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| Illustration: Jens Bonnke / Getty Images |
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Distance Learning
A new Distance Learning project, using the Internet, is benefiting thousands of Hispanic students and adults in cities from California to Puerto Rico. The Virtual Plaza, founded
in 1999, is the first bilingual portal in English and Spanish to provide
access to university programs and courses online from educational institutions
affiliated with the Hispanic Educational Telecommunications System (HETS). Dr. Nitza Hernández,
Executive Director of HETS, says that the primary goal of the project
is to build a virtual community of students, professors, and mentors
who would foster inter-institutional collaboration and support via the
Internet. She says that the Virtual Plaza will offer a variety of courses
and training modules online that have been developed by professors from
the member institutions. Students will also have access to electronic
libraries and other information resources and participate in forums
and chats. HETS guarantees access
and participation for any student or adult learner that registers in
The
Virtual Plaza. According to HETS projections, over the next five
years The Plaza will have 100,000 visitors enrolled in online courses
and communicating with professors, mentors, and/or students.
Among the most important
components of this initiative is the Online Mentors Program, which allows
mentors to share their work experiences with students, offering them
the type of encouragement and support that are not always found at home
or on the university campus. "This program offers
an excellent opportunity for retired Hispanics, and others who are still
hard at work, to share their professional experiences and the fruits
of their careers with thousands of Hispanic students who will thus get
to know the real world of the workplace. This knowledge will help motivate
our students to continue their university studies and obtain their degrees,"
said Dr. Hernández. The Virtual Plaza Project
is financed, in part, by a grant from the U.S. Department of Education,
through its Learning Anytime Anywhere Partnership, and with funds provided
by HETS member institutions. |
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