Colorado State Professor Receives International Information Technology Training Project of the Year Award

Colorado State University’s College of Business was named a Silver Award winner for the International IT Training Project of the Year by the Institute of Information Technology Training for its e-learning Business Computing Concepts and Applications course offered by the Department of Computer Information Systems. The award was received jointly by the university and the course’s software vendor, Electric Paper of Dublin, Ireland.

The Institute annually recognizes enterprises and individuals who have made the greatest contribution to the improvement of standards and performance in the field of information technology training during the previous year. Judges chose winners based upon how an organization had undertaken a major international training project that was innovative in concept and had demonstrated performance improvement.

Gene Lewis, assistant professor of computer information systems at Colorado State, designed the e-learning business computing concepts and applications course to address rapidly changing technology and the wide range of skills required of users.

The course uses on-screen interactive multimedia learning and assessment software as the primary delivery tools. It was nominated for the IITT award because of its flexible learning style and cost-effective implementation. The course covers basic IT concepts, personal computers and file management, word processing, spreadsheets, database management, presentation graphics, Internet and e-mail. Colorado State offers the course through the Division of Educational Outreach through resident instruction and an online program. Lewis has also encouraged partnership with Ferguson High School in Loveland, where the online curriculum is being implemented.

Over 1,300 students take the course annually through resident instruction, and Colorado State also offers the program through the Division of Educational Outreach as an evening class and an online program. Lewis has also sponsored a college outreach project with Ferguson High School in Loveland, where the e-learning curriculum is being implemented.

Colorado State’s interactive learning model has been presented at 10 national and international education technology conferences and has been cited in several articles on e-learning in the classroom.

For more information contact Lewis at (970) 491-5468, glewis@lamar.colostate.edu, or visit the Institute of IT Training Web site at www.iitt.org.uk.