Virtual Learning at Atlanta Technical College

April 20, 2020

As the students of Atlanta Technical College (ATC) continue to adapt to the entirety of an online learning environment, ATC’s dedicated faculty and staff are working around the clock to provide service and to maintain a productive learning environment for all.

In addition to online resources, online courses, and virtual workshops for students, Adult Education, Continuing Education, and the Center for Workforce Innovation have expanded their services to allow for greater flexibility for students.

Adult Education/GED Prep and Virtual Learning

Atlanta Technical College is committed to providing GED® preparatory courses to assist residents of Georgia acquire basic skills in reading, writing, and math computation. The courses are FREE of charge to students who have not completed high school. During the program, students are able to enroll in a career pathway at the College or earn a Technical Certificate of Credit in a high demand occupation in as little as six months.

Adult Education instructors have been intentionally working on Distance Learning to support our students during the current pandemic. Instructors are using a variety of platforms to continue to educate students, including AZTEC, Google Classrooms, Remind, Google Meets, and teleconferencing. The goal is to keep students engaged to ensure they continue to make progress towards their educational goals.  Instructors are available Monday through Friday to support students.

Instructors have experienced success as students are engaged and actively participating in online instruction.  Currently, all students have access to AZTEC, a web-based educational program that allows students to study off-campus and is one of our most successful programs. Also, the Adult Education department is reviewing a new web-based platform (also offered by AZTEC) that provides additional resources to assist students who are preparing for the GED™.

The administrative team is meeting weekly via Microsoft Teams, focusing on getting updates and progress reports about student progress, instructor needs, and strategies to improve our program’s performance during this time.  Our data team is focused on ensuring that our data collection process is in line with the most updated TCSG policy.

So far, all staff has participated in several professional development activities, including Green Zone Training, Distance Education Policy Q and A’s, and Student Support Online Training to better serve our student population. Learn more on our website here.

Center for Workforce Innovation at Atlanta Technical College Offers Expanded Hours

The Center for Workforce Innovation (CWI) is a partnership with the City of Atlanta, the Atlanta Committee for Progress, and our sponsor companies. Through the CWI, we are committed to supporting you throughout your educational journey with real knowledge and real skills so you can achieve real success in your chosen high demand career field.  The CWI inaugural sponsor companies are Delta Air Lines, Georgia Power, Home Depot, Intercontinental Exchange, and Truist (formerly SunTrust).

The CWI is a program based curriculum supported by industry leaders, with on-campus career development coaching.  By providing students with on-work-based internships and apprenticeships, they can find sustainable careers within Atlanta’s leading industries.  Some of the programs offered by the CWI include Skilled Trades (Carpentry, Electrical, Plumbing, HVAC, Welding), IT/Coding (IT Support, Networking, Cloud Technologies), and Aviation (Aviation careers).

As the global coronavirus pandemic, COVID-19, evolves and casts a wide shadow over normal activities, the CWI at Atlanta Technical College (ATC) recognizes that these rapidly-unfolding events have significantly impacted and disrupted the lives of many within our community. Thus, the CWI team has moved swiftly to develop and implement contingency plans aimed at keeping the health and well-being of those we serve at the forefront.

To ensure uninterrupted support, CWI Achievement Facilitators are now available during expanded hours to provide personal development coaching, individualized life and success planning –  to include connecting students to the critical resources needed during these times of uncertainty, and an array of professional skills training workshops. For more information, please go to the CWI section of our website.

Continuing Education Online Courses

Atlanta Technical College’s Continuing Education department, known for courses ranging from personal enrichment to professional development, and certification training, has expanded its online courses in the current pandemic situation, following CDC guidelines for safety and maintaining proper social distancing.  By working with third-party affiliates, the Continuing Education department is working to allow students to continue to develop their skillsets and remain competitive in the workforce.

Information on online skills programs can be found here, and information on career training programs can be found here.

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