DOTHAN — High school students across Alabama will be able to take Korean language classes starting this fall through video conferencing technology thanks to Troy University’s ACCESS Support Center.

The free classes will be taught by Dr. JeeHae Lee, an assistant professor in the College of Education at the Dothan campus. Lee will teach live from the Dothan campus each weekday from 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m., while students around the state tune in via VCI (video conferencing interactive technology).

VCI courses are taught by a teacher in a specially equipped classroom consisting of a camera, television screens, sound equipment and an interactive “smart board.” High school students sitting in their own high-tech classrooms around the state can interact with that teacher, just as they would in a conventional classroom setting.

The Korean classes are being offered in response to the growing demand for bilingual workers in the state’s workforce, particularly among automobile manufacturers and suppliers, said Reba Davis, director of the TROY ACCESS Support Center.

“As the increasingly global economy brings more employees to our area who claim English as a second language, the demand for bilingual employees has grown as well – particularly for those fluent in Korean,” Davis said.

Troy University is the only one of the state’s three ACCESS support centers offering Korean classes. Currently Alabama students may take Spanish, French, German, Latin, and Mandarin Chinese online and through VCI with ACCESS.

For more information about the course, or to register for classes, call the TROY ACCESS Support Center at (334) 670-5878.