A National Training and Certification Program for Transit Vehicle Maintenance Instructors (2015)

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91 Course Substitution Process and Alternative Courses This section provides a preliminary listing of possible alternative courses, and describes the conditions under which candidates seeking national instructor certification can apply these courses. The intent is to allow those candidates who have already received instruction that meets certain conditions to achieve certification, thereby avoiding duplication and saving time. The process also permits candidates to fast track the certification process by taking approved alternative courses in advance of those scheduled by the certification program. The flexibility is intended to give instructor candidates increased choices towards reaching certification without compromising the program’s validity. Note: The alternative courses listed below are preliminary; research continues to seek additional course offerings. A challenge facing the search effort is the limited number of “plug-and-play” courses that fully satisfy the duration and learning objectives established within this project. Many courses, for example, are part of larger educational programs where it is uncertain if the provider will make certain elements available a la carte. In other cases, some of the examples presented here are not fully developed course offerings but instead consist of reference materials or related work accomplished by competent organizations. The collective information provides the Panel and eventual program management with a preliminary indication of organizations with existing courses or that have the experience and ability to develop suitable courses. Course Substitution Process The Research Team proposes that any candidate seeking certification under this program may request that a non-program course be considered for substitution for one of the required certification courses using the following guidelines: • A substitute course must contain equal or greater contact hours as the certification course. • A substitute course must cover the same or greater content area as the certificate course as determined by course objectives. • A substitute course must have equal or greater academic rigor and complexity as the certificate course. • Evaluation of student mastery must be equal to or greater than that required in the certification course. • A student must present a certificate of completion, transcript or other official instrument documenting satisfactory participation and completion of the substitute course. • The capstone course will not be considered for substitution under any circumstances. • Acceptance of substitute courses does not in any way change the certification requirements of the capstone course and subsequent certification. A P P E N D I X A List of Alternative Courses

92 A National Training and Certification Program for Transit Vehicle Maintenance Instructors • A substitute course must have been complete no later than 5 years from the time the requested substitution is filed. • A fee may be applied to each requested course substitution, regardless of outcome. • No more than four (4) courses can be substituted for certification courses. An initial group of equivalent courses will be determined within the first year of the program and additional courses may be added later as required. The initial group of courses and each subsequent review for substitute course requests will be determined by the program’s eventual management team. It is envisioned that the course validation process will be conducted by a team of subject matter experts (SME’s) and instructional designers under the direction of the program management to assure conformity to both content and academic standards established for the certification process. Also, as part of the alternative course process, if someone has earned an associate degree in a related field, he/she may be able to substitute suitable courses obtained through that degree to meet certain National Instructor Certification requirements. The same team of SME’s and instructional designers will make these determinations under program management guidance. Alternative Courses As stated above, alternative courses will be selected and approved through a formal process developed by the program management team. The list of alternative courses provided here is by no means comprehensive nor is it intended as the only suitable alternative course listing available to the program. The Research Team also wants to be clear that final determination for the alternative courses will be made by the eventual program management. Mentoring and Coaching Mentoring and coaching courses need not be maintenance specific to be effective. Many of the attributes of a successful mentoring program apply regardless of the occupation. Although the program course will tailor its instruction specifically to a transit maintenance audience, several sources are available for developing these skills in a more generic manner. Potential alternative courses are listed first followed by reference material on mentoring.

List of Alternative Courses 93 Mentoring and Coaching Source Details Management Mentors www.management-mentors.com/ Overview: Management Mentors is a consulng firm specializing in designing and implemenng successful mentoring programs. Training Products: Management Mentors offers an interacve, online course on mentoring training for $79 per student. The course introduces students to crucial mentoring skills and key concepts of organizaonal mentoring programs. It uses audio skits, interacve quizzes, and dynamic tutorials to address several aspects of mentoring and coaching. Mentoring University, its sister company, also offers a mentoring cerfication program based on experience and tested principles of mentoring that the company has used for 20 years. Transit Specific: No Associaon for Talent Development (ATD) www.astd.org/ Overview: The Association for Talent Development (ATD), formerly ASTD, claims to be the world’s largest association dedicated to those who develop talent in organizaons. They take the knowledge, skills, and abilies of others and help them achieve their full potential. Training Products: A course entled Essenals of Coaching SMEs to Facilitate Learning prepares SMEs in a parcular organizaon to deliver value-added learning. Courses can be delivered on-site or online. Transit Specific: No EDSI Soluons www.edsisoluons.com Overview: EDSI is a workforce development, customized training and consulng company. EDSI has worked with many different public transit agencies to analyze jobs, perform skill gap analysis and develop training curriculum. EDSI has also developed and delivered train-the- trainer programs to transit agencies across the country. Training Products: EDSI has developed a course on mentoring and coaching specifically for transit applications. Transit Specific: Yes (continued on next page)

