Continuous education responds to state needs
Archived article from Nov 2, 2001
By Mark Maben
Lifelong learning and continual skills improvement have long been touted as the keys to success in the 21st-century economy. The challenge has been to get busy New Jerseyans to enroll in the courses they need to move ahead in their careers.
The Office of Continuous Education and Outreach believes it has found the solution by using technology to create flexible, high-caliber learning opportunities.
"We are right on the threshold of tremendous change in how Rutgers' continuing education programs serve our state," said Ray Caprio, vice president for continuous education and outreach. "Innovation and growth will be the words that best define what takes place over the next few years."
One area where that innovation can be seen is in the rapid expansion of video communication technology. Rutgers' interactive video facilities have moved beyond the three principal campuses to include a number of satellite offices and portable equipment. "It will soon be possible to deliver a Rutgers course to almost anywhere in the state," Caprio said.
Academic units are already taking advantage of these resources. The Newark College of Arts and Sciences, for example, is using interactive video to let high-achieving Jersey City high school students participate in courses delivered live from campus. The Graduate School of Education is using the technology to bring its expertise to K-12 school districts throughout New Jersey. The university's video classrooms and distributed interactive distance-learning systems allow school teachers, staff and administrators to work directly with Rutgers faculty without having to travel great distances.
Another distance-learning growth area is RutgersOnline, the university's virtual campus. Started in fall 1999, the service now provides
13 mostly graduate courses ranging from basic biology to children's literature. The program allows nontraditional students to telecommute to campus and take courses given by distinguished faculty members online.
To ensure that continuing education learners enroll in classes that will further their interests and career objectives, Rutgers recently partnered with CE Technologies to develop software that matches a learner profile to a course profile to create individual learning plans. The system, which also provides online registration, allows the university to alert students to courses that meet their particular needs.
These technological advances have not come at the expense of the department's traditional programs, which still serve some 75,000 people annually. Rutgers offers acclaimed professional development programs in fields such as pharmacy, engineering and nursing. Continuous edu-cation's Western Monmouth Higher Educational Center, with its off-campus degree completion programs and professional development courses, is enjoying ever-increasing use, Caprio said. In addition, the office recently took over operation of the Rutgers Internet Institute, now named the Center for Applied Computer Technologies, which offers Microsoft certified system engineer, Sun Java, e-commerce development, Oracle database, Cisco and Webmaster certificate programs at several locations.
Continuous education also oversees the newly profitable University Inn and Conference Center, where the Center for Continuing Professional Development offers seminars, workshops and certificate programs in areas of particular concern to the state. One of the most popular is a course in construction project management, according to Jean Scheaffel, the inn's director.
Caprio is optimistic about his department's future. "We've developed a philosophy that is much more responsive to the state's needs," he said. "The opportunities are there for every academic unit at Rutgers to serve the lifelong learning needs of New Jerseyans."
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