NEMCC Designated An ‘Apple Distinguished School’

BOONEVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) – Instructors at Northeast Mississippi Community College not only teach students using iPads, but they also spend time in the classroom learning about the latest innovations.

Several years ago, NEMCC began the “One Northeast” initiative. Under that program, each student gets an iPad and many faculty have dropped traditional textbooks and have created their own textbooks, which students can access on those devices.

It has helped save students six million dollars in text book costs.

“We’ve also seen student success and the number of As, Bs and Cs in class increase significantly over the last four years,” said Dr Michelle Baragona, Vice President of Instruction.

“As an English instructor we use the iPad in almost everything we do, they are not typing their essays on the iPad, we use apps to write, and edit our papers,” said Morgan Tucker, English Instructor at NEMCC.

That success and use of technology was highlighted during a celebration, announcing NEMCC’s designation as an “Apple Distinguished School.”

Saving students money on textbooks and improving academic success rates are all important. But administrators say one of the biggest advantages with the emphasis on technology inside and outside of the classroom, is that it better prepares students for the workforce in 2020 and beyond.

“At the end of the day our students must be able to function in a global society and a global economy and that’s our job as an institution of higher learning to make sure they’re able to do that,” said Dr. Ricky Ford, president of Northeast Mississippi Community College.

NEMCC is one of only eight Apple Distinguished Schools in the world this year and the only college Mississippi.

Heritage academy was named an Apple distinguished school at the high school level last year

NEMCC was invited by Apple to apply for the Distinguished School Award.