CESDE

CESDE is a large technical college (Institution of Labour and Educaation for Human Development) based in Medellin, Colombia, and founded in 1972. It now (2011) has a student population of 10,000 and offers vocational programmes in 22 areas:

• Business Administration
• International Trade
• Accounting
• Secretarial and Administrative Management
• HR Management
• Marketing
• Customer Service and Telemarketing
• Logistics Distribution Centres
• Multimedia Development
• Digital Graphic Design with specialism in Advertising
• Fashion Design
• Video Editing and Digital Photography Systems
• Computer Maintenance
• Software Development
• Electronics
• Data Networks and Telecommunications
• Hotel Management
• Table & Bar
• 3D Animation
• Mechatronics
• Food

Some of these programmes are offered in association with the Autonomous University of Colombia and the Universidad Salazar y Herrera. Seven degree programmes are offered in association with the University Corporation for Science and Development - UNICIENCIA (which also offers its own virtual vocational programmes, the Latin American University of Science and Technology, and the Universidad Salazar y Herrera.

Towards the end of 2006 the college established VLEs, with the aim of providing training in multiple settings, and initially to provide blended learning in some course modules. In 2009 the college started offering six courses fully online, and this has now expanded to 8 programmes. This has enabled the college to recruit Colombians living in Italy, France and Spain, as well as in remote rural parts of Colombia. This makes CESDE one of the major pioneering institutions of virtual education and training in Colombia.

The eight 100% virtual programmes cursos virtuales are:

• Business Administration
• Marketing
• Hotel Management Systems
• Graphic Design
• 3D Animation
• Data Networks
• Telecommunications
• Software Development