94 A National Training and Certification Program for Transit Vehicle Maintenance Instructors Lorain County Community College (LCCC) www.ohiohighered.org Overview: LCCC is part of The University System of Ohio, serving almost 600,000 students. Training Products: LCCC’s course on mentoring and coaching provides students with a comprehensive understanding of the concepts, principles, and pracce of coaching and mentoring through theorecal and praccal applications. Although they offer tradional semester-long courses, they, like other community colleges, may be willing to offer abbreviated courses tailored for specific instructor cerficaon program needs. Transit Specific: No Germanna Community College (GCC) www.germanna.edu Overview: GCC is one of twenty-three community colleges in Virginia that comprise the Virginia Community College System. Training Products: GCC offers an Online Mentoring Program for instructors who wish to learn new online teaching methods. This particular course, although not directly applicable to cerfication candidates, may be of interest to the firm that ulmately takes management control of this project because many of the courses developed for the instructor cerficaon program may be online courses. Transit Specific: No Reference Material Chronus http://get.chronus.com Overview: Offers development so‡ware to assist organizaons to develop their own mentoring and coaching programs. Although the firm does not appear to offer specific courses, materials provided through the firm could serve as useful reference materials for developing the program course. As an example, a one-hour webinar is available that uses a series of best pracce examples as the basis for designing and implemenng a mentoring and coaching program. Chronus materials have been used at leading instuons including Comcast, Staples, PNC Bank, The Federal Reserve, MIT, and the American Diabetes Associaon. Transit Specific: No Transporta on Learning Center (TLC) www.transi­raining.net Overview: Mentoring Guidebook addresses how to structure a mentor program with material on adult learning, roles of mentors and mentees, selecon process, and benefits. Transit Specific: Yes

List of Alternative Courses 95 Adult Learning Source Details The Murphy Institute (CUNY School of Professional Studies) http://sps.cuny.edu Overview: The City University of New York provides high- quality, accessible education for more than 269,000 degree-credit students and 270,000 adult, connuing and professional education students at 24 campuses across New York City. Training Products: Offers two programs focused on instrucon of adult learners - Graduate Cerficate in Adult Learning: Program Design and Facilitaon, and Cerficate in Understanding How Adults Learn. Transit Specific: No Associaon for Talent Development (ATD) http://www.astd.org/ Overview: (See Mentoring and Coaching above) Training Products: A course entled Essenals of Adult Learning explains the principles of adult learning in the context of workplace implementaon, providing ps for design as well as facilitaon. In addion to “classic” theorists like Malcolm Knowles, parcipants learn new approaches to adult learning, capitalizing on new brain research and informal learning processes. Transit Specific: No ed2go http://www.ed2go.com/ Overview: The ed2go network offers instructor-led online courses. New courses start monthly, and all courses run for six weeks and are composed of 12 lessons, represenng 24 hours of instrucon. Students can ask quesons and give or receive advice at any me during the course. Training Products: A course entled Teaching Adult Learners explores the unique needs and movaons of adult students to reveal their expectaons in class, examines different learning styles and mulple intelligences, and looks at how instructors can teach to each learner's strengths. Transit Specific: No EDSI Soluons www.edsisoluons.com Overview: (See Mentoring and Coaching above) Training Products: EDSI offers two complete courses on Learning Styles and the Adult Learner. The introductory course provides basics regarding learning styles and adult learning principles including ways to engage adult learners. The advanced course provides students with concrete theories and tools to use in real training experiences. Parcipants will be able to apply the principles from Malcolm Knowles’ theory of Adult Learning and Howard Gardner’s theory of Multiple Intelligences to specific learners and learning situations. Transit Specific: No (continued on next page)

