Jessica Dick doesn't look like a global pioneer, tucked into a quiet corner of the Romulus High School library studying alone on a computer.

But the 16-year-old is one of a growing number of students in Michigan and across the nation eLearning Mandarin Chinese, a language that's becoming more popular as China's global influence increases.

The country has one of the world's largest economies, and some argue that Michigan -- with its sagging automobile industry -- needs to do more in the classroom to partner with and profit from the emerging powerhouse.

Much of that push in the state is coming from one place: the United States-China Center for Research on Educational Excellence at Michigan State University.

This fall, the 2-year-old center will launch eLearning language classes statewide and open three preschools in Michigan that combine Chinese and American teaching methods. They will also take local educators to the country to observe classrooms.

"Chinese is a language that is rising up in the world, and it will soon be a part of our business language," said Dick, who uses one of the center's video games to practice pronunciation and learn about Chinese culture.

"This is almost like taking an adventure into the unknown. It's a glimpse into another hemisphere."

Only a handful of Michigan schools -- such as the Bloomfield Hills district and Detroit's Foreign Language Immersion and Cultural Studies school -- teach the language. Most districts can't justify hiring a teacher for Chinese because there isn't the same demand as more commonly taught Spanish and French.

That's why the MSU center is launching eLearning classes. It's the broadest effort yet to teach the language statewide, opening eLearning classes to 240 high school students this fall in a partnership with the Chinese government and Michigan Virtual High School.

Those numbers are expected to grow every year, with the plan to teach middle school students and even adults, such as business owners wanting to better market products overseas.

But it's not easy. The only other person at the school taking the class is her twin sister.

"It's not a slack-off class," Dick said. "You have to be self-motivated."