Progress 09/01/16 to 07/09/21
Outputs
Target Audience:The primary target audiences for the VLS are caregivers/teachers, training & curriculum specialists, family childcare providers, and new management staff in the military child development and school-age care system. However, in the best tradition of the university land-grant system, the VLS is also available for public use, allowing college students, public and private childcare workers and providers to use the site to enhance their skills as child care professionals. The VLS is included in the Administration for Children and Families' Early Educator Central which links the VLS to child care professionals outside the military system. The VLS site is active and all audiences have begun using the site. Our new site developments also help support more seasoned child care professionals and help track their professional development engagement and growth. Changes/Problems:Due to Covid19, we were unable to offer the in-person training events scheduled for 2020-2021. Consulting with our DoD partners, we developed and offered virtual sessions instead and re-allocated money in the budget to adequately staff these virtual trainings and pay for the virtual systems needed to offer and maintain them. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?As noted under goals accomplished, during FY21, we published 3 new Focused Topics courses: Child Abuse Prevention for Support Staff, Child Abuse Identification & Reporting for Support Staff, and Using the VLS: Coaching to Enhance practice. This brings our total course offerings across the site to 102 Foundational and Focused Topics courses. As noted previously, this has allowed our military-affiliated users to amass more than 1.5 million clock hours of professional development across the life of the project thus far. We have been conducting a community pilot of the VLS system to examine its efficacy and identify further areas for system improvements. The user feedback from this pilot (n=23) was extremely high, with 95.7% of participants indicating the training helped them better understand child development, and 100% indicating that they will return to some of the Apply and Learn resources to help themselves in the future, and that they shared the information they were learning with coworkers and families. Regarding the two, 8-week virtual training sessions for DoD employed personnel offered thus far in FY21, we have trained approximately 125 Training & Curriculum Specialists (TC&Ss) and Program Managers (PMs). Though some participants noted they are anxious to return to an in-person training format, most reported that they found the trainings helpful and felt better prepared to support their staff after attending. For example, in the most recent virtual training, we found the vast majority of attendees (n=51) indicated the training helped them feel better prepared "to support VLS training in [their] program" (88% indicated true or very true), "to support teamwork and continuous improvement in [their] program[s]" (90% indicated true or very true), "to coach staff or providers, and support the adult learners in [their] program" (84% indicated true or very true), and "to support [their] own and others self-care" (84% indicated true or very true). How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Within the military system, the DoD and Services continue to promote the VLS to their personnel, and the VLS has become the central professional development system for military-affiliated child care professionals serving children birth through age 12. The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) also continues to list the VLS as a key professional development asset on their Early Educator Central website. Over the life of this grant (2016-2021), presentations on the VLS have been made at the Military Child Education Coalition National Training Seminar; the Council for Professional Recognition Leadership Conference; the National Association for the Education of Young Children Conference; the State and Territory Child Care and Development Fund Administrators Meeting (STAM); meeting of the deans of education at the Big Ten universities; the Region V meeting for the Administration for Children & Families, Office of Child Care Roundtables on Improving Access to High-Quality Child Care; the National Research Conference on Early Childhood; the European Early Childhood Education Research Association Conference; the Society for Research in Child Development Biennial meeting; the Child Care and Early Education Policy Research Consortium; the BUILD Initiative, QRIS National Learning Network Conference; at meetings with Ohio State extension professionals; and at local (Columbus) meetings. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
