AMES, Iowa — Students now can attend Family Development Certification Training when and where it works best for them.  The first completely online version of the course will be offered Feb. 8 through May 28.

“The demand for online education, especially for continuing education for practitioners is increasing,” said Kimberly Greder, an associate professor at Iowa State University and ISU Extension family life state specialist.

The face-to-face version of the training involves eight days of training, scheduled from 8.30 a.m. to 4.30 p.m. each day. Yet, the online training includes the same content and assignments as the face-to-face training, but is set up so participants can work through the modules as it works best for them.

“Participants are expected to log into the training Web site every day or every other day to respond to postings by other participants and work through the content,” said Greder. She stressed that discussions are an important way that course participants can learn from each other.

In addition to the advantage of convenience, there also are cost savings for online course participants. Students will not have to spend money on travel or for food and overnight expenses that arise with the face-to-face training.

“We have offered other courses, such as Partnering with Parents, in the past,” said Greder. Course participants were overwhelmingly positive with the reviews from other online trainings.

Family Development Certification Training focuses on core competencies identified for family support workers, including strengthening knowledge and skills in assisting families to move toward self-sufficiency and healthy interdependence; cultural competencies; and working with families who experience special challenges. To register for the online version of Family Development Certification Training, go to http://www.ucs.iastate.edu/mnet/fdct/home.html

-30-