Toyota/TRC Partnership Program
JASON Academy On-line Science Courses
Funded
In May 2004, Toyota USA Foundation awarded $300,000 over three years to the University of Texas to support the Regional Collaboratives for Excellence in Science Teaching. Specifically, Toyota funding was used to build leadership capacity and improve science content knowledge and the technology skills of 75 teacher mentors through leadership academies and online instruction. During the summers of 2004 and 2005 classroom teachers from across the state took a total of 150 five-week online courses through the JASON Academy, an innovative approach to professional development for teachers who want to take content-rich continuing education science courses online. Courses offered to these teachers included Introduction to Online Learning, Chemistry through Inquiry, Structure of the Earth, Transfer of Energy, and Teaching Project Based Science. Toyota-TRC JASON Fellows continue to share information about their online learning experiences with their colleagues through presentations at conferences and the TRC mentoring model.