The Virtual Laboratory School (VLS) now consists of 15 Foundational Courses and supporting video for each of six professional tracks (Infant/Toddler, Preschool, School Age, Training and Curriculum Specialists, Management, and Family Child Care Providers; a total of 90 Foundational Courses), and 12 Focused Topics courses providing specialized content and resources. During the 20-21 year we reviewed and released the latest three Focused Topics courses: (1) Child Abuse Prevention for Support Staff, (2) Child Abuse Identification and Reporting for Support Staff, and (3) Using the VLS: Coaching to Enhance Practice. These courses went through Service and DoD review, and based upon this feedback, were edited by our content team prior to publication on the VLS site. In addition, we began the early development stages for two new Focused Topics courses on program leadership: (1) the onboarding essentials for new program managers (directors), and (2) a guide to continuous quality improvement in child care programs. In conjunction with this content development, we also implemented and have been piloting a new End of Course Assessment (EoCA) system for a small suite of our Focused Topics Courses (i.e., Supporting Children with Challenging Behavior, Trauma-Informed Care in Child Care Settings, and Sexual Development & Behavior in Children and Youth). This ongoing pilot will allow DoD and Service leadership to track certification in this suite of courses, while also allowing our team to test this new system functionality on a smaller scale. This summer (2021) we are analyzing user data from this new EoCA system to inform system improvements and implementation for the full set of Focused Topics courses (planned for FY22). Regarding general content maintenance of the site, we continued to update content to reflect current standards and recently released research; in FY21 this included external expert reviews of all our of Foundational Content, and special news items supporting programs in navigating Covid19 and creating more equitable and inclusive programs. In addition, we have scanned and replaced more than 1600 links across the VLS site to ensure users can quickly access up-to-date, relevant, and evidence-based resources. In addition, through our partnership with DoD and in consultation with Purdue, we uploaded the final portions of the Early Learning Matters (ELM), birth to 5 curriculum, refined this part of the VLS website to include all ELM materials, and continue to maintain these resources based on updates released by Purdue. In FY 21 alone, the VLS site provided more than 480,000 certified clock hours of professional development, had approximately 8.3 million page views, and around 1 million visitors (including military-affiliated logged-in users and public visitors). The reach and impact of the learning materials on the Virtual Lab School continues to grow quickly influencing and educating childcare professionals and the children in their care. In total, we have over 40,000 registered, military- affiliated users who have earned over 260,000 course certificates and 10,500 track certificates. Regarding the learning management system of the VLS, over the past year we have released a number of advances to the user interface of the site to facilitate ease of use; the most notable in FY21 was the development and implementation of HTML activities across all direct care tracks that allows users to fill out activities online and save or print them for later use. In terms of training, over FY21 and due to Covid19, we conducted two, 8-week online training sessions to support VLS implementation and military child care program excellence; training approximately 125 Training and Curriculum Specialists (T&CSs) and Program Managers (PMs). In addition, we also provided 2.5 hours of training on quality observations to over 100 program inspectors and CYP leadership, and as part of this effort, provided detailed reports and supports to improve inter-rater reliability among inspectors within each Service. We continue to collect user feedback during all these training sessions and through the VLS website. We continue to analyze and respond to this feedback to continually improve the content, tools and resources available on the VLS. The feedback collected continues to be overwhelming positive.
Publications
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2020
Citation:
Lang, S. N., Jeon, L., Sproat, E. B., Brothers, B. E., & Buettner, C. K. (2020). Social Emotional Learning for Teachers (SELF-T): A Short-term, Online Intervention to Increase Early Childhood Educators Resilience. Early Education and Development, 31(7), 1112-1132. doi:10.1080/10409289.2020.1749820
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Lang, S. N., Odean, R., Tebben, E., & Knight, K. (2021, September). What program and individual factors predict teachers' engagement in foundational, coaching-focused, professional development? To be presented at the annual European Early Childhood Education Research Conference. Hosted Online via Virtual Festival, Covid19.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Lang, S. N., Odean, R., Tebben, E., Buettner, C. K. (2021, April). VLS Momentum: Pairing Online PD with Coaching to Prepare Teachers for their CDA. Presented at the Virtual Biennial Meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development. Hosted Online, Covid19.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Tarullo, L., Lang, S. N., Odean, R., Monahan, S., & Taylor, J. (2020, July). Supporting Infant-Toddler Teachers with Technology. Presented at the Child Care and Early Education Policy Research Consortium, Washington, D.C. [Offered Virtually, via Zoom].
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Luckey*, S, Odean*, R., & Lang, S.N. (2021, September). The Impact of Evidence-Based PD and Coaching on ECE Teachers Perceptions of Supporting Children with Challenging Behavior. Poster to be presented at the annual European Early Childhood Education Research Conference. Hosted Online via Virtual Festival, Covid19.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Luckey, S. [& Lang, S.N. as faculty advisor] (2021, April). ECE Teachers Perceptions of Evidence-Based PD and Intensive Coaching. Poster presented at the 35th Annual OSU Hayes Graduate Research Forum. Hosted Online, Covid19.
