CAIT PERSPECTIVE
Overview

The College of Advanced Information Technology was founded in 1998 under the name Advanced Institute of Technology by Nellie Volf and Lena Barshak who had a vision for an Advanced Institute of Technology that would train people in computer/information technology with the skills required for the 21st Century in this critical, rapidly expanding and evolving field.  In June 2000, the Advanced Institute of Technology changed its name to the College of Advanced Information Technology to more appropriately denote its mission and status.

CAIT offers outcome-based training that requires students to achieve more than just the successful completion of designated courses, tests, or projects.  CAIT students must demonstrate competencies, what they know or can do, to earn their certification, certificate or diploma.  That means less sit-and-listen and more hands-on.   It means collaboration with their professors and their peers, and more learn-by-doing.  CAIT students acquire competencies by reaching a set of learning goals, meeting performance requirements and achieving outcomes specific to their chosen objective(s).  In so doing, students actively participate in their training through collaborative endeavors that combine intellectual rigor and intensive training.

As we move forward in the 21st Century, the agents of change – technological developments, economic policies, changing social mores, international economic competition, and political decisions will continue to shape the form of future developments.  How well we understand and respond to these challenges and the ensuing quality of life will significantly depend on information technology and computer science.  The focused and dedicated mission of CAIT is to prepare professionals with the training, skills, and practical and educational insights to handle these initiatives and responsibilities.

Instructors at CAIT are outstanding practitioners who practice what they teach.  To meet the needs of its students, CAIT is organized into an instructional delivery system based on the democratic process in which the student is the prime concern.   In the quest for instructional excellence, CAIT has a commitment to increase and strengthen the quality of instruction in the classroom through trying varied teaching models, careful evaluation and feedback.  CAIT’S courses are designed to challenge students not only to acquire knowledge and training, but also to develop the skills of critical analysis, careful reasoning, and creativity.

Instructional Philosophy

Instruction at CAIT is innovative, personalized, collaborative and student-centered.  That means that the primary focus of CAIT is teaching, training and learning; that the structure of CAIT promotes effective learning, and that instructors and staff work with students to create a welcoming environment   an environment in which students, taught by active instructor-practioners, can acquire specific competencies to enable them to pursue a gainful career in the field of information technology.

The instructional focus of CAIT is based on the following core values and principles:

Market Driven:  We are market driven, focusing on the needs of our students and the needs of our student’s future employers.

Experientially Based:  We integrate hands-on learning with a career-focused curriculum, to enable our students to gain real-world experience.

Employment focused:  Our business is developing employment-ready, motivated graduates for world-class employers in industries that require employees with IT training and skills.

Student Centered Education:Courses are designed to enhance the student’s ability to learn.

Collaborative Learning:  Courses are designed to encourage collaboration  among students, among instructors, and between instructors and students.

Active Learning:  Courses are designed so that students can take an active part in the learning process by ongoing interaction with instructors and other students.

Bridging Theory and Practice:  Courses are designed to teach students how to apply what they learn to real-world professional situations in the field of information technology.