Learner Link – Durham County

1. Learner Link – Durham County Increasing Access to Early Childhood College CoursesDurham’s Partnership for ChildrenChild Care Services AssociationDurham Technical Community CollegeFPG Child Development Institute Funded by The Wachovia Corporation, NCPC Private Grant Pool IBM Corporation in-kind donation of IBM ThinkPads Durham’s Partnership for Children January 19, 2006

2. Learner Link Goal Build the capacity of the County to sustain the ongoing provision of online learning as a professional development strategy.

3. Learner Link Objectives • Increase access to college education • Increase capacity of early childhood departments • Increase capacity of community college early childhood faculty • Increase availability of online teaching & learning • Improve state’s ability to offer online ECE degree

4. Why is this important? • Research link between • Teacher Education and Classroom Quality • Teacher Education and Positive Teacher/Child Interactions • Teacher Education and Child Outcomes • Teacher Education and Teacher Salaries • Early childhood teaching in the public eye • What it means to be a professional

5. Project Partners & Roles • Durham Technical Community College • Durham’s Partnership for Children • Child Care Services Association • FPG Child Development Institute • Community Child Care Service Providers • Quality Improvement Participants • Child Care Community • Higher Education Community • Business Community

6. Partnership’s Role • Funder & fiscal agent of project • Staff Support, conveners • Meeting Space • Coordination of Effort • Connection of Partners • Community Outreach • Technology Plan for Access to Education for Child Care Community

7. DTCC’s Role • Identify Participants • Train Faculty • Increase access to education through college resources • Provide Computer & Internet Skills to the child care population • Participate in the development of the technology access plan • Pilot two distance learning courses

8. CCSA’s Role • Identifying Sites • Creating Professional Development Plans/Connecting Students to Financial Aid Options • Data Collection • Assisting with DTCC enrollment of students • Participate in the development of the technology access plan

9. FPG’s Role • Coordinating Project Components • Development of the technology access plan • Train the Trainer C&I Training • Data Collection • Faculty Training • Community Resource Development

10. Learner Link - DurhamStrategies & Timeline • Information Sessions – 2005 & 2006 • Student Meeting – Fall 2005 • Community Agency Training – October 2005 • Faculty Training – Oct - Dec 2005 • Computer & Internet Skills Training– Jan 2006 • Online Course Offerings – Jan – May 2006 • Technology Plan Development – ongoing • Evaluation – spring 2006

11. Supports Smart Start Perspective • Impact of Smart Start Performance Base Incentive Standards (PBIS) • Partnerships can serve as a resource to link teachers to other state and federal supports • Need for supports that address basic education courses • Collaborative approach • Use of best practices that build on existing resources

12. Pursuing Quality Child Care Teacher Education College Scholarships & Wage Incentives • Benchmarks for Teacher Education • Tiered Licensing System • Enhancements through Smart Start

13. N.C. Workforce Data • The teacher turnover rate in North Carolina is currently at 24% • 28% of teachers and assistants hold at least a 2-year degree in any field • Median wage for teachers and assistants is $8.00/hour Source: The North Carolina Child Care Workforce Survey, 2003

14. Teacher Education: Community College Demand Student Enrollment 4,000+ to 14,000+ 1997 - 2004

15. Where are teachers learning? On Campus, Off Campus,Online!

16. What is Distance Education? • Accessing a college course or training • On the World Wide Web (Internet) • Hybrid Courses (seated & web work) • NC Information Highway (broadband transmission) • College by Cassette • On Television (telecourses) North Carolina Community College System

17. Distance Learning Has Arrived… According the the Sloan Foundation… • Quality equivalent or better than on site courses • Number served online growing by 20% annually • Approximately 1.9 million students nationally studying online, 2003 • Public institutions largest providers (89%) • Two year IHEs have largest # of students taking at least one online course • Two year IHEs serve 50%+/- total online students www.sloan.org Entering the Mainstream, The Quality and Extent of Online Education in the United States, 2003 & 2004

18. Demand for Distance Options is Growing

19. Distance Education Provides Additional Challenges for Non-Tech Workforce • Slow to embrace technology as education source • Low literacy levels • Lack of student computer skills • Need for up-to-date computer equipment • Need to update Virtual Learning Community courses to reflect EC standards Enormous workloads for community college faculty • Lack of time to learn & teach more courses…at a distance

20. Online Course Orientation • Accessed Online • Pre-Course • Automatic Email Submission into Course(s) • Course Demonstration • Distance Learning Knowledge & Skills Quiz for Baseline Score -- Faculty Use • Supplement … additional tools & supports

21. Sample Course

22. Quality Distance Learning Characteristics • Assessment of Need • Provision of Resources to Address Needs • Active Learning Opportunities • Multiple Access Points for Information • Multiple Interaction Points for Students • Planned Pace with built-in motivators • Design to foster depth of understanding • Multiple Ways to Demonstrate Knowledge • Multiple Modes of Evaluation

23. Learner Link Progress to Support Distance Learning • Students chosen & enrolled • Multiple contacts from all partners • TA/Faculty trained • Two hybrid online courses offered January 2006 • 10 students obtained computer removing a major barrier

24. Next Steps…Support Online Students

25. Learner Link Continuing Strategies to Support Distance Learning • Use Technology Access Plan to support resource development • Increase online offerings at DTCC • Post-gathering to share results & formulate next steps

26. Learner Link – Durham County Increasing Access to Early Childhood College CoursesDurham’s Partnership for ChildrenChild Care Services AssociationDurham Technical Community CollegeFPG Child Development Institute Funded by The Wachovia Corporation, NCPC Private Grant Pool IBM Corporation in-kind donation of IBM ThinkPads Durham’s Partnership for Children January 19, 2006