Florida College System Joins Nationwide Movement
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Florida College System Joins Nationwide Movement
~ New grant aims to provide open access to online courses that boost student preparedness for college ~Tallahassee, Fla., July 19, 2013 - Florida's high school and college students will have access to new online developmental education courses thanks to a new grant issued by the Florida Department of Education. Broward College was selected for the $300,000 grant for the development of massive open online courses (MOOCs) in foundational subjects.
"The Florida College System seeks innovative ways to deliver content to help students prepare for college-level coursework," said Florida College System Chancellor Randy Hanna. "Through MOOCs, our colleges will be able to offer courses that help Florida's students master foundational skills in reading, writing and math. I commend Broward College on its strong proposal and look forward to the launch of this MOOC for Florida's students."
Broward College's proposal, supported by College Access Challenge Grant funds, uses a competency-based approach to instructional design that assesses students' abilities and helps them focus their time and energy on areas that need the most attention. This self-paced approach drives an effective, time-efficient pathway to success for students seeking to boost their reading, writing or math skills.
"Broward College is committed to providing students with accessible, affordable and innovative education options," said President J. David Armstrong, Jr. "This grant allows us to progressively move forward with our MOOC initiative and increase the quality of the online learning experiences we offer to our students and the community."
In 2010-11, 176,286 students enrolled in at least one developmental education course in the Florida College System. The availability of MOOC developmental education courses will help students enrolled in developmental education courses, students who enroll in MOOCs as study aids, and colleges that integrate the MOOC with classroom courses, to increase quality and blend student-learning experiences. Another Florida College System institution - St. Petersburg College - unveiled developmental education MOOCs earlier this year, which have already enrolled more than 1,000 students.
"These MOOCs are intended to assist all colleges in providing students with customized learning experiences to help them succeed in college-credit courses," said Chancellor Hanna. "MOOCs are the natural next step for a system that prides itself on innovating and responding to student, community and state needs."
Through this grant, the department seeks to increase the number of underrepresented students who enter and remain in higher education.
For more information about developmental education in the Florida College System, view developmental education Transparency, Accountability, Process, and Performance reports.