39% of people in this occupation hold more than a bachelor’s degree, compared with 13% across all occupations.
(Source: Job Bank, Ontario job prospects data for College and other vocational instructors, NOC 41210, accessed September 2026)
Adult Learners Study Differently Now
Adult learners don’t sit in a scheduled room anymore. They study at midnight, on a phone, around shift work and family commitments. This change has affected what it takes to teach adults.
Reaching a learner who’s studying in fragments, on their own time, isn’t just a matter of delivery but also of design. The material has to work without someone in the room to answer questions, adjust pacing on the spot, or read the room and change course. That takes deliberate instructional design, not just good subject knowledge delivery.
This diploma is designed directly to accommodate the new way adult learners study. 200 of the program’s 1,040 hours are spent on asynchronous design and AI in learning: how to structure material for self-directed study, and how to use AI tools to build and deliver it.
See The Full Curriculum
All ten courses, totaling exactly 1,040 hours.
| Total | 1,040 |
|---|---|
| COURSE | HOURS |
| Theories and Principles of Adult Learning | 100 |
| Instructional Design and Curriculum Development | 120 |
| Needs Assessment and Training Program Planning | 120 |
| Learning Technologies and Digital Learning Tools | 120 |
| Training Delivery, Facilitation and Evaluation | 80 |
| Coaching and Mentoring for Workplace Learning | 120 |
| Enhancing Reflective Learning in Higher Education | 120 |
| Adapting Training Delivery for Asynchronous Environments | 120 |
| Integrating Artificial Intelligence in Learning Design and Delivery | 80 |
| Capstone Project: Comprehensive Training Program | 60 |
Tools used throughout the program: Canvas, Articulate 360, SCORM.
The Three Courses That Carry the Program
- Adapting Training Delivery for Asynchronous Environments (120 hrs) and Integrating Artificial Intelligence in Learning Design and Delivery (80 hrs)
These two courses are complementary because they teach you how to design material for learners who study on their own time and how to use AI tools to build and deliver that material. Together, that’s 200 hours across the two areas that have most changed adult education in recent years.
- Instructional Design and Curriculum Development (120 hrs)
This course teaches ADDIE (Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, Evaluation) and other instructional design frameworks. You leave this course with a structured instructional design plan, a document that shows anyone reviewing your credentials exactly what you’re capable of designing.
- Capstone Project (60 hrs)
Here, you design a complete training program for adult learners. By the end, you have a training design document, sample learning materials, and an implementation and evaluation plan that show the full arc of the work.
Here’s What You Leave With
At the end of this program, you won’t just have a diploma. You’ll have six pieces of work that show that you can actually design and deliver adult education and training.
| COURSE | WHAT YOU PRODUCE |
| Needs Assessment and Training Program Planning | A comprehensive needs assessment report and training program proposal |
| Instructional Design and Curriculum Development | A structured instructional design plan |
| Learning Technologies and Digital Learning Tools | A small-scale e-learning module |
| Adapting Training Delivery for Asynchronous Environments | A complete asynchronous training experience |
| Enhancing Reflective Learning in Higher Education | Reflective learning activities, with criteria and rubrics |
| Capstone Project | A training design document, sample learning materials, and an implementation and evaluation plan |
Six deliverables. Together, they take you through the full process: working out what learners need, designing for them, building the material, and evaluating whether it worked. That’s what you bring to a conversation with an employer or institution, instead of asking them to simply trust your ability.
How You Study
This program is 1,040 hours over 52 weeks, about 20 hours a week for a year. It is built to be studied alongside a job.
Asynchronous by design
MODULE BY MODULE, ON YOUR SCHEDULE
Material is released module by module, each with its own end date, and you complete the work within that window on your own schedule. You’ll need strong self-management to keep pace. Canvas, the platform you study on, logs your module time, engagement, and submissions as you go, so you always know the progress you’ve made.
Study On Your Own
NOT WITHOUT STRUCTURE
Each module runs for one week to one month and has a fixed end date, with a weekend grace period. If you fall behind, you receive a second chance. Each module includes two Action Plans, six across the whole program, which give you a way to catch up.
