Microsoft selects Educator-to-Educator Institute for key role in Microsoft IT Academy Program.
November 15, 2001
BELLEVUE, WASHINGTON – Microsoft Corporation has selected the Educator-to-Educator Institute (E2E), a program of Bellevue Community College’s National Workforce Center for Emerging Technologies, to provide nationwide instructor training for the new Microsoft IT Academy Program.
The major goals of the program are to address the critical need for ongoing IT faculty development and to shorten the significant time lag that currently exists in training the nation’s educators on new Microsoft technologies.
“There currently does not exist a channel or a systematic approach to provide timely training for the academic sector whenever new Microsoft software is released,” said Diana Carew, Microsoft Program Manager of Workforce Development. “Typically, there is a lag of 18 to 24 months between the time new technology is introduced in the marketplace and its adoption in the education sector – putting schools one product cycle behind the industry.”
“E2E’s role will be to provide early training for instructors on Microsoft software for the Microsoft IT Academy Program,” said Duncan Burgess, director of the Educator-to-Educator Institute. “Working through a network of 16 regional centers, we will provide an organized, nationwide system through which faculty will be trained before the technology is released. That way, when software is available to the general public, schools can immediately incorporate it into curriculum and start training students on the same technologies the industry is currently using.”
The Microsoft IT Academy Program is setting up 16 regional centers across the U.S. and Canada to become the academic training channel for emerging Microsoft technologies. As the national instructor-led-training component for the Microsoft IT Academy Program, E2E will provide training for instructors from the regional centers, the centers in turn will train faculty at Microsoft IT Academy Program member schools throughout each geographic region. Each region will serve approximately 100 high schools and two- and four-year colleges and universities.
In addition to providing software-specific training, every Microsoft IT Academy Program class also will focus on the pedagogy of information technology (IT), including instructional best practices.
E2E also will implement and maintain a quality assurance plan for the Microsoft IT Academy Program Regional Centers, and will lead and coordinate a national faculty development online community for program members.
“We selected E2E because of its track record in providing nationwide IT professional development for educators,” said Carew. “And the National Workforce Center for Emerging Technologies, of which E2E is a part, has established itself as a national leader in IT education by developing the national IT skill standards and supporting curriculum,” said Carew.
Being launched in November 2001, the Microsoft IT Academy Program will provide member schools the faculty training, technical support and marketing tools they need to be premier resources for training students on Microsoft networking and developer software. The intent is not only to expand students' career opportunities but also to directly address the nationwide IT workforce shortage.
As part of Bellevue Community College’s National Workforce Center for Emerging Technologies (NWCET), the Educator-to-Educator Institute provides educators at all levels with professional development in the area of information technology. The mission of the NWCET is to assist education, business and government in developing the skilled information technology workforce needed today and for the future.
For more information, contact:
Bob Adams
Public Information Director
[email protected]
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