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DDC Training Services
DDC Meets School Districts' Business Software Education Needs with Microsoft Office Certification
DDC Training Services is taking a new and remarkably effective approach to the call of school districts across the nation to raise the standard of business education curriculum. Using a total solutions package, DDC fulfills the need of school districts to train and certify teachers using Microsoft Office Specialist certification and to then integrate the industry standard certification into student curriculum. DDC's experienced instructors and proven training methods elevate educators' technical knowledge, provide students with professional skills and certification, and validate school districts' training investments.
As a company that has evolved with the rise of technology and computers, DDC Training Services (DDC), formerly a division of DDC Publishing, Inc., is well versed in adapting to meet the ever-changing technical needs of users. While its products have changed dramatically since the days of shorthand practice records and cassettes, DDC's mission-to help educators provide step-by-step classroom training on the latest workplace technologies-has not.
Now, DDC is using its 30 years of experience developing educational training materials to find a new, creative solution to the demand among the nation's school districts for a higher standard of business education learning.
Taking Microsoft Office Certification to Educators
To meet the dual challenge of improving educators' and students' technical skills while raising a uniform standard for business education curriculum, DDC is taking Microsoft® Office Specialist certification directly to educators.
"Microsoft Office certification helps us provide a forum to meet teachers' needs for technical knowledge and certification that is both affordable and convenient," says Alex McCabe, DDC vice president. "It also provides standard objectives to ensure that teachers and their students learn the skills that will help them be more productive users of the Office programs. Without such a standard, the content and quality of business education software courses varies greatly."
With over 40 instructors, many of whom are former educators themselves, DDC Training Services arranges workshops all over the U.S., providing educators with customized training on subjects including Microsoft Office certification for Office 2000 and XP, general computing, the Internet, and programming. And since DDC is an iQcenter (authorized testing center), workshop participants can conveniently take Microsoft Office exams during workshops.
To date, DDC has certified more than 2000 teachers from over 100 school districts all over the U.S.
First Things First
"Before we can expect a teacher to prepare students to pass the Microsoft Office certification exams, the teacher must first be certified," says Jenny Groh, career and technical curriculum supervisor for Augusta County Public Schools in Fisherville, Virginia.
Through DDC, Groh arranged Microsoft Office certification workshops for business education teachers to become certified, so that they could, in turn, prepare students to earn certification.
"Microsoft Office certification workshops through DDC have really opened our teachers' eyes to all that's available within the Office programs," says Groh. "It's easy to get into a routine of doing the same old exercises and sticking with what you already know. Preparing for the certification exams expanded our teachers' knowledge, and now they're taking that knowledge back to the classroom."
Now, all business education teachers in Augusta County Public Schools are certified, with several having earned the highest level of Microsoft Office certification, Master level. Additionally, the school district is well on its way to its ultimate goal of certifying 100 percent of high school business students with this certification.
Business education teachers at School Administrative District #9 in Maine also earn Microsoft Office certification to help students pass certification exams. Regina Voter, a business education teacher at Foster Applied Regional Technical Center in Farmington, Maine, feels that her own certification was the first step to preparing students to achieve certification.
"The DDC workshops helped me target weak areas and learn features of Microsoft Office that I hadn't learned from other textbooks," Voter says. "It was a tremendous help in bringing my skills up to speed and gaining credibility with my students."
The DDC Difference
Years of educational experience give DDC insight into the best methods of helping school districts accomplish training and certification goals.
Kim Mayer, a business education teacher at Arapahoe High School in Littleton, Colorado, credits DDC for helping her achieve four Microsoft Office certifications during two workshops held at her school district.
"What I accomplished in two days during the DDC workshops would have taken me much, much longer to do on my own," she says. "As a teacher, I have so much on my plate that it's nearly impossible to squeeze in time for additional training. The convenience of DDC's workshops was critical to my ability to prepare for and take certification exams. The workshops are very focused, and everything you need to pass the exams-training software, practice exams, instructors-is all in one place and readily available."
Another reason for DDC's success in helping school districts achieve training and certification goals is that most DDC instructors are former educators themselves. For example, as a retired business education teacher for the state of New York, Betty Lou Herter brings over 20 years of teaching experience to her position.
A long-time user of DDC courseware, Herter sums up the DDC difference this way: "DDC Training Services, as well as DDC courseware, is to the point. I chose to use DDC software as a business education teacher because I didn't have to sift through unnecessary material to learn concepts, and neither did my students. The courseware is hands on with step-by-step instructions and lots of exercises that lend to retention. That's the approach we take in our seminars too, and it's proven successful."
Stronger Business Programs
Littleton Public Schools is just one of many school districts nationwide using DDC workshops and Microsoft Office certification to strengthen business education curriculum.
"We integrated Microsoft Office certification into our computer education sequence to bolster the program and add more professionalism," says Mike Ribelin, coordinator for career and technical education at Littleton Public Schools. "Our certified teachers now provide a better computer education to students, and students have the opportunity to certify skills that will help them find higher paying jobs and even receive college credit."
Augusta County Public Schools has also strengthened its business education program and increased enrollment at the same time.
"Since training and certifying our business education teachers, our business programs have grown by 25 percent," says Groh. "We attribute this growth to the fact that teachers are providing more interesting and challenging concepts, and they're more comfortable teaching a wider variety of business software courses than before."
'Real World' Value
School districts find additional value in Microsoft Office certification because of the benefits it brings to teachers and students beyond the classroom setting.
Business Education Teacher Kim Mayer appreciates an outside, industry-recognized certification that "carries weight" not only within the educational community, but also among parents and professionals. For this reason, she feels certification is especially beneficial to students.
"Microsoft Office certification aligns our computer program curriculum with what's being used in the real world, giving students relevant skills and a professional certification recognized outside our high school," says Mayer, adding that "parents are also very supportive of courses and programs like Microsoft Office certification that provide opportunities for their students even after graduation."
Jenny Groh of Augusta County Public School shares similar responses.
"Parents, students, and even the industry advisory committee that helps us determine relevant business curriculum, are pleased that Microsoft Office certification is available to students," says Groh. "It gives students another way to increase their confidence and gain a credential that will help them succeed even after high school."
With responses like these, it's no surprise that DDC plans to take Microsoft Office certification to every school district in the country. "Every teacher and student stands to benefit from the integration of this certification into business education curriculum," says McCabe. "Our goal is to help every school district make these benefits a reality."
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