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LCSC's Web Development Program earns state honor
Lewis-Clark State College's Web Development Program has been selected as the Exemplary Program of the Year among Idaho's Technical Colleges by the Idaho State Division of Professional-Technical Education.
The Web Development Program at LCSC has been in existence for 10 years and is currently under the direction of professors Jason Blazzard and Rhonda Combs.
"Our contemporary curriculum is continuously updated with the advice of an active advisory committee," says Blazzard.
The Web Development program was developed in 2000 because of the pervasive, emerging technology that didn't exist in the previous years. Since 2007, the program has offered an online degree option.
Combs says the nature of LCSC's online A.A.S. degree program fits the needs of students and provides the flexibility needed by students. The program also meets the needs of students who want/need one-on-one help by providing opportunities for students to meet with the instructors in a flexible lab setting where students may receive hands-on help from the instructors.
The program provides service learning projects such as lcscauction.com, student housing, lewistonpie.com, distance learning, faculty sites, learning management systems, student government, online grants, and online survey systems.
"We are never short of service learning opportunities for the students," Combs says. "Our program has a very good reputation for providing web site design and development for a host of needs across the state.
"The curriculum is in a constant state of flux. This field does not lend itself to static curriculum. Jason and I take advantage of learning opportunities that include online training and attending technical conferences to enable students to receive the necessary skills to be successful in fulfilling today's job market requests."
The Web Development program has cooperatively developed a 2 + 2 arrangement with LCSC's Computer Science Program. Essentially, the students can complete a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science with an Associates of Applied Science in Web Development.
Combs says because the Web Development Program at North Idaho College no longer exists, the LCSC faculty work with their students and staff to provide classes in that area. LCSC's presence in Coeur d'Alene has helped five students complete Bachelor's of Applied Science in Applied Technology (BASAT) degrees with an emphasis in Web Development.
In the past few years, the faculty has worked closely with the faculty in the Web Developer degree program at the College of Southern Idaho on curriculum.
The program provides students with live server space where they can develop a portfolio from their first day in the program. This space is then kept after graduation for a few years as they continue to use it as a portfolio and/or testing site for projects they are developing.
Private industry provides numerous co-op opportunities for the students. Co-ops provide students with the opportunity to work for a client, meet deadlines, demands, and challenges brought forth by someone in the public sector. This presents real world experience for students.
For more information on LCSC's Web Development Program, contact either Blazzard at (208) 792-2364 or Combs at (208) 792-2315.
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