|
Progress 09/01/19 to 08/31/20
Outputs
Target Audience:The primary target audiences for the VLS are caregivers/teachers, training & curriculum specialists, family childcare providers, and new management staff in the military child development and school-age care system. However, in the best tradition of the university land-grant system, the VLS is also available for public use as well, allowing college students, public and private childcare workers and providers to use the site to enhance their skills as child care professionals. The VLS is included in the Administration for Children and Families' Early Educator Central which links the VLS to child care professionals outside the military system. The site is active and all audiences are using the site. In addition, the site has been integral to local (Columbus, OH) pilot project (VLS Momentum) designed to increase the skills and credentials of 150 early childhood educators serving children from low-income families. Changes/Problems:The Covid 19 pandemic altered some of our in-person training events with the Department of Defense. In consultation with DOD leadership, work on alternate means of providing support/training has begun and some events have been moved to later dates. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?As noted under goals accomplished, we continue to provide training sessions for DoD employed personnel. These sessions provide important feedback to the VLS team and help provide ideas for further training. Questions about the helpfulness and usability of the information covered in the sessions are answered on a 1-5 Likert scale, and training participants consistently rate the material and experiences in the VLS training close to 5 (e.g., means of 4.71 or more). Qualitative responses as well as conversations between VLS trainers and participants are equally as positive. As one example, a training and curriculum specialist who attended one of our trainings from the past year commented, "As a new trainer I found value in every aspect of the training. I feel excited and empowered to make and implement more resources and actions to assist my teachers/caregivers." How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Within the military system, the VLS continues to be promoted by DOD and the services to their personnel. The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) has included the VLS in newsletters and made it a major part of Early Educator Central, and invited us for presentations at the State and Territory Child Care and Development Fund Administrators Meeting (STAM) and at ACFs Office of Child Care Roundtables on Improving Access to High-Quality Child Care. Presentations on the VLS have been made at the Military Child Education Coalition National Training Seminar, the Council for Professional Recognition Leadership Conference, the National Association for the Education of Young Children Conference, the National Research Conference on Early Childhood, European Early Childhood Education Research Association, the BUILD Quality Rating and Improvement Conference and local (Columbus) meetings. We have developed new materials and infographics that illustrate the scope of the VLS project and its impact and will continue using those in the upcoming year as we meet with stakeholders and prospective users. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We will continue to refine the VLS learning management system (LMS) and add features to the website in consultation with the Department of Defense (DoD). Based on conversations with DoD as well as stakeholder and user feedback, we have a number of plans for the upcoming year. First, in terms of content-related upgrades, we are developing and will finalized three new Focused Topics courses, two targeting training for support staff that will focus on child abuse prevention and child abuse identification and reporting, and the third, on supporting training and curriculum specialist with implementing the VLS in ways that align with evidence-based principles of coaching and supporting adult learners. This will include review by DoD and Service leadership and then refinement and revisions of the narrative and video content in response to leadership feedback. In addition, we will continue to implement significant modifications to the activities and resources throughout the VLS, using user feedback to refine these reflective and application exercises, but also continuing to implement the HTML fillable format across all tracks. We will continue integrating and updating a set of comprehensive, cycle menus (provided by the U.S. Army) and the Early Learning Matters curriculum (developed by Purdue) into the VLS. These plans are in addition to the ongoing required content maintenance (e.g., web link audits, updates to current guidelines and regulations, etc.). We will also be collaborating with DoD and Service leadership on the development of a tool to support monthly administrator observations in military-affiliated FCC homes. Second, in terms of technical-related updates, we will be implementing the latest site upgrade to Drupal 8, instituting a new user role (i.e., for support staff within CYP programs) and focused topics enrollment and certification. We are also exploring ways to support CYP professionals in meeting their annual training requirements. Third, in terms of in-person training, we will conduct additional trainings for Training and Curriculum Specialists and DoD child development center and school age program administrators, and inspectors. Finally, we will continue to solicit feedback through a variety of formal and informal processes.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
