IMPACT GEORGIA MAGAZINE
GDC Forges NEW PATHWAYS to Instruction
Offenders Offered Education through Distance Learning
As the COVID-19 pandemic began , educational classes were placed on hold , and teachers immediately began searching for creative ways to offer students effective and interactive instructional opportunities . After much research , education staff was confident that the most efficient way to provide instruction to students was by utilizing distance learning .
As distance learning can be costly , the GDC academic education team applied for the UDA ’ s Rural United States Distance Learning and Telemedicine ( RUS-DLT ) grant and the Department of Education CARES Act Distance Learning grant ( CARES act ). Sixteen state facilities and State Offices South at Tift College were awarded $ 376,000 through the RUS-DLT grant , and $ 119,000 was awarded to all other state facilities . The facilities will use the grant money to purchase computers , webcams , microphones , large screens , and mobile carts to assist in distance learning .
The GED educational leadership team quickly put together a group of distance learning ambassadors to assist in providing distance learning at all GDC facilities . These ambassadors became known as the Helping Offenders Prepare through Education ( H . O . P . E .) Leaders for their dedication and support to provide offenders multiple pathways to assist in their learning . Through the grants , GDC will create a database of instructional materials to assist students in their educational studies . By utilizing distance learning , the students are provided with content-specific instruction regardless where they are located in the state .
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