Along with Stanford and Purdue University’s IT Infrastructures and Systems, the Cerritos College Kaleidoscope Project received the 2012 Campus Technology Innovators Award from Campus Technology Magazine this summer.

Cerritos College is one of 10 Campus Technology Innovators Award winners chosen out of 354 nominations from various higher education institutions worldwide.

The Kaleidoscope Project was first recognized at the 2012 Campus Technology Conference in Boston and was featured in the July print and online edition of Campus Technology Magazine.

Also participating in the project is Chadron State College, Santa Ana College, College of the Redwoods, Santiago Canyon College, Palo Verde College, Mercy College and Tompkins Cortland Community College.

All eight colleges collectively helps over 100,000 students annually, 69 percent of which are at risk of dropping out.

According to the Cerritos College website, the Kaleidoscope Project was established in order to create a comprehensive set of general course designs that use open educational resources ubiquitously with the specific focus on improving the success of at-risk students.

The Kaleidoscope project was first launched in the 2011-2012 school year with the goal of increasing the number of students who complete degrees while reducing the cost of textbooks, instruction and other materials.

Under the project, 10 general education courses in English, reading, math, biology, chemistry, business and psychology are being offered to students.

According to the College Board Advocacy and Policy Center, the costs for textbooks at a public university averages about $1,168 annually.

Students who enroll in the Kaleidoscope Project courses can access textbooks, a syllabus, study guides and other reading materials from any computer for free.

“Students participating in Kaleidoscope courses have seen a 97 percent reduction in textbook expenses,” said M.L. Bettino, leader of the Kaleidoscope project.

According to a February 2011 article titled “Pathways to Prosperity: Meeting the Challenge of Preparing Young Adults for the 21st Century” published by Harvard Graduate School of Education, students drop out of high school and college for many reasons, one of which is financial pressures.

The Kaleidoscope Program is a step forward in helping students save money which in turn, will help them stay in school and continue to further their education.

According to the Cerritos College website, the project has also resulted with a significant improvement in the student success rate.

Students are not the only ones who benefit from the Kaleidoscope Project. It also benefits the faculty since it gives them full control of the open content platform, allowing them to modify and improve course materials based on the learning results yielded.

The Kaleidoscope Project has caused other nations to become intrigued.

The project committee has been contacted by representatives of the nation of Qatar and was asked to share their expertise on the Kaleidoscope Project.

According to Aya Abelon, Cerritos College Media Relations coordinator, more than 9,000 students participated in the Kaleidoscope Project last year.

The project is expected to continue in the fall.