The Virtual Laboratory School (VLS) consists of 15 Foundational Courses and supporting video for each of six tracks designated by the role a child and youth care professional (CYP) serves within military programs [i.e., Direct care staff member (specifically working with Infant/Toddler, Preschool, School Age), Training and Curriculum Specialists, Management, and Family Child Care Providers]. We continually conduct ongoing maintenance to these 90 courses (e.g., cleaning/updating external web links, integrating updated professional guidelines and relevant new research findings). In addition, we have now published nine Focused Topics courses, all of which were developed in response to emerging needs and requests from DoD and Service stakeholders, or to address evolving critical topics in the field of early care and education. During this year (FY2020), we completed internal and external reviews, and subsequently published, four new focused topics courses, specifically designed to complement one another and ensure all CYP staff can identify, prevent and appropriately respond to problematic sexual behavior. Course titles released in the first quarter of 2020 include: Sexual Development & Behavior in Children and Youth, Sexual Development & Behavior in K-12 Students [provided for the Department of Defense Education Activity (DODEA)], Supporting Children with Challenging Behavior, and Trauma Informed Care in Childcare Setting. In addition, we have developed the first draft of "Using the VLS: Coaching to Enhance Practice (title still in development) Focused Topics course to support Training and Curriculum Specialists in implementing the VLS system and in utilizing high-quality coaching practices to support the professional development of all CYP staff. This course will be reviewed and finalized by June of 2021. Regarding general content maintenance of the site, we continued to edit content to current standards and recently released research, completing hundreds of content-related updates across the site in the current fiscal year. Over FY20, these maintenance updates included mapping all VLS content to the Council on Accreditation (COA) standards and the most recent DoD Inspection criteria. In addition, during the past year we scanned and replaced more than 1,600 links across the VLS site to ensure users can access up-to-date, relevant, vetted resources. The VLS is averaging around 500,000 page views and about 60,000 unique visitors each month, with continued steady growth in our traffic as well as increases in search visibility and websites linking to and referencing our content. Compared with the previous year, this year we saw an annual increase in more than 700,000 pageviews and 34,000 visitors. The reach and impact of the learning materials on the Virtual Lab School continues to grow quickly influencing and educating childcare professionals and the children in their care. In total, we have more than 32,000 registered, military affiliated users who have earned over 180,000 course certificates and 6,500 track certificates. Compared with FY18, there was a 93% in the number of track certificates issued in FY19. Since the launch of the VLS learning management system in 2016, military affiliated users have collectively amassed over 1 million hours of professional development on the VLS. Over the past year we have released a number of advances to the user interface of the site to facilitate ease of use and integration of new materials to comprehensively support CYP quality. Enhancements included the integration of the Early Learning Matters (ELM) curriculum and the comprehensive Cycle Food Menus, updates to all VLS help and support articles, and a new course transcript feature for all users. In addition, we added an aggregate reporting feature at the site, Service, installation, and program levels that allows leadership at various levels to quickly assess how their group of users are progressing in their VLS training. Over the past year, we also implemented fillable HTML allowing users to type responses into the Explore and Apply activities within course lessons and print or save a copy to share with their trainer, coach or supervisor. Thus far, we have upgraded activities across the infant-toddler, preschool, and family child care tracks and all the focused topics courses (i.e., across nearly 55 courses ). . In terms of training, this year we conducted 5 VLS training sessions to support VLS implementation and military child care program excellence; training approximately 340 program managers (PM), training and curriculum specialists (TCS), CYP inspectors, and other relevant CYP leaders. We continue to collect user feedback during these training sessions, and through the VLS website, analyzing and responding to this feedback to continually improve the content, tools and resources available on the VLS. The feedback collected has been overwhelming positive and is reported regularly to leaders at the Department of Defense. As one example, after each training session, we invited TCSs and PMs to complete anonymous feedback forms, asking them to indicated on a 1 (not at all true) to 5 (very true) scale their level of satisfaction with particular aspects of the training. TCSs and PMs (n=170) indicated high satisfaction with the training, e.g., expressing "they better understand what the VLS is" and how to use it (M = 4.88, SD = 0.39, 97.7% answered true or very true), "feel better prepared to support VLS implementation and training in their program" (M = 4.88, SD = 0.41, 97.1% answered true or very true), and "feel better prepared to coach staff or providers in my program" (M = 4.41, SD = 0.54, 97.7% answered true or very true).
Publications
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Awaiting Publication
Year Published:
2020
Citation:
Lang, S.N., Jeon, L., Sproat, E. B., Brothers, B. E., & Buettner, C. K. (in press). Social Emotional Learning for Teachers: An online intervention to increase childcare teachers resilience. Early Education and Development. doi: 10.1080/10409289.2020.1749820 .
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2020
Citation:
Rosenberg, H., Anderson, S., Lang, S. N., Odean, R., & Holod, A. (2020, March). Paths to professionalism: Exploring innovations in credentialing approaches. Affinity discussion for the Child Care and Early Education Policy Research Consortium, Washington, D.C. [Conference cancelled, Covid19].
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2020
Citation:
Goodreau, C., Lang, S. N., Odean, R., Atkins-Burnett, S., Wilcher, H., Taylor, J., & Ryan, P. (2020, March). Innovations in Professional Development for Infants and Toddlers: How Can Technology Support Competency Building in the Infant Toddler Workforce? Thinking Outside the Box. Think tank conversation at the Child Care and Early Education Policy Research Consortium, Washington, D.C. [Conference cancelled, Covid19].
