Distance Learning | News

U Southern California Ed School Intros Online Teacher Training

• By Dian Schaffhauser
• 05/09/14

The University of Southern California's (USC) Rossier School Education has developed a set of online and blended training courses to help teachers develop their skills in working with diverse learners. The school will make the online certificate program available through Knowledge Delivery Systems (KDS), a company that provides professional learning to states and school districts. The new courses will launch in fall 2014.

The courses have been developed by faculty members at Rossier whose areas of expertise include English learners, gifted learners and underserved students. The first four courses focus on relationally responsive classroom management, responding to individual differences, facilitating learning for non-standard English learners and pedagogical practices for English learners.

Those will be delivered on KDS' online platform. Following the format of other KDS instruction, the program will include coaching, modeling, practice and feedback. The two partners will contract with districts to deliver teacher training in the Rossier-designed program.

Those who finish all four courses will earn a certificate of competency from the university.

"This program is a revolutionary joint effort to deliver an innovative, effective transformation in teaching practice, at scale, leveraging technology," said KDS CEO Alvin Crawford.

Added Rossier Dean Karen Symms Gallagher, "The mission of the Rossier School is to improve learning in urban education locally, nationally and globally. This partnership will be yet another example of expanding our reach to meet that mission."