Redefining Education

By Rick Campbell, Career Campus Training Services Director, Goodwill Industries–Big Bend (Tallahassee, FL)
Career Campus is an online training platform that focuses on career training and certification in a variety of career fields. Goodwill Industries–Big Bend (Tallahassee, FL) developed the site in 2014 and launched locally in 2015. The platform currently includes hundreds of self-guided online courses and live on-site classes that are webcast or offered in person. The curriculum covers a dozen different fields of study, and most end with a nationally recognized certification.
Current fields of study include:

  • Bookkeeping/QuickbooksA slide from one of the online courses
  • Computer programming
  • Adobe software
  • Lodging guest service
  • Professional housekeeping
  • Restaurant guest service
  • Small business development
  • CPR/automated external defibrillators/first aid
  • Certified nursing aide (CNA)
  • Ÿ Web design
  • Microsoft software
  • Receptionist/office admin

More than 2,000 individuals have enrolled in Career Campus since 2015. Individuals in the Big Bend region can enroll online or at any of the Goodwill’s Career Training Centers.
Students who need computer literacy begin with on-site classes in Windows navigation, computer fundamentals and internet fundamentals. Upon enrollment, each student chooses a career path, which includes a blend of on-site classes and online courses created by experts in each field.
Students may complete the online courses in the Goodwill’s computer labs or anywhere they have internet access. Each course includes four to eight lessons, and the lesson material is delivered and reinforced in four stages, each resulting in a badge. Each lesson is designed to be completed within 30 minutes.
A screen shot of a Career Campus lessonEach online lesson includes an interactive slide deck and a series of note slides or flash cards. Computer software lessons include screencast videos and a series of narrated screen shots. Every lesson includes a quiz and exercise.
In addition to online courses, students attend on-site classes to review and practice the material they studied online. On-site classes are webcast live by an expert in the field from one of the Goodwill’s computer labs or facilitated locally by a trained proctor. Textbooks are optional as an additional study tool.
In 2017, Career Campus will begin its national launch in stages. Stage One will include hundreds of online courses in a dozen fields of study. Stage Two will include recorded classes in each field, complete with student handouts and proctor guides.
A sample lesson in Windows navigation and a complete list of career paths, online courses and on-site classes is accessible on the Career Campus website at www.gwcareercampus.com.