Richmond, Virginia, U.S. – May 25, 2012 – SoftChalk and the Kentucky Community & Technical College System (KCTCS) together won a bronze Learning Impact Award from the IMS Global Learning Consortium (IMS GLC). SoftChalk and KCTCS were chosen as winners for the revolutionary Learn on Demand program offered through KCTCS Online.
Learn on Demand offers an affordable and flexible education with both full courses and bite-size courses called “modules.” Course Leaders/Developers use SoftChalk to easily create and share content for the modules, which are about 3-5 weeks long; full courses are 15 weeks long. Students can choose their schedule, and modules build toward complete courses for affordable degrees, certificates and diplomas. Many courses address workforce needs for business administration, information technology, nursing, industrial maintenance technology and general education.
The KCTCS Course Leaders depend on SoftChalk because it allows for media rich, engaging content and learning opportunities, as well as mini-assessments throughout the modules that help students master content. Students do not need textbooks, and they have access to the learning content first day of class. Plus, SoftChalk content can be packaged in the IMS™ Common Cartridge format to be published into Blackboard. SoftChalk also passes data into the Blackboard gradebook using SCORM or the SoftChalk ScoreCenter with the LTI framework.
The Learning Impact Awards are unique in that they recognize the use of technology in context. Nominations include not only the technology, but also the results achieved by an educational institution to improve learning, which the Learn on Demand program exemplifies.
“The pass rate for students in the Learn on Demand program is nearly 85% and we’ve seen an increase in enrollment as well. Students took an average of 3.7 modules in Fall 2011, compared to 2.3 modules in fall 2010,” said Sandy Cook, System Director, Distance Learning Technologies, at KCTCS. “The end-of-course evaluations and student satisfaction surveys confirm that students appreciate the flexibility of the program and find online learning more compatible with a busy lifestyle.”
SoftChalk and KCTCS were chosen as finalists earlier this spring. Last week, SoftChalk and Paige Brooks-Jeffiers of KCTCS attended the Learning Impact Conference in Toronto, Canada, where they showcased the entry for judging. At the end of the conference, the team was named the winner of the Bronze Learning Impact Award.
Click here for a full list of 2012 IMS Learning Impact Award Winners.
About KCTCS Online
The Kentucky Community & Technical College System (KCTCS) is the largest higher education provider in Kentucky. In 2008, KCTCS Online was started as an effort to provide even more Kentuckians with an affordable, flexible education. KCTCS Online prepares students for high-demand careers through its module system, in which students can quickly acquire the skills they need to earn a promotion, professional certification or an online degree. KCTCS Online offers courses and modules that transfers to other schools and can be eligible for financial aid. For more information, visit https://online.kctcs.edu.
About SoftChalk, LLC
SoftChalk, LLC is an award-winning provider of e-learning software for worldwide education and business institutions. Specializing in the development of intuitive, easy-to-use tools, SoftChalk products allow instructors to create powerful and professional-looking content for e-learning and smart classrooms in K-12, higher education and corporate training. For more information, visit https://softchalk.com.
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