Congratulations to the ECC Special Resource Center's Educational Development Program for the recent "Exemplary Program Award" honorable mention from the State Academic Senate. The California Community Colleges Board of Governors recognized ECC's outstanding program earlier this year.

The ECC Educational Development Program provides comprehensive services for the college's Disabled Students Programs and Services (DSPS) students. The department's 15 courses include academic support for students concurrently enrolled in English, math and computer literacy; courses focused on the soft skills necessary for success, such as time-management and self-regulation; curriculum to enhance self-awareness of strengths and weaknesses related to academics and technology; and courses in American Sign Language provided for students with hearing impairments. Remarkably, the modest-sized department manages to offer multiple sections of nearly all the 15 courses each semester.

Students enrolled in the courses have access to a variety of support services available through the Special Resource Center (SRC). The SRC houses the High-Tech Center and Alternate Media Services in which Educational Development computer literacy faculty interface and collaborate with seasoned staff to support students as they use the services. The result is high-quality instruction via assistive hardware and software technology, all of which facilitates educational access. This "combination and collaboration" makes for a very welcoming, supportive environment for Educational Development students.

The annual Exemplary Program Award is sponsored by the Foundation for California Community Colleges. Award nominees must show the overall success of their program; a contribution to faculty engagement; demonstrate a response to the needs of students, faculty and the college; collaborate with other programs on campus or within the community; provide evidence that demonstrates how the program supports the community college mission; and can be used as models for other community colleges.

This award was established in 1991, and the first recipient was El Camino College's Project Success. El Camino College was honored with the award again during the 2009-10 academic year, recognizing the First Year Experience program.

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