The Elsevier DirectPaths/College of Direct Support (CDS) team encourages you to consider the forthcoming changes in managed care as examined in the NCD report. Our developers strive to keep our curricula growing to meet new standards and quality set by CMS. CDS online courses are evidence-and competency-based curricula whose training meets and exceeds traditional compliance. Our developing curricula and skills-based learning tools help managed care provide a high-quality workforce efficiently.

For more information on the CDS curriculum, including class descriptions, please visit: http://directcourseonline.com/directsupport/

To read the CMS Managed Care NCD Recommendations report: http://www.ncd.gov/publications/2012/CMSFebruary272012/

Facebook and Twitter are rapidly becoming the standard for immediate access to information in any field. With Facebook, users are able to share almost limitless information with their community through text, graphics, video, and audio links. Twitter users spread news and updates more rapidly, but with less detail and fewer options. Each social media site addresses different needs from varying customers and technologies.

Both the CDS and CES social media sites will be updated regularly. Keep abreast of the most recent developments with the markets that DirectCourse serves, as experts will post relevant and timely reports, articles, and other sources of information from around the world.  Curricula changes, course updates, and new products and services will also be featured as soon as they’re available.

You can follow CDS and CES simply by liking our Facebook page and/or joining us on Twitter at the links below. If you don’t have a social media account, both Facebook and Twitter will guide you effortlessly through the process at the same links.

College of Direct Support  (CDS)

https://www.facebook.com/DirectCourseCDS

https://twitter.com/#!/directcoursecds

College of Employment
Services (CES)

https://www.facebook.com/DirectCourseCES

https://twitter.com/#!/directcourseces

A decade ago the College of Direct Support (CDS) online curriculum was a vision fast becoming reality. Its founder Bill Tapp, DirectCourse Vice President, was working with MC Strategies and the University of Minnesota’s Research and Training Center (RTC) on Community Living to develop an online curriculum to train a workforce of Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) to support people with developmental disabilities living in community settings.

Today, 10 years later, that vision has morphed from original 12 core courses to 35 today, training approximately 1.5 million learners across the country. From its first statewide contract with Pennsylvania in 2004, CDS now has 12 statewide contracts and is being used in 30 states. It’s been a whirlwind ride….and the whirlwind is still evolving.

The CDS curriculum, recognized as the Gold Standard in online training in the developmental disabilities field has evolved and is a part of the expanding DirectCourse overbrand that consists of three additional online curricula housed under the Elsevier brand … DirectCourse.

• College of Employment Services (CES), with the Institute for Community Inclusion (ICI) at the University of Massachusetts Boston
• College of Personal Assistance & Caregiving – developed in partnership with the University of California, San Francisco.
• A yet-to-be-named online curriculum in the field of behavioral health and wellness being developed with Temple University.

The College of Personal Assistance & Caregiving curriculum will launch spring 2012, followed by the behavioral health curriculum in 2013. The DirectCourse curricula are developed with input from the National Advisory Board and National Board of Editors. Also, the University of Minnesota works with each partner to ensure the continuity of the product.

“As we all know, the perfect storm is upon us. We are in a huge state of transformation in our systems and the DirectCourse curricula are here to meet the expanding needs of community-based supports. From the ‘graying’ of America in all sectors and the Baby Boomers coming of age, so to speak, we are becoming increasingly aware of the inadequacy of our provider systems to support the growing populations that will need support workers to live in community as long as possible,” Tapp explained. “At some point in our lives we’ll all have a disability of some kind and will need a caregiver or support person. Based on the acceptance and use of the CDS, our development team of Elsevier and the University of Minnesota’s RTC began to explore how best to meet the ever-growing workforce challenges.”

Research told the team that its focus should be in three new areas — Employment Services, Personal Assistance & Caregiving, and Behavioral Health & Well Being.  “Our team envisioned that each of the new curriculums would be developed and modeled after CDS with National Advisory Boards, be supported by a National Board of Editors and meet the same academic rigor as the CDS,” Tapp explained. “These would be developed by America’s Centers of Excellence in each of these domains.”

This is an evolution of major proportions based on a vision to improve the lives of those with disabilities living in community settings, of the elderly who need caregivers and supporting those with behavioral health and wellness problems.

The DirectCourse curricula encompasses something else that makes it truly unique – each curriculum is powered and managed to our clients on Elsevier’s Performance Manager (EPM): Core Development  learning management system.

“Since you are reading Connections, I would assume that your life/work may deal with supporting people with disabilities in community settings.  Since we began our College of Direct Support journey10 years ago, we have seen many changes in technology,” Tapp said. “The CDS was initially going to be housed on CD ROMs. When we began, web-based, internet-supported learning was in its infancy.  Our development team decided to skip the CD ROM and step out of the box and support the learning as a web-based tool.”