96 A National Training and Certification Program for Transit Vehicle Maintenance Instructors Reference Material Federal Highway Administra on www.nhi.fhwa.dot.gov Principles of Adult Learning and Instruconal System Design hps://www.nhi.fhwa.dot.gov/downloads/free bies/172/PR percent20Pre-course percent20Reading percent20Assignment.pdf Transit Specific: No Communication: Oral and Written Source Details Langevin Learning Services http://www.langevin.com Overview: Langevin claims to be the world’s largest Train-The-Trainer company and a leader in the industry with the most days of training scheduled per year, the largest selecon of workshops, the largest faculty of full-me, dedicated course leaders, and the largest client base in the training profession. Several course offerings apply to this project and deserve further invesgation. Langevin is used by ThermoKing to help prepare its training staff. Training Products: Langevin offers a one-day workshop entled Polishing Your Presentaon Skills for $599. Aendees also receive free one- year follow-up service where by students send in a video-recording of themselves instrucng and Langevin will provide detailed feedback to further develop communicaon skills. Note: This course does not address wrien communicaon. Transit Specific: No Mind Tools Overview: Mind Tools is an online provider that delivers over 1,000 pieces of training content in an “a la carte” fashion. Training Products: A variety of online products are available to improve writing skills in specific areas. A website is dedicated to wrien communication, including a “browse by category” box to target specific communication skills. Individuals can access training products at fees starng at $200 per year. Transit Specific: No Improving Communications www.improvingcommunica ons.com Overview: Improving Communicaons is a New York based training firm that offers business wring, public speaking, customer service, and leadership & management training. Training Products: Offers several training courses in NY City. One in parcular, Wring

List of Alternative Courses 97 Like a Superstar, is a four hour course that provides clarity and correctness in wrien communication. Transit Specific: No Reference Material Langevin Learning Services http://www.langevin.com Overview: Self-study kit designed for training professionals who want to write clear, concise, and professional training materials. It shows you how to transform job-related knowledge and skill into wrien communicaon that is targeted to your audience for a fee of $499. Transit Specific: No Delivering Instruction: Classroom and Hands-on Source Details Washtenaw Community College (WCC) http://www.wccnet.edu Overview: Washtenaw Community College is a large community college in southern Michigan. Its programs in Apprenceship and Occupational Studies lead to cerficates and associates degrees in skilled trades and automove technologies. Current skilled trade clients include the United Association of Journeymen and Apprences of the Plumbing and Pipe Fiˆng Industry (UA) and the iron workers. Training Products: A course on Interacve Teaching for the UA Trade Instructor is designed to enhance teaching and interacon techniques for technical instructors in the classroom. It provides instructors with tools to more effecvely engage an audience, create individual and group discussion, structure classroom setup more conducive to individual parcipation, manipulate lesson plans to fit a set me frame, and to create student, instructor, and classroom cohesiveness, accelerang learning and comprehension. Transit Specific: No Center for Urban Transporta€on Research (CUTR)/Florida DOT Maintenance Training http://www.cutr.usf.edu/ Overview: The Center for Urban Transportaon Research (CUTR) at the University of South Florida is an internationally recognized resource for policymakers, transportaon professionals, and the public. CUTR also is the home for the Naonal Center for Transit Research and the Naonal Bus Rapid Transit Instute. Training Products: CUTR’s Transit Maintenance Analysis and Resource Center (TMAARC), originally formed as The Florida Maintenance Training Program (FMTP), provides several courses in seˆng up training for transit technicians in classrooms and labs. Courses are delivered through a mix of contracted services and in-house training modules. Transit Specific: Yes (continued on next page)

