July 19, 2016
(L to R): Bettina “Tina” Fritz, Tina Presley, Liv Heggoy (Laurel Ridge Foundation), and John Milam (Knowledge to Work) during the July 14 interview on The River 95.3 FM about Laurel Ridge’s innovative Knowledge to Work (K2W) and the new HigherEd.org portal.
Laurel Ridge Community College is pleased to announce the launch of its free competency-based education resource portal, http://highered.org. The portal takes the competencies, personalized learning plans, and open educational resources (OER) used in its Knowledge to Work (K2W) program and makes them available to anyone at no cost. Individuals can use the portal and its digital learning resources to document competencies and their progress in new learning.
The portal has been created through a partnership with the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) Foundation, the International Association of Administrative Professionals (IAAP), Microsoft, Concentric Sky, Inc., Amazon Education, and other organizations. Through the portal, individuals can work towards nationally-recognized, occupational credentials. Currently, the portal focuses on career pathways in Health Information Management, Administrative Systems Technology, Networking, Cybersecurity, and Information Systems Technology.
“This portal represents an exciting new way to get information about and attain the competencies needed for specific careers,” said Dr. Cheryl Thompson-Stacy, Laurel Ridge President. “Laurel Ridge is again at the leading edge of educational opportunity.”
While focused on a few industries and occupations for now, Laurel Ridge is seeking funding to expand the portal to other pathways and competency frameworks. If learners want additional support and services, they are encouraged to enroll in one of Laurel Ridge’s direct assessment CBE programs. This gives them access to career coaches and program faculty, help with financial aid, library services, and regionally accredited associate’s degrees and certificates.
The highered.org portal and Knowledge to Work are funded in part by a TAACCCT grant from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration. For more information, visit the program website at: http://knowledgetowork.com.
Organizations and individuals can be a part of the portal in a number of ways, from sharing OER, courses, and other instructional materials to promoting services such as tutoring and internships to opportunities for co-branding, sponsorship, and advertising. For more information on portal participation, contact John H. Milam, Ph.D., Executive Director of Laurel Ridge’s Knowledge to Work TAACCCT grant, at [email protected] and (540) 868-7249.
To listen to the interview, click this link: interview
Founded in 1970, Laurel Ridge Community College is a multi-campus public institution of higher education. With three locations — Middletown, Warrenton, and Luray-Page County — the College serves eight localities in the Shenandoah Valley and northern Piedmont regions. The localities are the counties of Clarke, Fauquier, Frederick, Page, Rappahannock, Shenandoah and Warren and the city of Winchester. Laurel Ridge offers more than 75 associate degree and certificate programs in a wide variety of disciplines. Laurel Ridge also serves the business community by offering workforce preparation programs for employees and employers. Laurel Ridge serves more than 9,000 unduplicated credit students and more than 11,000 individuals in professional development and business and industry courses annually.
Laurel Ridge Community College is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to award associate degrees. Laurel Ridge Community College also may offer credentials such as certificates and diplomas at approved degree levels. Questions about the accreditation of Laurel Ridge Community College may be directed in writing to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, GA 30033-4097, by calling (404) 679-4500, or by using information available on SACSCOC’s website (www.sacscoc.org).
Laurel Ridge Community College is an equal opportunity institution providing educational and employment opportunities, programs, services, and activities. Laurel Ridge shall promote and maintain equal employment and educational opportunities without regard to race, color, religion, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, ethnicity, marital status, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions including lactation, age (except when age is a bona fide occupational qualification), status as a veteran, national origin, or other non-merit factors. Laurel Ridge also prohibits sexual misconduct including sexual violence or harassment. Inquiries may be directed to the Associate Vice President, Human Resources, [email protected], 173 Skirmisher Lane, Middletown, VA 22645, 540-868-7226.
Laurel Ridge Community College was known as Lord Fairfax Community College until June 2022. For consistency purposes, the college will be referenced as Laurel Ridge going forward.