Your progress is reviewed every week. If you stop submitting work or your activity drops off, someone reaches out to you directly. Class size is capped at 25, so progress is tracked individually.
How Oxford College Compares to Other Options
There are two kinds of programs people usually compare this to: publicly funded certificates in adult education, and shorter certificates offered through online platforms.
| OXFORD AET DIPLOMA | PUBLIC CERTIFICATES | PLATFORM CERTIFICATES | |
| Credential | Diploma, 1,040 hours | Certificate or graduate certificate | Certificate of completion |
| Length | 52 weeks | Varies | Hours to weeks |
| Scope | The whole practice, needs assessment through to evaluation | Selected topics | A single topic |
| Asynchronous design and AI | 200 hours, taught as subjects in their own right | Varies | Varies |
| Work you produce | Six deliverables, including a full training program you designed | Varies | Usually none |
| Completion structure | Paced, with enforced module deadlines | Varies | Self-directed |
| Entry | Degree or diploma required | Varies | Open |
The two comparisons that matter most here are what the program covers and what you produce by the end. This program takes you through the whole process, from working out what learners need to evaluating whether it worked, and leaves you with proof of it, not just a certificate saying you attended.
Where This Can Take You
This diploma prepares you for roles in teaching, training, and learning and development for adults.
Two roles carry the occupation code for College and other vocational instructors, National Occupational Classification (NOC) 41210:
- College or vocational instructor
- Corporate or workplace trainer, a role that includes people who provide training within private companies, community organizations, and government agencies
Training coordinator is a related role that falls under a different occupation code.
You may also see roles described using the following titles:
- Adult education instructor
- Adult learning facilitator
- Online course facilitator
- E-learning instructor
These are common ways the work is described, but they are not official government-recognized occupations, so none of them carry an occupation code.
Employers in This Field
Career and community colleges
Corporate training and human resources departments
Community organizations and not-for-profit groups that provide training
Government-funded employment and skills training programs
Training and e-learning consulting firms
Freelance or contract work
Admissions, Intakes and Cost
Here’s what you need to apply, and how the program runs.
“What do I need to get in?”
You need a university degree or college diploma from an accredited Canadian institution. If your credential is from outside Canada, it can be assessed for equivalency through International Credential Assessment Service (ICAS) or World Education Services (WES).
This diploma qualifies you in adult education. It is not a route to becoming a school teacher and it does not lead to Ontario College of Teachers certification.
“This program is not a fit if…”
- You are without a completed degree or diploma. The entry gate is absolute.
- You are looking for a teacher, a set timetable, or classmates to keep you on track. There are none.
- You are expecting a guaranteed job at the end.
“How does the schedule work?”
This program is fully online and runs for 52 weeks, about 20 hours a week. Study is asynchronous: material is released module by module, each with its own fixed end date.
A new intake starts roughly every three weeks, so you’re rarely waiting long to begin.
“How much does the program cost, and is funding available?”
The total cost of this program is $15,550.
$14,500
Tuition
$1,050
Books
Guidance is available on student funding options.
Program Details
| Duration | 52 weeks, 1,040 hours (about 20 hours a week) |
| Delivery | Fully online, asynchronous, paced with fixed module end dates |
| Credential | Diploma |
| Class size | Capped at 25 students |
| Placement | None. A 60-hour capstone project replaces a placement |
| Intakes | Roughly every three weeks |
| Admission | University degree or college diploma from an accredited Canadian institution, or ICAS/WES equivalency |
| Tools | Canvas, Articulate 360, SCORM |
Ready to Take the Next Step?
The adults you’ll teach are retraining after a layoff, rebuilding their careers in a new country, or trying to stay employable in a fast-moving field.
Teaching them well takes more than knowing your subject. It takes knowing how adults learn, how to design for them, and how to tell whether it worked.
PLEASE NOTE:
This is a fully online, asynchronous program (52 weeks, about 20 hours a week),
requiring a completed degree or college diploma to enroll.
For immediate questions, call us directly at: 1-866-918-0657