The course, which will be provided to Michigan schools at no cost, will allow students to meet the requirement for an online learning experience contained in the new high school core curriculum proposed by State Superintendent Mike Flanagan and approved by the State Board of Education (DOE).
"This course is an incredible two-fer" Granholm said. "It will help our students understand how to thrive in a changing economy, and it will teach them how to learn on-line, something they will need to do throughout their work lives."
The Michigan Department of Education and Michigan Virtual University are collaborating to develop the online course, "Career Development in a Global Economy," through a $350,000 grant from Microsoft's Partners in Learning program. Beginning in the 2006-2007 school year, the course will help students learn how the global economy is changing the nature of work in the United States and the importance of being an entrepreneur, whether by starting your own business or working in new ways in large corporations and organizations. The course will also give students greater ability to use the Internet as a communication and learning tool.
The Governor also highlighted the progress Michigan teachers and students are making as a result of new training tools aimed at meeting No Child Left Behind requirements and enhanced career development programs for high school students statewide. The creation of new online materials, developed through the state's ongoing partnership with Microsoft, have allowed more than 2,700 teachers to be trained to meet Michigan's Grade Level Content Expectation requirements, increasing the rigor of instruction for students and providing a successful framework for teacher development.
Michigan is in the second full year of a five-year partnership with Microsoft, first announced by Governor Granholm in 2004, that commits up to $4 million in support for educational innovation in Michigan.
