Esri Virtual Campus Receives Excellence in Education AwardEach year the California Geographic Information Association (CGIA) recognizes organizations that have made outstanding contributions to the advancement of GIS in the State of California. The Esri Virtual Campus is the recipient of CGIA's 2000 Excellence in Education Award. In a letter to Esri President Jack Dangermond, CGIA's chairman, Dr. Richard D. Wright, praised the Virtual Campus for providing high-quality Web-based instruction in GIS and noted the many Californians enrolled in Virtual Campus courses. "The large number of Californians who have registered for Virtual Campus courses is a testament to its importance in GIS education and training in the State," Dr. Wright said. He commended the innovative learning program offered by the Virtual Campus. Since 1997 the Virtual Campus has educated more than 90,000 members from 174 countries using courses in GIS technology, applications, and GIScience. Virtual Campus courses combine hands-on exercises with strong conceptual material and learning assessments. A typical course includes six learning modules and downloadable data for use in the exercises. Some courses also include free trial versions of Esri software. Esri believes Virtual Campus courses are a cost-effective way for GIS students and professionals to extend their GIS knowledge. In addition to courses, the Virtual Campus offers a comprehensive online GIS library and valuable opportunities for members to interact and network with tens of thousands of GIS professionals from around the world. Learn more about Esri Training and Education and to learn more about the CGIA. Additionally, the California Community College Economic Development Network (ED>Net) honored Esri for its efforts in workforce development and GIS with Rio Hondo College in Whittier, California. ED>Net (www.ednet.cc.ca.us) practices vocational education outreach and coordinates programs and projects for community colleges in California that are funded through competitive grants for economic development activities. |
