An international outreach model for preparing early interventionists and early childhood special educators

Telecommunications technologies have been used to prepare personnel in early intervention and early childhood special education at the local, state, regional, and even national levels. These distance education programs use technology-mediated instruction to offer initial certification training and staff development activities to prospective and practicing teachers and therapists. With the wider availability of the Internet and the multimedia capabilities of the World Wide Web, Web-based models are beginning to emerge as a mechanism for providing preservice and inservice programs across the country and around the world. The graduate certification and degree program in early intervention and early childhood special education at West Virginia University has incorporated Web components into its existing distance education model, which have enabled Americans living abroad and other individuals working in international areas to enroll in and complete the program. This article describes how the program conducts courses and practicum experiences, reports initial program evaluation data, and discusses implications of the international program and issues for the field.