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
Gavazzi, S. M., Buettner, C.K., & Lang, S. N. (2019). Lifelong Learning Starts Young: The Virtual Lab School and the 21st Century Land-Grant Mission. The evoLLLution, A destiny solutions illumination. https://evolllution.com/revenue-streams/extending_lifelong_learning/lifelong-learning-starts-young-the-virtual-lab-school-and-the-21st-century-land-grant-mission/
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
Lang, S.N. (2019, October). An Evidence-Based Workforce Development System for Improving Teachers' Practices, Ensuring Program Quality, & Creating Career Pathways. Invited presentation at the Supporting Working Families, Health and Human Services, Administration for Children & Families, Office of Child Care Roundtables on Improving Access to High-Quality Child Care, Region V, in Columbus, Ohio.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
Lang, S. N., Buettner, C. K. (2019, July). Virtual Lab School: An Evidence-Based Workforce Development System for Improving Teachers' Practices, Ensuring Program Quality & Creating Career Pathways, part of the Early Childhood State Systems: Partnering with Higher Education to Build Flexible Career Pathways symposium. Invited presentation at the State and Territory Child Care and Development Fund Administrators Meeting (STAM), U.S. Administration for Children and Families, Office of Child Care, in Arlington, Virginia.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
Lang, S. N., Buettner, C. K., Basloe, M., Jeon, L. (2019, August). Building a system: Launching comprehensive ECE training with coaching support for new staff. Presented at the European Early Childhood Education Research Association Conference, Thessaloniki, Greece.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
Lang, S. N., Basloe, M., Tyree, J., & Buettner, C. K. (2019, June) Evidence-Based Workforce Development System to Improve Teachers' Practices and Ensure Program Quality: Examining the Virtual Lab School Model. Presented at the BUILD Initiative, QRIS National Learning Network 2019 Conference, New Orleans, Louisiana.
|
Progress 09/01/18 to 08/31/19
Outputs
Target Audience:The primary target audiences for the VLS are caregivers/teachers, training & curriculum specialists, family childcare providers, and new management staff in the military child development and school-age care system. However, in the best tradition of the university land-grant system, the VLS is also available for public use as well, allowing college students, public and private childcare workers and providers to use the site to enhance their skills as child care professionals. The VLS is included in the Administration for Children and Families' Early Educator Central which links the VLS to child care professionals outside the military system. The site is active and all audiences are using the site. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?As noted under goals accomplished, we continue to provide training sessions for DoD employed personnel. These sessions provide important feedback to the VLS team and help provide ideas for further training. Questions about the helpfulness and usability of the information covered in the sessions are answered on a 1-5 Likert scale, and training participants consistently rate the material and experiences in the VLS training close to 5 (e.g., means of 4.74 or more). Qualitative responses as well as conversations between VLS trainers and participants are equally as positive. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Within the military system, the VLS continues to be promoted by DOD and the services to their personnel. The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) has included the VLS in newsletters and made it a major part of Early Educator Central. Presentations on the VLS have been made at the Military Child Education Coalition National Training Seminar, the Council for Professional Recognition Leadership Conference, the National Association for the Education of Young Children Conference, the National Research Conference on Early Childhood, European Early Childhood Education Research Association, the BUILD Quality Rating and Improvement Conference and local (Columbus) meetings. We have developed new materials that illustrate the scope of the VLS project and its impact and will continue using those in the upcoming year as we meet with stakeholders and prospective users. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We will continue to refine the VLS learning management system (LMS) and add features to the website in consultation with the Department of Defense (DoD). Based on conversations with DoD as well as stakeholder and user feedback, we have a number of plans for the upcoming year. First, in terms of content-related upgrades, we will finalize the four new Focused Topics courses in development. This will include review by DoD and Service leadership and then refinement and revisions of the narrative and video content in response to leadership feedback. In addition to completing these courses, in consultation with the DoD we will begin developing a "Using the VLS: Enhancing Quality with Training and Practice-Based Coaching" Focused Topics course, to provide a refresher for the in-person VLS training. This course will help programs, particularly TCSs, consider how to implement the VLS system in ways that best support professional development in their programs. In addition, we will implement significant modifications to the attachments throughout the VLS, instituting a way to complete the required activities "inline" and print or save direct care staff members' typed responses to share with their TCS. We will continue integrating a set of comprehensive, cycle menus (provided by the U.S. Army) and the Early Learning Matters curriculum (developed by Purdue) into the VLS. These plans are in addition to the ongoing required content maintenance (e.g., web link audits, updates to current guidelines and regulations, etc.). Second, in terms of technical-related updates, we will be complete the site upgrade to Drupal 8 and conducti a security audit. In addition, within the LMS, we are implementing comprehensive reports that will aggregate how users across a program, installation, or Service are progressing through their VLS training. Third, in terms of in-person training, we will conduct additional trainings for Training and Curriculum Specialists and DoD child development center and school age program administrators, and inspectors. Finally, we will continue to solicit feedback through a variety of formal and informal processes.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
