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CHAPTER 6 REVISED CURRICULA AND IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGIES RESEARCH PROCESS The nature of this task changed somewhat as a result of discussions with the project panel at the conclusion of the peer exchange workshop. The clear directive from the panel (and workshop participants) was that the most important aspect of this task was revising the draft model curricula to incorporate the valuable feedback generated at the peer exchange workshop, with an emphasis on improving the coverage and quality of the slides and related materials. There was less interest in pursuing ancillary efforts such as developing detailed slide notes, student exercises, proficiency tests, and other student performance assessments. There was also a secondary desire for the team to do more work on outreach and exploration of methods to develop a mechanism for further updates, curricula dissemination, and related tasks. In light of this directive, the research team performed the following subtasks: ⢠Revise and finalize the model curricula slide content and related materials ⢠Conduct trial presentations of selected curricula material ⢠Develop initial proposed implementation plans The results achieved are described in the following sections. REVISED MODEL CURRICULA: A TOOLKIT FOR HAZARDOUS MATERIALS TRANSPORTATION EDUCATION The draft curricula modules were extensively revised following guidance received at the peer exchange workshop. Much of the revision implemented a strategy of designing the project output as a toolkit that could be used by educators to present hazmat transportation content in a variety of courses and venues. In fact, the entire set of material now has a suggested title of âToolkit for Hazardous Materials Transportation Education.â The most significant change was development of an entirely new module on hazmat transportation workforce issues, which was one of the primary recommendations that came out of the peer exchange workshop. Hence the final modules in the toolkit are: 1. Introduction to Hazmat Transportation 2. Hazmat Transportation Logistics 3. Hazmat Legal and Regulatory Environment 4. Hazmat Mode and Route Selection 5. Hazmat Risk Management 6. Hazmat Transportation Incident Management 7. Security of Hazmat Transportation Shipments 8. Hazmat Transportation Workforce Development Issues 56
During the revision process, considerable material was moved to the slide notes, and additional material was added, both on the slides and the notes. The revised modules are in PowerPoint format rather than PDF files. Users are urged to view the slide notes for additional relevant content. Five other notable additions were also developed. As noted in the workshop the term âhazardous materialsâ has many possible definitions, so a handout document was developed (see Appendix E) to assist instructors and students in reviewing meaningful definitions for the purposes of their respective courses and practical applications. There also appeared to be a need for a glossary of terms corresponding to curricula nomenclature, so one was prepared (see Appendix F). Appendix G provides brief introductory notes for the benefit of instructors and a list of supplementary materials that could be useful for many courses. Suggestions are offered for student handouts (see Appendix H). Also in response to workshop feedback, incident reports, reviews, and case study materials were collected and referenced in several modules. These materials are listed in Appendix G and are available online. TRIAL PRESENTATIONS OF SELECTED CURRICULA MATERIAL While the project schedule did not permit time for extensive presentations of the draft model curricula, the team did arrange three presentations of portions of the material, as summarized below. The principal investigator made two presentations as part of the TRB Annual Meeting in January 2013. At the meeting of the Committee on Transportation of Hazardous Materials, he gave an overview of the project, and previewed the content of four of the modules. Considerable discussion of the project outcomes ensued. In general there was broad acceptance of the research product, and several of the academicians present expressed a desire to use the materials as part of their transportation or logistics course offerings during the Spring 2013 semester. At this writing, it appears that at least two such endeavors occurred, including one where the instructor used parts of modules one and two in his supply chain management course. The principal investigator also spoke as part of a session focused on workforce development in transportation. At that session he presented a brief project summary, spending more of the time previewing the workforce development module. Some of the themes of that module were also part of the presentations given by other session participants, from which good leads for sources of cooperation in advancing dissemination of the curricula were developed. The third presentation was given by team member Dr. Martin Lipinski at the Freight Workforce Summit on February 5-6, 2013 in Memphis, Tennessee. That meeting was sponsored by the Intermodal Freight Transportation Institute (IFTI) at the University of Memphis, as a member of the National Center for Freight and Infrastructure Research and Education (CFIRE) who sponsored the summit. The Freight Workforce Summit provided an opportunity for private industry, public sector and academic institutions to discuss the growing workforce challenges facing this industry. Some of the specific discussion topics included what undergraduate students need to know to flourish in the working world; ways to continue educating current employees; and how to match the right students to the right jobs. As part of this program, Dr. Lipinski gave 57
