Goals and Strategy

Our eLearning Goals

• Students will learn to use the Internet as a social network. They already know how to find ideas on the Internet, but they should also know how to find people who will help them implement those ideas and solve problems in their personal and professional lives.
• Students and volunteers will use the Internet to stay in touch with each other, and with Cabrini Connections, even after they have left the program.
• Students, volunteers and staff will use online learning and collaboration tools to connect with people in similar roles at other programs and to grow as leaders.

Why is encouraging technology and Internet use important?

Building Student Skills

• Being able to effectively use technology is an essential skill in today's society. Most of our students do not have the same access to technology that many Americans have, and this puts them at a disadvantage.
• We must find ways to build habits of technology use now so that our students will continue to value and use technology for the rest of their lives.

Finding New Learning Opportunities

• New technologies have transformed the internet into a place of communication and collaboration.
• Encouraging students, volunteers and staff to use these new technologies will allow them to reach out into new networks and find new opportunities. By learning and enriching themselves they will also enrich Cabrini Connections.
• Learning through others is a more effective strategy for innovation than trying to learn from our own experience alone.

Maintaining Long-Term Relationships

• These new technologies will also give volunteers and students a connection back to the organization, and to each other, even after they leave the program.
• By creating an online network of volunteers, students and alumni, we are creating an expanded network of friends and peers who will help students find jobs, get information and advice and provide encouragement throughout the students’ lives.

Cabrini Connections HSBC Computer Learning Center eLearning Strategy

Note: Although these steps are sequential, we are working on many of the steps at the same time.

1. Gather information about current usage and determine reasons for non-use. Also gather information about how similar organizations are using the internet to accomplish similar goals.
2. Encourage informal student computer use and encourage volunteer online communication.
3. Based on student interests and examples from other programs, start technology programs that are both fun and educational. Improve existing programs based on new ideas.
4. Encourage volunteers and students to use technology together during tutoring sessions.
5. Expand the number and frequency of students, volunteers, staff and others who are participating in our online communities.
6. Evaluate program for effectiveness. Benchmark what we do to achieve our mission. Seek constant improvement. Begin the process again.

To implement this strategy and encourage and promote the use of the HSBC - North America Technology Center, Cabrini Connections created a new staff position called the eLearning and Technology Coordinator. For more information on this role, click here.