CPRF Youth Class Goes Virtual

The CPRF School of Adaptive Computer Training (SACT) has joined virtual learning initiatives across the state during this quarantine period.

The SACT Business Fundamentals for Youth (BFY) program is a collaborative effort between CPRF and the Wichita and Haysville Public School Districts. The program is designed to equip high school juniors and seniors with disabilities the skills in technology and customer service they need as they transition into the workforce and post-secondary education. In the BFY program, students can earn certifications in Microsoft Word and Excel, learn job-marketable skills, and earn high school credit toward graduation.

Though Wichita Public School students traditionally attend class in person at CPRF, remote learning is familiar territory for SACT staff: Haysville students have always attended remotely on another school campus through teleconference software. This established remote learning experience helped SACT staff more easily shift to a purely web-based curriculum, which officially started in mid-April. Students can work alongside the instructor, participate in real time, and complete assignments from home. The online platform has also created an added benefit for students: the ability to interact with peers during a time of isolation.

“This remote class provides structure in our students’ days,” said Robert Shurden, SACT director. “It provides positive social interactions with their teacher and their fellow students while they’re learning additional computer skills and earning credentials.”

Wichita and Haysville Public Schools graciously worked with students to ensure they have the technology they need in order to participate in the class by loaning computers equipped with Microsoft software to those who needed access. Currently, 13 students are enrolled in this spring semester. The online learning classes are going so well, in fact, that SACT leadership is considering the possibility of future virtual expansion.

“Moving forward, we are looking at modifying our technology in our satellite classrooms to be incorporated into the platform we are currently using,” said Shurden. “It creates an opportunity for us to expand our virtual classroom more economically into new areas.”

This online learning initiative was made possible through efforts by Special Education directors and transitional support staff from Wichita and Haysville Public Schools, along with CPRF’s IT Department and SACT staff.