The CDS was initiated with the support of the Administration on Disabilities/U.S. Department of Health & Human Services as a Project of National Significance. Tapp explains that the commitment to the Administration was that the CDS would: 1. Never be finished …that we would continue to grow the learning tool; 2.It would never be the work of one author; 3. Would never be in print form but would be updated to serve as “best contemporary” practice; 4. Would be web based so additions and corrections could be timely; 5. We would work to encourage connecting the support network (families, respite providers, board members, supervisors etc.) in a common language and vision by connecting them to CDS.

Tapp has on his desk a quote from the late Apple founder Steve Jobs that he likes to share.  Jobs said: “You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you only connect them looking backwards.  So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect your future.”

“To grow critical community-based lifespan workforces, we must change the way we approach our work.  We have all that we need to move forward if we just begin,” Tapp said. “The funding, ever growing needs and the need for evidence-based learning coupled with skills demonstration dictate that new tools be used to meet the growing expectations of those you are privileged to serve.”

Learn more about DirectCourse at our website at www.directcourseonline.com.

Most important, the website houses compelling content centered on the curricula within the DirectCourse overbrand, College of Direct Support developed by the University of Minnesota’s Research and Training Center on Community Living and College of Employment Services developed by the Institute for Community Inclusion at the University of Boston Massachusetts. As well, as the learning management system that powers the curricula – Elsevier Performance Manager: Core Development.

Evolving from the rich history of the College of Direct Support curriculum, the new DirectCourse brand introduces a growing set of online curricula for professionals who support people with intellectual,  evelopmental and physical disabilities, as well as older adults. In-depth research and interviews amongst curricula developers, clients and employees was conducted to capture the appearance and meaning of the brand.  A circular seal with inner arrow embodies the brand’s mission to educate, enrich and inspire professionals who provide guidance and direction to individuals. Most important, the new branding consists of a defining tagline “Online Curricula for Life in Community” providing professionals with online courses in a growing number of disciplines to help every person they serve live more fulfilling lives within our communities.

The new DirectCourse brand initiated from in-depth research and stakeholder interviews amongst curricula developers, clients and employees and evolved to pay a nod to the past while introducing a growing set of online curricula for professionals who support people with intellectual, developmental and physical disabilities, as well as older adults. The brand continues to incorporate a collegiate feel, similar to the flagship College of Direct Support curriculum’s former branding, with a seal that embodies DirectCourse’s mission to educate, enrich and inspire and arrow representing guidance and direction. Most important, the new branding consists of a defining tagline “Online Curricula for Life in Community” providing  professionals (and individuals) with online courses in a growing number of disciplines to help every person they serve live more fulfilling lives within our communities.

Brew in holiday cheer with DirectCourse by browsing the new website and branding today. Between now and January 1, 2012, the first 10 Connections eNewsletter subscribers to submit an email (mailto:directcourse@elsevier.com)  with the subject line Brew in the Holidays with DirectCourse  enclosing the correct answers to the following questions will qualify to win a $10 Starbucks gift card:

• What is the length of time (in minutes and seconds) of the College of Employment Services marketing video?
• List the current number and names of College of Direct Support Resources available?
• What’s the DirectCourse tagline?

The first 10 eligible winners will be announced in the January/February 2012 issue of the Connections eNewsletter.

Elsevier, a world-leading provider of scientific, technical and medical information products and services, today introduced DirectCourse, an expanded suite of online curricula to train professionals who support people with intellectual, developmental and physical disabilities, as well as older adults. DirectCourse is anchored by the College of Direct Support (CDS), an online curriculum for Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) and managed in collaboration with Elsevier/MC Strategies and the University of Minnesota’s Research and Training Center on Community Living. In addition, DirectCourse contains the College of Employment Services (CES), a new online training curriculum developed by the Institute for Community Inclusion (ICI) at University of Massachusetts Boston.

Both the new College of Employment Services and College of Direct Support curricula are powered by the Core Development configuration of Elsevier Performance Manager, a learning management platform that is used and trusted by more than 1,500 organizations worldwide and used by more than 1.5 million employees. The Elsevier Performance Manager is a powerful tracking and assessment tool that facilitates collaboration and communication throughout an organization.

“Building on the continued success of the College of Direct Support curriculum, we are committed to meeting the educational needs of a growing number of community-based workers in a cost-effective and efficient way,” said John Schrefer, President of Elsevier/MC Strategies. “DirectCourse brings together the robust functionality of our Elsevier Performance Manager learning and performance solution with best in class curricula developed by the recognized thought leaders in the field.”

For more than 10 years, the College of Direct Support online curriculum has been built on the idea that everyone deserves the chance to lead a rich, rewarding life. While it’s not a traditional, degree-issuing institution, CDS has had a tremendous impact on the DSPs who have taken the coursework – and has enabled them to make a difference in the lives of the people they support.