98 A National Training and Certification Program for Transit Vehicle Maintenance Instructors Naonal Transit Instute (NTI) www.ntionline.com Overview: The Naonal Transit Instute, at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, was established under the Intermodal Surface Transportaon Efficiency Act of 1991 to develop, promote, and deliver training and education programs for the public transit industry. Training Products: Transit Trainers' Workshop is a naonal event focused on training in the transit industry. Individual courses are also provided. NTI’s Training and Coaching Skills course provides instructors with skills to structure effecve classroom presentaons, improve presentaon skills, and encourage audience parcipaon. Transit Specific: Yes Associaon for Talent Development (ATD) http://www.astd.org/ Overview: (See Mentoring and Coaching above) Training Products: ATD’s Master Trainer Program uses their expert facilitators to help clients master all aspects of training delivery. The program offers a unique assessment-based cerficate that covers the enre process of delivering training, including assessment, preparation, creang a posive learning environment, facilitating learning, and evaluang learning. Transit Specific: No EDSI Soluons www.edsisoluons.com Overview: (See Mentoring and Coaching above) Training Products: EDSI offers a course entled Presentaon Skills. Course parcipants get to understand what makes a good presentaon and their own strengths and weaknesses regarding presentaon skills. This course is highly interacve and focuses on helping improve structure, voice, and content of presentaons. Another course on Enhancing Presentaons Through PowerPoint demonstrates the pros and cons of using PowerPoint to convey information to an audience. Transit Specific: No Reference Material MIT Training and Development http://web.mit.edu/ Overview: Training Delivery Guide addresses what makes a training program excellent, how the opmal delivery method might be chosen, and how are we, as diverse parcipants, engaged and inspired to learn at our best. Transit Specific: No OSHA, Best Pracces for Development, Delivery & Evaluaon, Susan Harwood Training Grants www.osha.gov Overview: Workbook provides best pracce elements to help grantees to be’er develop, deliver and evaluate training to workers and employers. h’ps://www.osha.gov/dte/shar-wood/best- pracces-booklet.pdf Transit Specific: No

List of Alternative Courses 99 Assessment and Process Analysis Source Details Center for Urban Transportaon Research (CUTR)/Florida DOT Maintenance Training http://www.cutr.usf.edu/ Overview: (See Delivering Instrucon: Classroom & Hands-On above) Training Products: CUTR extensively uses assessments to evaluate their course offerings and to measure learning. Course surveys are completed by each transit agency twice a year before each training session to assess what areas and topics should be covered in classes. Pre- and post-class tests are given to monitor student progress. Assessments are also used to evaluate instructor performance. CUTR has the capability to develop a course for this project based on the assessment processes it uses. Transit Specific: Yes Naonal Occupaonal Competency Testing Instute (NOCTI) http://www.noc.org/ Overview: NOCTI is a leading provider of high-quality technical competency assessment products and services for secondary and post-secondary educational instuons in the United States and around the world. Their services include job and task analysis, standards development, assessment development and delivery, scoring and analysis services, and student recognion. Training Products: NOCTI offers customized assessment soluons to meet the unique needs of a school, district, college, state, or association. NOCTI follows rigorous industry test development guidelines and standards to ensure validity and reliability for every assessment developed. By working with specific industry SMEs, NOCTI facilitates an assessment development workshop facilitated onsite or via web conference to save on travel costs. Transit Specific: No Associaon for Talent Development (ATD) Overview: (See Mentoring and Coaching above) http://www.astd.org/ Training Products: Evaluang Learning Impact Certificate is a three-day on-site or 21 hour online course where students receive a solid foundaon in all aspects of the measurement and evaluaon of learning and performance soluons, including making the shi” from acvity- to results-based learning and development programs, the basics of evaluaon design, Kirkpatrick's Levels 1-4, a brief introducon to ROI, communicang results, and praccal ps and considerations for making evaluaon work in organizaons. Transit Specific: No (continued on next page)