an overview of the HMCRP HM-16 project to a group of fifteen representatives of academic institutions and industry. He presented the draft module that was developed focusing on Hazmat Transportation Workforce Development Issues. The group provided comments and feedback that was used to revise the content of this module. All three of these presentations provide good examples of the kind of outreach that needs to occur if the model curricula are to find their way into academic and executive education offerings nationwide. These types of early offerings would both expose the curricula to potential adopters, and also garner feedback that can be used for content improvement. IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGIES Chapter four discusses some of the primary constraints on adoption and use of the model hazmat transportation education curricula. That material was used as the basis for the extensive discussion during the peer exchange workshop of how to implement and sustain the hazmat model curricula. One of the key recommendations of the workshop participants was to institute a program of follow-up deployment activities involving stakeholders. Some of the ideas discussed as to how to accomplish this are summarized below. 1. First step: estimate demand. a. Consider industry and government needs. b. Performing a market analysis (Who is the audience? What is the demand?) will drive identification of the most important audiences and delivery mechanisms. c. One indicator of demand: there are about 7,500 Certified Hazardous Materials Managers, with about 450 new certificates issued each year 2. Tie the curricula to jobs, internships, etc. a. Encourage use of the toolkit within the educational element of internships. 3. There is high potential for deployment of the curricula, as the modules could be used with a range of courses in areas such as engineering, business, environmental management, public health, emergency management, criminal justice, and others. a. However, major restructuring would be required to mount a full academic program. 4. The toolkit is compatible with offerings in multiple venues and formats, including: a. single university survey course or module, perhaps initially a âspecial topicsâ course b. multiple courses c. executive courses d. offer continuing education units (CEUs), professional development hours (PDHs), etc., following International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET) standards i. CEUs are more difficult to implement than PDHs ii. Certified DG Professional may be an option for CEUs e. community colleges, technical colleges f. certificate programs g. focus on colleges catering to adult learners h. possible transitional course for career change and continuing education 58
i. for-profit schools 5. Consider on-line curriculum delivery, both synchronous and asynchronous. a. Webinars, e-conferencing, and similar venues would be good options, if appropriate sponsors can be found. 6. Pursue an analog to the EIT/PE model: a. education to qualify for first-level exam b. experiential component c. second level exam for certification 7. International courses, programs, certificates offer another possible model to follow: a. The European Union requires hazmat firms to employ a Dangerous Goods Safety Advisor (DGSA), a certification that is also available in the U.S. b. Dangerous Goods Training Association (DGTA) offers certifications. 8. Organize a peer group of educators to use, support, and enhance the toolkit. a. Encourage faculty sharing of lesson plans and feedback associated with using curriculum materials. 9. Support for deploying and enhancing the toolkit could come from industry trade associations, individual shippers or carriers, government agencies or non-profit groups, and educational institutions. a. A large list of potential sponsoring organizations was drafted and reviewed at the workshop. b. The peer exchange participants could be a resource for reviewing and editing this listing, to identify organizations, contacts, and champions. 10. Other specific deployment suggestions a. Look at AREMA Course 24 as a model. b. Identify organizations and agencies that may be interested in offering this for CEUs/PDHs. c. Present at hazmat committee showcases. d. Provide incentives to students (e.g., certificates). e. Align assignments with the type of offering (i.e., What is a relevant student exercise for a full course versus a partial course?) f. Make use of field trips, table top exhibits (touch and feel), and outside speakers. g. Introduce hazmat as a topic for student presentations and competitions at national professional meetings. h. Consider copyrights vs. open source site. i. Target the segment of the work force that needs this education now. j. Use social media to publicize the toolkit and various offerings. 59