The College of Employment Services (CES) was unveiled during the Alliance for Full Participation (AFP) Summit 2.0. The CES curriculum gives employment services professionals the skills and confidence they need to build more rewarding careers in working with job seekers to find fulfilling jobs.

“The CES curriculum is written for a cross disability audience and its usefulness extends to those who provide services and supports to other individuals with employment challenges such as ex-offenders, TANF recipients, and staff of One-Stop Centers; and our unique partnership with the University of Minnesota and Elsevier immediately gives us a brand, a history, and a reputation for quality,” said Karen Flippo of ICI at University of Massachusetts Boston, who is leading the university’s curriculum development efforts.

About Elsevier

Elsevier is a world-leading provider of scientific, technical and medical information products and services. The company works in partnership with the global science and health communities to publish more than 2,000 journals, including The Lancet and Cell, and close to 20,000 book titles, including major reference works from Mosby and Saunders. Elsevier’s online solutions include SciVerse ScienceDirect, SciVerse Scopus, Reaxys, MD Consult and Nursing Consult, which enhance the productivity of science and health professionals, and the SciVal
suite and MEDai’s Pinpoint Review, which help research and health care institutions deliver better outcomes more cost-effectively. A global business headquartered in Amsterdam, Elsevier employs 7,000 people worldwide. The company is part of Reed Elsevier Group PLC, a world-leading publisher and information provider, which is jointly owned by Reed Elsevier PLC and Reed Elsevier NV. The ticker symbols are REN (Euronext Amsterdam), REL (London Stock Exchange), RUK and ENL (New York Stock Exchange).

Media contact: Tom Reller
Vice President Global Corporate Relations, Elsevier
+1-215 239 3508
t.reller@elsevier.com

Read the rest of this Partner Profile (pdf)

“The CES curriculum is written for a cross disability audience and its usefulness extends to those who provide services and supports to other individuals with employment challenges such as ex-offenders, TANF recipients, and staff of One-Stop Centers; and our unique partnership with the University of Minnesota and Elsevier immediately gives us a brand, a history, and a reputation for quality,” said Karen Flippo of the University of Massachusetts Boston ICI, who is leading the university’s curriculum development efforts.

The CES curriculum, a companion curriculum to the Elsevier/College of Direct Support (CDS), gives employment services professionals the skills and confidence they need to build more rewarding careers in working with job seekers to find fulfilling jobs. The CES curriculum will focus on a group of core topics and the initial lineup of courses will be announced AFP.

Both the new College of Employment Services and College of Direct Support curricula are powered by the Elsevier Performance Manager: Core Development platform that is used and trusted by more than 1,500 organizations worldwide and used by more than 1.5 million employees. The Elsevier Performance Manager offers powerful tracking and assessment tools that will facilitate collaboration and communication throughout your organization.

DirectCourse will have a major presence at AFP and you are invited to stop by and visit our booth! You will be able to visit with and talk with representatives from Elsevier and ICI about the new College of Employment Services curriculum. Representatives from the University of Minnesota’s Research and Training Center on Community Living, the creators of the College of Direct Support curriculum, will also be at AFP to share updates about the leading online curriculum for educating a workforce of professionals who support individuals with disabilities.

For more than 40 years, the ICI at UMass Boston has worked to ensure that people with disabilities have the same opportunity to dream big, and make their dreams a fully included, integrated, and welcomed reality. As a leader not only in Massachusetts, but also nationally and internationally, ICI strives to create a world where all people with disabilities are welcome and fully included in valued roles wherever they go, whether a school, workplace, service experience, home, or any other part of the community.

ICI was established in 1967 at Children’s Hospital Boston by Dr. Allen Crocker and was originally known as the Developmental Evaluation Center. The Center was one of the first in the country, established as a direct result of President Kennedy’s recognition of the national need for increased support and training for citizens with intellectual disabilities. Through the years ICI has expanded its scope, and today ICI’s services focus on the entire lifespan of people with all types of disabilities.

“For over 40 years, our focus has been to figure out ways people with disabilities can participate in everyday activities and all aspects of the community,” explains Bill Kiernan, director of ICI. “There is still the perception out there that people with disabilities cannot work, cannot move on to higher education, and in general are limited in their activities. The ICI is committed to disproving these perceptions.”

ICI, now based at the University of Massachusetts Boston and Children’s Hospital Boston, helps change that reality with a wide range of initiatives including: training, research, evaluation, technical assistance, community outreach, and clinical and employment services.

Read the rest of this Partner Profile (pdf)

Read the rest of this Partner Profile (pdf)

Read the rest of this Partner Profile (pdf)