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Continuing Education Shares Honors in Caltrans Director's Innovation Award
- Allison L. Shaw is a Sacramento-based freelance writer First printed in the CSUS Bulletin February 2004
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(left to right)
- Jeff Morales, Caltrans' Director
- Carl Haack, Caltrans' Division Chief for Project Management - Sponsor
- Terry Murphy, Caltrans' Office Chief for Capital Project Skill Development - Program Manager
- LeAnn Fong-Batkin, formerly of the CSUS College of Continuing Education
- Jim Monroe, Caltrans' Project Management Course Manager - Online Learning Expert
- Jenni Helfrich, Senior Program Manager, CSUS College of Continuing Education
- Debbie Mullins, Caltrans' Contract and Administrative Manager
- Amir Taba, Caltrans' Project Management Course Manager - Curriculum and Course Development
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In winning the Director's Innovation Award in August 2003, the Caltrans Division of Project Management shares its honor with the CSUS College of Continuing Education.
The award, presented in January 2004, was given to the Online Project Management Training Project, the first of its kind for Caltrans.
When the Division of Project Management faced the challenge of delivering a variety of project management courses to a large number of staff dispersed across the state, it turned to the College of Continuing Education for assistance in developing a blended delivery model.
"We were excited about the opportunity to work with an organization like Caltrans because their work impacts California's economy as well as the daily lives of so many Californians. We were able to work as true partners throughout the entire process which enabled innovative, yet cost effective results. I really admire the leadership within Caltrans for their commitment to provide tools and training which will better their employees and their organizational effectiveness," says Jenni Helfrich, a senior program manager for Continuing Education.
Helfrich's team was instrumental in elevating the Division to its current standing with 10 courses delivered online, including seven of the nine core courses in the new Caltrans Project Management Certificate Program offered through the College of Continuing Education.
"The benefits of these courses include a lower overall cost to the division, consistency of training provided, and convenience for all involved in the training," says Terry Murphy, the manager of Caltrans Project Management training statewide. "The consistency and convenience are readily apparent, and more importantly, so is the benefit of a more knowledgeable and skilled staff that are better able to deliver capital projects that improve mobility across California."
In comparing the online delivery cost to traditional classroom costs, Murphy estimates that the online delivery was 156% cheaper, saving the department $950,000 within the first two years.
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