An MIT collaboration with San Jose City College and Integrated Device Technology, Inc., Technest Named Bellwether Award Finalist
An innovative blended learning program called Technest – created by San Jose City College (SJCC) in collaboration with MIT and Integrated Technology, Inc. – has been named one of ten Bellwether Award finalists in the Workforce Development category. The Bellwether Award aims to identify outstanding and innovative programs that can be replicated as best practices at other colleges.
Technest was recognized as a finalist because it uses an effective and low-cost mix of online and in-person resources to increase access to IT training opportunities for underrepresented groups at SJCC. Students interested in learning programming, for example, may enroll in Technest and take the online MITx course, Introduction to Computer Science and Programming Using Python while receiving on-campus career counseling and hands-on job training through SJCC.
“We strive to have MIT perspectives and knowledge impact as many people as possible through our Open Learning programs, OpenCourseWare and MITx,” said Dana Doyle, director of the MITx Program. “Having this kind of collaboration helps us further MIT’s mission ‘to advance knowledge and educate students in science, technology, and other areas of scholarship that will best serve the nation and the world in the 21st century.’ We look forward to continuing our work with SJCC.”
“It is truly an honor to have been named a finalist for a Bellwether Award in the Workforce Development category,” said SJCC Acting President Roland Montemayor. “Only the most innovative new programs from across the country earn this distinction, and we’re pleased to be able to share this outstanding collaboration on a larger scale.”
The Bellwether Award is widely regarded as the nation’s most competitive and prestigious recognition awards for community colleges. The Bellwether College Consortium, which created the Bellwether Award, is a group of colleges that address critical issues facing community colleges through research and the promotion of best practices.