The Virtual Laboratory School (VLS) now consists of 15 Foundational Courses and supporting video for each of six tracks (Infant/Toddler, Preschool, School Age, Training and Curriculum Specialists, Management, and Family Child Care Providers). We also have published three Focused Topics courses started in previous years (i.e., Social Emotional Learning for Teachers (SELF-T), Creating Gender Safe Spaces, Essentials in Child Care Food Service, and Supporting Language Diversity, Direct Care version and the trainer/manager version) based on community pilots and DoD and Service Headquarters feedback. We are currently working on a suite of three courses that address managing a range of challenging behaviors (Sexual Development & Behavior in Children and Youth, Supporting Children with Challenging Behavior, Trauma Informed Care in Childcare Setting, and Sexual Development & Behavior for K-12). The most recent suite of courses are planned to be developed/extended in FY 19-20 for use with Department of Defense Education Activity (DODEA) K-12 school system. Regarding general content maintenance of the site, we continued to edit content to current standards and recently released research, completing hundreds of content-related updates across the site in the current fiscal year. In addition, we have scanned and replaced more than 2000 links across the VLS site to ensure users can access up-to-date, relevant, vetted resources. The VLS is averaging almost 500,000 page views (6.8 million to date) and about 60,000 unique visitors each month, with continued steady growth in our traffic as well as increases in search visibility and websites linking to and referencing our content. The reach and impact of the learning materials on the Virtual Lab School continues to grow quickly influencing and educating childcare professionals and the children in their care. In total, we have almost 30,000 registered, military affiliated users who have earned over 154,000 course certificates and 5,400 track certificates. Over the past year we have released a number of advances to the user interface of the site to facilitate ease of use for the more than 200,000 registered users. These advances include updates to navigation, user dashboards, searching and sorting the staff roster, updating course and track certificates, and new tutorials. We have also added a number of features to extend the functionality of the site including the lookup and transfer forms for re-stationing or re-activating existing users, mailing lists for informing users of new content or features, FCC progress tracking, and a realignment of user roles and functionality. In terms of training, over FY18 we conducted 6 VLS training sessions to support VLS implementation and military child care program excellence; training approximately 150 program managers (PM) and 200 training and curriculum specialists (TCS). We continue to collect user feedback during these training sessions, and through the VLS website, analyzing and responding to this feedback to continually improve the content, tools and resources available on the VLS. The feedback collected has been overwhelming positive and is reported regularly to leaders at the Department of Defense. As one example, after each training session, we invited TCSs and PMs to complete anonymous feedback forms, asking them to indicated on a 1 (not at all true) to 5 (very true) scale their level of satisfaction with particular aspects of the training. TCSs indicated high satisfaction with the training, e.g., expressing "they better understand what the VLS is" and how to use it (M = 4.95, SD = 0.21), and "feel better prepared to support VLS implementation and training in their program" (M = 4.96, SD = 0.24). PMs also indicated high satisfaction, e.g., reporting they "feel better prepared to partner with their TCS on supporting staff professional development" (M = 4.74, SD = 0.55) and "feel better prepared to support my own and others self-care" (M = 4.81, SD = 0.45).
Publications
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2018
Citation:
Buettner, C. K., Lang, S. N. & Jeon, L. (2018, August). Transforming a big system: Investments in research based models and resources. European Early Childhood Education Research Association 28th Annual Conference. Budapest, Hungary.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2018
Citation:
Owens, J., & Lang, S. N. (2018, November). Social-emotional learning for teachers (SELF-T): Helping teachers manage stress and care for their own social-emotional health. Presented at the National Association for the Education of Young Children 2018 Annual Conference, Washington, D.C.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
Lang, S. N., Basloe, M., Owens, J., & Buettner, C. K. (2019, June) Evidence-Based Workforce Development System to Improve Teachers' Practices and Ensure Program Quality: Examining the Virtual Lab School Model. To be presented at BUILD Initiative, QRIS National Learning Network 2019 Conference, New Orleans, Louisiana.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
Lang, S. N., Buettner, C. K., Basloe, M., Jeon, L. (2019, August). Building a system: Launching comprehensive ECE training with coaching support for new staff. To be presented The European Early Childhood Education Research Association Conference, Thessaloniki, Greece.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2018
Citation:
Lang, S.N. & Buettner, C.K. (2018, August). VLS Tools to Support Teachers using a Practice-Based Coaching Framework. Community Presentation given at the Crane Center for Early Childhood Research and Policy, Columbus, OH.
