Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
The Obama administration and the U.S. Department of Agriculture - Rural Development have identified development of alternative energy as a top priority. In light of this important policy priority, the Department of Energy's technical report, 20% Wind Energy by 2030, projects an exploding demand for wind energy-related workers. Regarding wind development, on average, one technician is needed for every 10 wind turbines. Representatives of the American Wind Energy Association have documented the rapid rise of wind turbine installations and noted that "The training for wind technicians needs to keep up."Early stage workforce development and training paradigms for wind technicians will need to undergo significant change if the workforce needs are to be met. Workforce training practice and culture within the wind industry is driven by a relatively small number of experts with deep field experience and knowledge. The current training methodology is dominated by face-to-face, classroom-based, instructor present training. Thus, the industry is faced with the challenge of expanding explicit knowledge and developing dissemination strategies/processes that can transfer this explicit knowledge to far greater numbers of learners (workforce) in more efficient ways. Most community and technical college programs require one to two-year residencies with all the typical related costs of tuition, housing, family separation, and lost work-related income. Airstreams Renewables Inc. (ARI) has designed and successfully delivered since 2003 safety-focused and skills-based training that places wind technicians into the field in approximately one month. Outcomes of the integration of online, virtual training into current traditional, classroom-based programs would include changes in knowledge, action and conditions. The online training would allow greater flexibility in the training demands of the wind industry, as well as reducing financial costs related to dislocation (travel, lodging costs, time away from work, etc.). Developing online training for entry-level wind turbine technicians would also assist in the training of the rapidly expanding workforce, address the special needs of students, and help to reduce the limitations of current training methodologies.
Animal Health Component
100%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
100%
Developmental
(N/A)
Goals / Objectives
The program's overall goal is to identify effectiveness of an inquiry-based curriculum using an interactive web-based training module as compared to the standard face-to-face delivery model, specifically for training entry-level wind turbine technicians. The objectives are: (1) Identify the product to be developed, review training standards and instructional materials (analyze). The tasks to reach this objective include: (a) Identify specific content using Airstreams curriculum and other training standards as appropriate. (b) Identify Enduring Understandings. (c) Determine acceptable evidence of understanding; (2) Design a prototype (design). The task to reach this objective is: (a) Brainstorm ideas and metaphors to model content; (3) Develop prototype and instructor support materials (develop). The tasks to reach this objective include: (a) Develop concept art to visually represent ideas and relationships integral to Enduring Understandings. (b) Develop programming logic to virtually represent the ideas and relationships integral to the Enduring Understanding. (c)Develop media to bring concept art and programming logic to life. (d) Create instructor support materials ;( 4) Conduct preliminary field test of the learning tool (implement). The tasks to reach this objective include: a) Conduct preliminary field test with training sites. (b) Use a randomized control trial with quantitative and qualitative measures; (5) Final report (evaluate). The tasks to reach this objective include: (a) summarize results and findings in final report. (b) Use outcomes to drive all future design and development. Outputs will be the completion and implementation of an online training module for entry-level wind turbine technicians, as well as completed research on the content, format, delivery methods, interactivity, and perceived overall value of the online training module.
Project Methods
A development team will coordinate the efforts to accomplish the goals of the project. This team will consist of a representative from Interactive Training Technologies, Inc. and the VP's of Training and Academic Affairs from Airstreams Renewables, Inc. The development team will meet in person (1) with Subject Matter Experts (SME's) to gather initial ideas and complete interviews (2) to discuss and review initial design and (3) to evaluate product and process. In addition, an advisory board of industry participants, a trainee advisory panel, and focus group sessions with trainees will be established and serve as resources to gather information, review prototypes and elicit the feedback necessary to the development of the online training. The development team will select and design a prototypical training module based on this industry, SME, and trainee feedback. Using a "backward design" process as described in Wiggins' and McTighe's Understanding by Design, the team, with guidance from the advisory board and trainee focus groups, will design the training module based on the content, the defined learning results (or "enduring understandings"), and acceptable evidence of student learning. Next, the prototype will be developed with concept art, programmable logic to virtually represent the ideas and relationships integral to the "enduring understandings", and the multimedia necessary to bring it all together. Instructor support materials will be created to clearly explain how the online training will be implemented, the instructors' role in the administration of the course(s), and how it will coordinate with the existing curriculum. A preliminary field test will then be conducted, with randomly selected control and experimental groups, using qualitative and quantitative measures. Descriptive statistics will be the primary measure of interest, with regard to degree of satisfaction with items such as content, format, delivery methods, interactivity, and perceived overall value. Finally, the results and findings of each task will be summarized in a final report. The empirical data will be used to support further study into the use of web-based training modules for entry-level wind turbine technicians. Research will also include the "open-source" learning movement and its implications and possibilities for a learner-centric learning management system. This type of LMS would enable learners to create their own learning portfolio from a variety of sources and would allow open access. The results of the evaluation and project will guide the preparation of a Phase II application.