California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) awards OCED $572,000 for Digital Literacy Classes 

 

 

The Office of Community and Economic Development (OCED) at Fresno State via its initiative, the “San Joaquin Valley Rural Development Center” has received grant funding from the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) in the amount of $572,000.

The two year CPUC funding will help develop a Digital Inclusion Project under OCED’s model program Parent University in low-income rural communities of the San Joaquin Valley, including communities facing socioeconomic barriers to broadband.

OCED’s proposed Digital Inclusion Project will engage parents and community members from rural communities in the San Joaquin Valley in Fresno State’s Parent University program. Fresno State Parent University will offer a Digital Literacy I classes in English and Spanish. The counties of Fresno, Kern, Tulare, Kings, Madera, Merced, Stanislaus and San Joaquin are included in the Digital Inclusion Project.

Since 2013, OCED, via its San Joaquin Valley Rural Development Center, has been providing school districts in rural communities of the San Joaquin Valley the opportunity to engage in the Fresno State Parent University program. School districts and school sites throughout the 8-county region have committed funding to offer their communities the following Fresno State Parent University courses: Digital Literacy I and II, Parenting Skills, Financial Literacy, and English Language Comprehension. Since its inception, Fresno State Parent University has graduated over 5,000 participants.

The Digital Literacy I course is intended to familiarize and teach project participants the fundamentals of: Basic Computer Skills, Typing, Tablet use, Email, Google Apps, Internet, Search Engines, E-Safety/Responsible Digital Citizenship, and Troubleshooting and Repair. In addition, participants will learn how to utilize local school district parent portals, as well as anti-virus and parental control software.

The proposed Fresno State Parent University – Digital Literacy in the San Joaquin Valley project is designed to provide the most essential core competencies in digital literacy. Participants will learn useful career skills that will facilitate the pursuit of their respective career goals. Participants are awarded a certificate of completion (signed by Fresno State President Dr. Joseph I. Castro and local school district Superintendent) when they successfully:

 

• Complete all class work;
• Attend 80% of the 9-week course; and
• Pass the course with 80% on the final exam.

 

Certificates of completion are distributed during Fresno State Parent University graduation ceremonies, held at the end of each 9-week cohort.  For more information about the Fresno State Parent University program please contact Karina Macias at 559-278-0506.