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Progress 09/01/17 to 08/31/18
Outputs
Target Audience:The primary target audiences for the VLS are caregivers/teachers, training & curriculum specialists, family childcare providers, and new management staff in the military child development and school-age care system. However, in the best tradition of the university land-grant system, the VLS is also available for public use as well, allowing college students, public and private childcare workers and providers to use the site to enhance their skills as child care professionals. The VLS is included in the Administration for Children and Families'Early Educator Central which links the VLS to child care professionals outside the military system. The site is active and all audiences have begun using the site. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?As noted under goals accomplished, the family child care provider track, consisting of the 15 Foundational Course is now fully live on the Virtual Lab School (VLS) website. In addition, we published 3 Focused Topics courses: Social Emotional Learning for Teachers (SELF-T), Creating Gender Safe Spaces, and Essentials in Child Care Food Service. We conducted a pilot of the SELF-T course with community early childhood teachers that included a pre and post knowledge assessment, feedback and satisfaction surveys. Insight gained from the pilot was used to refine the course. In addition, user feedback from the pilot (n=63) was highly positive (e.g., 89.3% of participants agreed "the content was easy to understand," 83.9% agreed they now "know how to better respond to and reduce my own stress," and 62.6% agreed that "the course has made [their] work with children easier"). Regarding the 10 training sessions for DoD employed personnel, in FY18 we trained approximately 600 program managers (PM) and 200 training and curriculum specialists (TCS), adding additional content to our training for TCS (e.g., how to coach across a whole program). Participants overwhelming reported that they found the trainings helpful and felt better prepared to support their staff after attending. For example, when PMs (n=245) were asked to rate on a 1(very not true) to 5(very true) scale, we found the vast majority indicated the training helped them "better understand what the VLS is" (M=4.87, SD=0.42), "feel better prepared to support VLS implementation and training in [their] program[s]" (M=4.84, SD = 0.47), "feel better prepared to partner with [their] TCSs on supporting staff professional development (M=4.79, SD=0.49), and "feel better prepared to support [their] own and others self-care" (M=4.74, SD = 0.51). How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Within the military system, the VLS continues to be promoted by DOD and the services to their personnel. The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) has included the VLS in newsletters and have made it a major part of Early Educator Central. Presentations on the VLS have been made at the Military Child Education Coalition National Training Seminar, the Council for Professional Recognition Leadership Conference, the National Association for the Education of Young Children Conference, the deans of education at the Big Ten universities, the National Research Conference on Early Childhood, European Early Childhood Education Research Association, and local (Columbus) meetings. We have developed new materials that illustrate the scope of the VLS project and its impact and will be using those in the upcoming year as we meet with stakeholders and prospective users. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We will continue to refine the VLS learning management system (LMS) and add features to the website in consultation with the Department of Defense(DoD). Based on conversations with DoD as well as stakeholder and user feedback, we have a number of plans for the upcoming year. First, in terms of content-related upgrades, we will implement significant modifications to the course competency checklists, the trainer's guides, and attachments throughout the VLS. We will also begin integrating a set of comprehensive, cycle menus (provided by the U.S. Army) and the Early Learning Matters curriculum (developed by Purdue) into the VLS. These plans are in addition to the ongoing required content maintenance (e.g., web link audits, updates to current guidelines and regulations, etc.). Second, in terms of technical-related updates, we will be upgrading the site to Drupal 8 and conducting a security audit. In addition, within the LMS, we are implementing comprehensive reports that will aggregate how users across a program, installation, or Service are progressing through their VLS training. Third, in terms of in-person training, we will conduct additional trainings for Training and Curriculum Specialists and DoD child development center and school age program administrators, and inspectors. Finally, we will continue to solicit feedback through a variety of formal and informal processes.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
The Virtual Laboratory School (VLS) now consists of 15 Foundational Courses and supporting video for each of six tracks (Infant/Toddler, Preschool, School Age, Training and Curriculum Specialists, Management, and Family Child Care Providers). During the 17-18 year, we developed the remaining 7 Family Child Care (FCC) Foundational Courses, based on the FCC Pilot completed in FY17, and published the entire FCC track (15 courses). We also revised and published three Focused Topics courses drafted in FY17 (i.e., Social Emotional Learning for Teachers (SELF-T), Creating Gender Safe Spaces, and Essentials in Child Care Food Service) based on community pilots and DoD and Service Headquarters feedback. In addition, we have developed our initial draft for two additional Focused Topics courses, Supporting Language Diversity, Direct Care version and a trainer/manager version. Regarding general content maintenance of the site, we continued to edit content to current standards and recently released research, completing more than 450 content-related updates across the site in FY18. In addition, we have scanned and replaced more than 3000 links across the VLS site to ensure users can access up-to-date, relevant, vetted resources. From the beginning of 2018 to June 30, the VLS has had approximately 2 million page views on the VLS site from approximately 221,000 combined public and registered users. We are averaging around 400,000 page views per month and continuing to see steady growth in our traffic as well as increases in search visibility and websites linking to and referencing our content. The reach and impact of the learning materials on the Virtual Lab School continues to grow quickly influencing and educating childcare professionals and the children in their care. In total, we have over 20,000 registered, military-affiliated users who have earned over 72,000 course certificates and 2,300 track certificates. Regarding the learning management system of the VLS, over the past year we have released a number of advances to the user interface of the site to facilitate ease of use. These advances include updates to navigation, user dashboards, searching and sorting the staff roster, updating course and track certificates, and new tutorials. We have also added a number of features to extend the functionality of the site including the lookup and transfer forms for re-stationing or re-activating existing users, mailing lists for informing users of new content or features, FCC progress tracking, and a realignment of user roles and functionality. In terms of training, over FY18 we conducted 10 VLS training sessions to support VLS implementation and military child care program excellence; training approximately 600 program managers (PM) and 200 training and curriculum specialists (TCS). We continue to collect user feedback during these training sessions, and through the VLS website, analyzing and responding to this feedback to continually improve the content, tools and resources available on the VLS. The feedback collected has been overwhelming positive.
