EdgePoint Learning partners with the State of Alaska Department of Education & Early Development

November 17, 2009

EdgePoint Learning to Create Dynamic eLearning Content for Alaska School Districts

Phoenix, AZ – EdgePoint Learning today announced that it has been selected by the State of Alaska Department of Education and Early Development (EED)to develop eLearning solutions designed to offer staff training to educators in all of Alaska’s school districts on a variety of topics..

The demand for educating school personnel on-line has increased dramatically as the costs to send live trainers to remote areas have increased and broadband Internet access has become more prevalent throughout the state. Much of the demand for new training is fueled by the nationwide No Child Left Behind education reform movement, which places great emphasis on professional development, highly qualified educators, and customized responses to individual district, school, and student learning needs.

Also driving the demand for educator training in Alaska is a collection of federal and state laws requiring training for school personnel on a broad spectrum of topics ranging from precautions against blood-borne pathogens, to drug and alcohol-related disabilities, to supporting students with special needs.

The State of Alaska’s library of eLearning modules will allow teachers, paraprofessionals, administrators, and other school personnel to better support student learning, further promote the development of student social skills, improve school safety, improve teaching strategies for students with special needs, and maximize the learning opportunities available for all students.

EED was looking for a way to provide training to school districts, both large and small, across geographic expanses where travel is often impractical. In addition, EED needed to maintain performance records to track learners enrolled in the training program. The State of Alaska eLearning Training Program created by EdgePoint Learning for EED will expand on its already successful program. To begin with EdgePoint Learning will be developing Gender and Race Equity, Individual Education Plan Meeting Development and Special Education Evaluation Summary and Eligibility Report eLearning modules. These modules will take the source content and bring it to life through the use of the latest in learning technology. Learners will enjoy a multi-media experience including games, 3-D animations, professional voiceovers, and constant interactivity.

The State of Alaska Department of Education and Early Development (EED) has long been a thought leader and early adopter in the world of eLearning and has received national attention for its eLearning programs. The three year agreement for twenty to thirty hours of dynamic eLearning builds on a program started four years ago that has been used to train school personnel. The demand for more eLearning has grown exponentially with the program being expanded to train both classroom and non-classroom staff. EED’s e-learning library began with a single module being utilized by several hundred users in just a few districts during year one and now has a library of twenty modules utilized by forty five of Alaska’s fifty four districts, with more than two thousand five hundred learners yearly utilizing an average of three to four modules each.

“Being selected by the State of Alaska reinforces our commitment to delivering quality learning results for our clients through engaging solutions, easy implementation and smooth integration,” says Krista Kalish, partner at EdgePoint Learning. “This is a perfect example of how eLearning can be used to reach out across a large geographic area to ensure that educational professionals can be equipped with the tools and knowledge to excel in their roles. We look forward to working with the State of Alaska on this and future projects.”

About EdgePoint Learning
Founded in 2004, EdgePoint Learning helps organizations develop world-class custom self-paced eLearning programs by embracing a passion for service, maintaining the highest expertise in our industry, and ensuring success through our comprehensive development process.
More information about EdgePoint Learning can be found on the company’s website at http://www.edgepointlearning.com.