100 A National Training and Certification Program for Transit Vehicle Maintenance Instructors Standards-Based Training Source Details American Public Transportaon Associaon (APTA) www.apta.com Overview: APTA is an international organizaon represenng the transit industry for over 100 years. APTA members are public organizaons engaged in the areas of bus, paratransit, light rail, commuter rail, subways, waterborne passenger services, and high- speed rail. Training Products: APTA has worked with transit agency and union stakeholders to develop naonal training standards for bus maintenance and rail vehicle maintenance, among other technical occupaons and maintains a standards Website. Although a specific course is not offered, APTA along with the other organizaons listed in this secon below is qualified to develop such a course to assist instructors to integrate naonal training standards into local training programs. Transit Specific: Yes Naonal Instute for Automove Service Excellence (ASE) www.ase.com Overview: The Instute for Automove Service Excellence (ASE) works to improve the quality of vehicle repair and service by tesng and cerfying automove professionals. More than 350,000 automove technicians hold ASE cerficaons, including those developed specifically for bus transit. Training Products: The Naonal Automove Technicians Education Foundaon (NATEF), a division of ASE, examines the structure, resources and quality of training programs and evaluates them against standards established by the industry. These standards reflect the skills that students must master to be successful in the industry. The same approach could be applied to developing a course for standards based training in transit. Transit Specific: No Southern California Regional Transit Training Consorum (SCRTTC) www.scrc.com Overview: SCRTTC was created in response to the industry’s need for a trained technical workforce. It includes a coalion of 22 transit agencies, 14 community colleges and other educational instuons, and three private industry partners, based in California and Colorado. Training Products: A standard operating procedure (SOP) developed by SCRTTC ensures that courseware and instructors meet established validaon, cerficaon and accreditaon standards. SCRTTC has the experience needed to develop a course to encourage standards based training. Transit Specific: Yes

List of Alternative Courses 101 EDSI Soluons www.edsisoluons.com Overview: (See Mentoring and Coaching above) Training Products: In Extending and Deepening Naonal Transit Training Standards, EDSI helped the Transportaon Learning Center (TLC) develop a methodology to map courseware to curriculum and to address gaps in local courseware and training programs. This research has resulted in significant improvements in local transit training and a pilong of the naonal training standards. The same experse could be applied to developing a course for this project. Transit Specific: Yes Transportaon Learning Center (TLC) www.transportcenter.org Overview: TLC is a partnership of naonal leaders of the US transit industry that develops industry-wide soluons and provides support for local and statewide partnerships in areas of common labor- management interest, such as workforce development, training, and safety. Training Products: TLC has developed naonal training standards for six frontline technical occupaons, including bus maintenance and rail vehicle maintenance, as well as elevator-escalator maintenance, signals and tracon power maintenance, and bus operation. The experience could be useful in developing a course for standards- based training. Transit Specific: Yes Lesson Plan Design/Instructional Material Development Source Details EDSI Soluons www.edsisoluons.com Overview: (See Mentoring and Coaching above) Training Products: EDSI, which developed instruconal material for several of the APTA bus and rail training standards, offers a series of courses on lesson plan design, instruconal design, curriculum development, train-the- trainer, adult learning and other topics of relevance to this project. Transit Specific: Yes TLC Seminars http://www.tlcsem.com Overview: TLC Seminars has significant experience in building people skills with its presentaon skills, basic instructor, and advanced instructor training programs, and also in developing new or custom training programs to meet customer needs. (continued on next page)

102 A National Training and Certification Program for Transit Vehicle Maintenance Instructors specifically for transit. Transit Specific: No Training Products: Custom Training Development assists instructors to produce new training programs for new areas and upgrading exisng programs. Understanding that exisng programs can quickly become outdated because of new models, equipment changes or by their familiarity and repeated use, TLC Seminars can refresh or update any program to meet current trends and technologies. Transit Specific: No Reference Material West Virginia Department of Education http://wvde.state.wv.us Overview: Quality Lesson Design describes why lessons plan should be created, what needs to be included, and where to find examples of comprehensive lesson plans. h p://wvde.state.wv.us/teach21/quality-lesson- design.html Transit Specific: No EDSI Soluons www.edsisoluons.com Overview: (See Mentoring and Coaching above) Training Products: EDSI’s course entled Curriculum Development is designed to assist qualified instructors with developing curriculum off of exisng responsibility and task lists. Focus is on how to organize the information in a logical sequence and grouping. This is a workshop course where each parcipant will take part in designing a curriculum, therefore, gaining hands- on experience to develop curriculum. Transit Specific: Yes Curriculum Development Source Details Universal Technical Instute (UTI) h€p://www.u.edu/ Background: Universal Technical Instute (UTI) offers automove, diesel, collision repair, motorcycle, and marine technician training to 19,000 full-me students in the US. Training Products: UTI’s Custom Training Group (CTG) has worked with companies worldwide to develop special needs courses on a variety of technical training subjects. Training can occur at one of the campuses, or on-site at the customer's facility. CTG can tailor an exisng course offering on creang curriculum