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90 A P P E N D I X E Checklist for Adapting Shared Training Selecting a course from an online catalog or shared from another source and delivering or adapting it at another transit agency can present significant obstacles that many might not be aware of before they begin. This checklist is designed to assist transit training leaders in taking the necessary actions to ensure the course is right for them and that it is implemented in a way that will create the most value for their staff. Instructions As you proceed through the process of selecting, adapting, and delivering the course, consider the following items and check them off once you have confirmed or completed them as necessary. If completing this checklist in a word processor, you can click on a box to place an âxâ on that item. Assessing Fit Many challenges that agencies might face when implementing or adapting shared training could be mitigated by ensuring that the course is a good fit in the first place. The following steps can help agencies feel confident that the course will work well within their organization. Confirm course material is in a format that can be used by agency instructors or trainees or can be readily adapted to a format that they can use. Confirm the course covers learning objectives that align with the training needs of the organization (see Training Needs Assessment and Selection Tool). Confirm that the course can be completed using training space, systems, and technology available at your agency or can be adapted to use what is available. For technical and maintenance training, confirm that the course material reflects the same or similar equipment (e.g., bus/railcar manufacturers) as that used at the agency. The type of service (e.g., fixed route vs. paratransit) can also impact relevance. For frontline training, confirm that the content, including examples, exercises, or videos, reflect the common experiences and characteristics of your agencyâs workforce and customer base (e.g., urban vs. rural). Confirm the course can scale to the typical/anticipated class size at your agency.
Checklist for Adapting Shared Training 91 Develop a plan that documents which aspects of the training will work as-is, which will have to be adapted or rewritten, which will not be deleted or used at all, and what new content might need to be developed to address gaps. For content that will need to be adapted or rewritten, document how it will need to be revised to align with the agencyâs learning objectives and identify internal or contracted training developers to adapt the content. For content that will need to be newly developed, identify potential sources for that content (e.g., other training within the agency, other shared-training content, input from agency staff). Then, procure the content or assign resources to develop it. Once complete, integrate all of the original content with any adapted or newly developed content into a complete package, including instructor and student materials. Review the combined training to ensure that it works as a coherent package and that all learning objectives are covered and appropriately assessed. Adapting the Delivery Identify any content that may require a different delivery method from that used in the original training content. For example, identify online material that will be delivered in a classroom or hands-on activities that will be transferred to an online platform. For all content that will be delivered in a different format, consider the following factors/requirements when adapting the delivery method: Adapting to Online Training: Additional time to create online modules (but no need for instructor for each delivery), cost for hardware (computers, tablets) and eLearning platform license, requirement for training software/web development skills, additional detail required in materials due to lack of instructor and/or opportunity to ask questions, difficulty in updating content as technology or content changes. Adapting to Classroom Training: Time required to train instructor on content, instructor time required for each delivery, availability of classroom space and equipment (e.g., TV or projector) to support expected attendance, costs for printing classroom material, the challenge of adapting exercises/interactive elements to allow for multiple participants, and classroom format. Adapting the Content It is rare that a course (or content within a course) from a shared resource can be dropped as-is into a different agency without at least some modification. The following steps can help you adapt the content to meet your agencyâs training needs. Conduct an analysis of gaps or âmismatchesâ between the current training and the needs of your agency. Any unchecked items under Assessing Fit can be a good place to start. Consider that some elements of the training, though it may not conform exactly to your agencyâs policies or system, could still be adapted to be valuable (e.g., presenting an example and asking the class, âWhat would you have done differently given our policies?â).
92 Transit Technical Training, Volume 2: Guide to Overcoming Barriers to Implementing Best and Innovative Training Adapting to Hands-On Training: Time required to train instructor on content, instructor time required for each delivery, availability of equipment (e.g., buses or train cars, simulators, or system mock-ups) and space to support expected attendance, costs and availability of supplies used during training, time to redesign activities/exercises to include hands-on elements, and observation by instructor or trained expert. Adapting to Blended Learning: Consider all of the above depending on which types of training are included. Develop the new content in the selected format and take any additional actions necessary as indicated by requirements listed above to prepare for delivery in that format (e.g., developing online modules or instructor guides, training instructor). Pilot the content in the new format and incorporate multisource feedback to ensure that it achieves learning objectives.
