College of Direct Support

Courses

The College of Direct Support has more than 145 hours of training available for learners that was developed by the University of Minnesota’s Research and Training Center on Community Living.

People and organizations can customize learning plans based on their unique needs and preferences with support from experienced learning administrators from the Department of Human Services, the University of Minnesota and Elsevier DirectCourse staff.

A full list of courses offered by the College of Direct Support can be found in the eCatalog.

Topics of interest include:

• Civil rights and advocacy
• Community inclusion
• Direct support professionalism
• Employment supports for people with disabilities
• Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)
• Hiring great direct support professionals
• Individual rights and choice
• Person-centered planning
• Positive behavior support
• Understanding transitions across the life span

College of Frontline Supervision and Management (curriculum within College of Direct Support):

• Developing an intervention plan
• Fueling high performance
• Preparing for the supervisor’s job in human services
• Recruitment and selection
• Training and orientation
• Your first few weeks and months as a supervisor

Free and low-cost options

Organizations may set up learner and administrator accounts for a licensing fee based on the number of learners they have:

• Fewer than 60 learners: $545 per year
• 60 to 119 learners: $1,060 per year
• 120 to 199 learners: $2,130 per year
• 200 learners or more: $3,220 per year.

The following people may set up their own account for free:

• Organizations that serve nine or fewer people with disabilities
• People with disabilities and their families
• Direct support professionals and caregivers
• Professionals who serve people with disabilities
• State, county and tribal nation employees.

For their annual licensing fees, organizations receive:

• On-demand support directly from DirectCourse staff
• Administrative permissions that allow them to:
  • Customize learning plans for their staffs
  • Create and assign training modules
  • Document individual training competencies
  • Generate organizational training reports
  • Access many additional functions of the learning management system.

For more information about how your organization can use DirectCourse, please submit a DirectCourse request form or e-mail Minnesota’s DirectCourse learning administrator to receive tailored information for your organization.

Contact

Fill out a DirectCourse request form. A learning administrator will contact you with your new learner account or organizational information within a few days. 

You may also e-mail the learning administrator at the Department of Human Services for support or more information.