February 8, 2007

LANSING - Michigan became the first state in the nation last year to require all students to take an online course or have an online learning experience in order to graduate from high school. This year, with financial support and assistance from Microsoft Corporation’s U.S. Partners in Learning Program, students in Michigan now have access to a powerful free online course dealing with globalization, career planning and entrepreneurship. Online delivery of this new course, called CareerForward®, is provided by Blackboard, Inc.

CareerForward® empowers students to take charge of their own career path while meeting the new state requirement for online learning. Designed primarily for ninth graders, it is relevant for any grade in middle or high school and is available to all Michigan K-12 students and schools.

CareerForward was developed through a unique public-private partnership between the Michigan Department of Education, Michigan Virtual University, and Microsoft Corporation. The online delivery component of the course allows Michigan students to connect to this newest form of education and learn about the most rapid changes in the global economy.

“This course will help our students understand how to thrive in a global economy,” Governor Jennifer Granholm said. “It also will teach them to learn online, something they’ll need to do throughout their work lives.”

Microsoft Corporation General Manager Anthony Salcito said, “Michigan is quickly establishing itself as a bold leader in the use of online learning as a method to transform teaching and learning and to develop a highly educated, highly skilled workforce to compete in the global economy. CareerForward is a strategic measure to help all of Michigan’s young citizens recognize the importance of technology and life-long learning in their critical life choices and their future world.”

Private industry also recognized the importance of this new program as a catalyst to engaging Michigan students in the educational and workforce needs of the 21st Century.

"Increasingly, multi-national corporations are seeking young people who possess a global perspective and an appreciation that their academic preparation is vital to their future.” Kathleen S. Barclay, Vice President Global Human Resources & GM University, General Motors Corp. said. “Students who learn the lessons conveyed in the new online CareerForward course will be better prepared to embrace the challenges of the 21st Century workplace."

CareerForward is a media-rich online learning program that helps Michigan’s secondary school students wrestle with some of the burning questions about their futures: What am I going to do with my life? What is the world of work like? What will I need to succeed? What’s next for me? Using a variety of multimedia, course topics explore these questions and more. Throughout the course, students are asked frequently to reflect on what they’re learning, to write their thoughts down as a continual refinement of their thinking and to discuss their thoughts with other students, either in-person or online. Key benefits of this free course include learning about the world of work, gaining experience with online resources and satisfying the new high school graduation requirement for online learning.

“This course will help students more fully appreciate the crucial importance of education to their future. It also will improve their motivation and choices in high school,” said Mike Flanagan, State Superintendent of Public Instruction and member of the MVU Board of Directors.

“By integrating technology into every student’s education, we are adapting their formal education with the way they think and live outside of the classroom - in the world of technology,” Flanagan said. “It helps bring relevance to their learning.”

Michigan students can work with local educators to access the online course which takes approximately four to six weeks to complete. The course is designed to be facilitated by a local teacher and can be used independently or as part of an existing face-to-face course in career planning, business or global studies.

“We believe this project is the largest online learning initiative for K-12 education ever attempted in the U.S.,” said Jamey Fitzpatrick, President of MVU. “This innovative online course is something that every parent in Michigan will want their son or daughter to experience.”

Gordon Freedman, Vice President Education Strategy, Blackboard, Inc., said that Michigan’s leadership in requiring an online experience as a graduation requirement makes CareerForward the beginning of a trend and not just an isolated case.

“CareerForward will help students learn online how the global economy is changing the nature of work in the United States and emphasize the importance and value of entrepreneurialism in our society and the use of the Internet as a primary learning vehicle,” Freedman said.

For more information on the cFWD course, visit http://www.mivhs.org/careerforward; to view a short trailer of the course, click on “cFWD Trailer” in the More Information menu at the top right.

For more information on Microsoft U.S. Partners in Learning, visit http://www.microsoft.com/Education/PiLUS.mspx.