With a little help from technology, Cerritos College will be able to bring online courses to Bolivia.

The California Community College Chancellor’s Office recently awarded the College with a Global Education Grant, as well as an Internship Grant. The support of the Chancellor’s Office will enable Cerritos College to bring education to a country in need.

THE GLOBAL EDUCATION GRANT

The Global Education Grant aims to help advance the Distance Education program at Cerritos College. The grant will allow the College to take satellite courses into other countries, creating a population of global students who attend Cerritos College.

Currently M.L. Bettino, the college’s administrative dean of technology training and distance education, is looking at a program that addresses the future need for math teachers in America. A Catholic university in downtown La Paz, Bolivia is articulating courses in math with Cerritos College.

Bettino would like to develop a program where their students, who are studying math education, can receive an associate’s degree online from Cerritos College.

Ultimately, the students could transfer to a four-year institution in the United States to finish the last two years of their education program. Once graduated from the university, each student will complete a year of student teaching in California, and then can return to Bolivia with experience and a teaching credential in math.

This will greatly benefit our own K-12 students as well as our need for more math teachers. Bolivia is also in great need for math teachers, and the possibility of being educated as a professional in the United States would be very beneficial for Bolivian students.

“This is a pilot program that really has incredible potential for distance education,” expresses Bettino. His goal overall is to takedistance education to a global level. He wants to find schools in countries that are eager to exchange learning styles, world views and philosophies.

THE INTERNSHIP GRANT

For the second year, this $1,000 student grant is given to Cerritos College. The money allows the College to offer paid internships to Cerritos students interested in becoming teachers and/or future school district employees.

Fifteen interns will be offered positions that will provide them with the opportunity to work on various multimedia projects ranging from laminating to website design. The grant will also help to cover the cost of supplies and curriculum development.

For more information about the Distance Education Program at Cerritos College, visit the web site at www.cerritos.edu/de.