Publications
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2018
Citation:
Lang, S. N., Jeon, L. & Buettner, C. K. (2018, June) Social emotional learning for teachers (SELF-T); A short-term online intervention to increase early childhood educators' resilience. Presented at the National Research Conference on Early Childhood, Washington DC.
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Progress 09/01/16 to 08/31/17
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audiences for the VLS are teachers, training & curriculum specialists, family childcare providers, and new management staff in the military child development and school-age care system. However, in the best tradition of the university land-grant system, the VLS is also available for public use as well, allowing college students, public and private child care workers and providers to use the site to enhance their skills as child care professionals. The VLS is included in ACF's Early Educator Central which links the VLS to child care professionals outside the military system. The site is active and all audiences have begun using the site. Changes/Problems:In our proposal we explained that the scope of the RFA was beyond the resources allotted and that we would use funds from our DOD project inititated in 2012 to supplement the work. We prioritized using those funds over this new grant and so when some of the planned activities were moved by the Department of Defense to the 2017-2018 year, the funds from this grant were not needed in the current fiscal year. We will have personnel and other expenses charged against this project in 2017-2018. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?As noted under goal accomplishments, this year eight courses in thefamily care provider track were completed as well as atraining curriculum for training and curriculum specialists working on implementation plans. The OSU VLS team conducted 14 training sessions for DOD employed personnel resulting in more than 600 training and curriculum specialists being prepared for implementing the VLS professional development system. We also completed three special topics courses (Social Emotional Learning for Teachers, Gender Safe Spaces, and Essential Skills for Food Service Workers), andthe OSU VLS team conducted a training pilot with 20 family care providers that included pre and post knowledge assessments, feedback during use, satisfaction surveys at pilot end as well as focus groups. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Within the military system, the VLS has been promoted by DOD and the services to their personnel. The Administration for Children and Families have included the VLS in newsletters and have made it a major part of Early Educator Central. Ohio State University featured a story on the VLS in a 2016alumni magazine that was distributed to thousands of alumni. Presentations on the VLS have been made at the Military Child Education Coalition National Training Seminar, the Council for Professional Recognition Leadership Conference, and the National Association for the Education of Young Children Conference. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We will continue to refine the VLS learning managment system and add features to the website in consultation with the Department of Defense. We will conduct additional trainings for Training and Curriculum Specialists and will add a series of trainings for DOD child development center and school age program managers. We will develop another seven courses for the Family Child Care Provider track and develop a set of trainings for the inspectors of the DOD system. Finally, we will continue to solicit feedback through a variety of formal and informal processes.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
The Virtual Laboratory Schoolnow consists of 15core content courses and supporting video for each of five tracks (Infant/Toddler, Preschool, School Age, Training and Curriculum Specialists, and Management). Eight courses in the family care provider track were completed during the 2016-17 funding year as well as several curricula/trainings for training and curriculum specialists (TCS) to prepare for proper implementation. Backend databases and programming for the customized learning management system as well as the development of additional tools for use on the website were completed in accordance with the project goals of maintaining and refining the project's web presence.In addition, the OSU VLS team conducted 14 training sessions for DOD-employed personnel resulting in more than 600 TCS's being prepared to implement the Virtual Lab School professional development system at their installations. We also completed three special topics courses (Social Emotional Learning for Teachers, Gender Safe Spaces, and Essential Skills for Food Service Workers). In addition, the OSU VLS team collected feedback from TCS'sduring the face to face trainings and conducted a pilot with 20 family care providers that included pre and post knowledge assessments, feedback during use, satisfaction surveys at pilot end, as well as focus groups. The VLS website also allows for immediate feedback from end users.Feedback from direct care users,TCS's, and military leadership was overwhelmingly positive.
Publications
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