pathways to performance and success 1 applying new approaches to developing the talent dr. sharon...

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Pathways to Performance and Success

Applying New Approaches to Developing the Talent

Dr. Sharon Fratta-Hill

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Migration of Distance Learning Pedagogy

• Correspondence – Independent Study• Telephone communication• Audio tapes• Television broadcasts• Satellite Broadcast• Videoconferencing• Web based

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Challenges• The “New” government worker• The Enhanced Technology Workplace• Training dollar restrictions for traditional

training• Fast to market with a different approach

– Instructor Centered and Participant Interactive

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What were we thinking?• What worked for adult students who are

federal employees?– It must be either very flexible so that he/she

can move at their own pace or• The course must be short enough to

complete within a period where an employee could be excused from their office duties.

– Exact skill outcomes must be obtained on completion of the course.

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What Did Not Work?• Federal employees did not sign up for

Blackboard based, instructor led courses because:– The teacher was not available when they

needed to ask their questions.– Too much reading and preparation was

required to be able to complete activities.– Students were used to face to face training and

the lack of personal attention caused distress.

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How Could We Make the Course Interactive?

• Choose a platform that allows students to chat or interact with the teacher in a real time collaborative manner.– Top platforms:

• Adobe Connect (Formally Macromedia Breeze)

• Centra– Many other private vendors have less

expensive software that allows video and audio streaming.

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What Course Formats are We Developing?

• Synchronous– Our instructional designers put together Powerpoints and

activities to be shared during the live sessions.– Our design staff works with a strictly adjunct staff to train

them how to lecture in a live classroom effectively.– A help desk employee monitors all live sessions to act as

an assistant for students who have issues working online.– Students may instant message the teacher, help desk

assistant or other students during the session to ask questions.

– Students may raise their hands to ask questions and the audio is streamed to all participants, if the teacher permits this.

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Asynchronous• Powerpoints covering the content are developed

and synched with audio or audio and video• Activities are placed in the classroom portion of

the module• Instructor monitors the class during open

enrollment period.– He/she assesses progress and answers questions

• Some courses are hybrids which require the student to come to a single face to face session.

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Let’s Take a Look• Asynchronous Training

– gsconnect.grad.usda.gov/prcourse

• Synchronous Training– gconnect.grad.usda.gov

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Summary• Student/teacher interaction is required to

create a meaningful course.• New platforms like Adobe Connect and

Centra make it easy to offer live video and audio streaming over the internet.

• Start up can be accomplished with a limited in-house staff. – Or consider contracting with a training agency

that can create custom courses which meet your business or agency’s needs.

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Do you have more questions?

• Contact– Sharon Fratta-Hill, PhD

•[email protected]

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Search through our resources at

www.grad.usda.gov

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