Below is the uncorrected machine-read text of this chapter, intended to provide our own search engines and external engines with highly rich, chapter-representative searchable text of each book. Because it is UNCORRECTED material, please consider the following text as a useful but insufficient proxy for the authoritative book pages.
13 This guidebook was developed in parallel with the Transit Industry Course Catalog, which lists various transit technical training courses covering operations, maintenance, and more. This guidebook complements the catalog by helping its eventual host and end-users understand how to overcome barriers to implementing high-quality technical transit training and adoption of shared-resource training models. This section provides an overview of the catalog, its purpose, and the type of content included. Catalog Overview Transit agencies rely on technical training to ensure that their workers can safely operate and maintain the equipment and infrastructure used in delivering transportation services to the public. However, the tools, processes, and culture of transit agencies are evolving, and providing quality transit training that is cost effective is becoming a constant challenge. Changes in work- force demographics, equipment state, and technology integration have increased the demand for training, exceeding the supply in many areas. Compounding the challenges around increased demand are issues related to training delivery. While traditional methods are not always pro- ductive, the adoption of advanced learning technologies (e.g., eLearning, intelligent tutoring, interactive and simulation-based training) is slow due to change avoidance tendencies, a lack of knowledge on how to do it, and an absence of ready resources to design and develop the advanced training. Traditional training methods rely on classroom and on-the-job training, as opposed to other advanced learning strategies, because that is the norm and it does not require additional resources to build and deliver the training. The development of the course catalog aims to address these challenges by increasing access to training solutions across transit agencies of all sizes and improving other common issues inherent in existing transit training efforts. This expanded access to training resources will help transit agencies meet their unique needs and prepare for future challenges. Content and Structure of the Catalog Courses included in the catalog were identified through an extensive web search, a web-based survey, and input solicited from industry subject matter experts during interviews. Exhibit 5 presents descriptions of the data fields that will be included for each course in the catalog. When completed, the catalog will include training offered by the following organizationsâas well as many othersâand will have the capacity to have additional training added by these and other organizations over time: ⢠American Public Transportation Association (APTA) ⢠Bombardier Rail Control Solutions (RCS) Training Academy C H A P T E R 2 Connection to Transit Industry Course Catalog
14 Transit Technical Training, Volume 2: Guide to Overcoming Barriers to Implementing Best and Innovative Training ⢠Center for Urban Transportation Research (CUTR) ⢠Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) ⢠Learning Registry ⢠National Highway Institute (NHI) ⢠National Transit Institute (NTI) ⢠Norfolk Southern ⢠National Rural Transit Assistance Program (RTAP) ⢠Transportation Curriculum Coordination Council (TC3) ⢠Transit Maintenance Analysis and Resource Center (TMAARC) ⢠Transit Training Network (TTN) ⢠Transportation Safety Institute (TSI) A full description of the research project and related resources will be located on the TRB website. Role of the Catalog in Frontline/Technical Transit Training The goal of the catalog is to serve as a shared resource model that makes transit frontline and technical training resources more accessible and provides examples of innovative training within the industry. It is intended to highlight course information of proven and promising programs Data Field Description Title Name of the training course Topic Main subject of the training course Description High-level overview of the training course including knowledge or courses required of the learner prior to taking the training course; length of the training course; additional materials provided to administer the training course and/or to provide information to the learner Provider Host organization of the training course Transit Type The specific mode of transportation that the training supports Target Audience Learners (job functions and proficiency level) for whom the training is designed Learning Objectives Outcome statement that captures what knowledge, skills, and attitudes learners should be able to exhibit after taking the course Assessment of Learner Performance Is the learner's level of knowledge and/or skill measured after taking the training course? Validated to National Standards Is the training program designed to meet accepted training standards? Delivery Method Techniques and materials used to structure the learning experience How to Obtain How to gain access to the training course and/or URL of the training course webpage Point of Contact (POC) Organization/Name Contact name for the person or organization that should be contacted regarding the training course POC Email Contact email for the person or organization that should be contacted regarding the training course POC Phone Contact phone number for the person or organization that should be contacted regarding the training course Restrictions for Use What are the restrictions for using or sharing this training course (may include intellectual property or other legal or membership requirements)? Fee Price of the training course (if applicable) Notes Miscellaneous information about the training course Exhibit 5. Data fields in course catalog.
Connection to Transit Industry Course Catalog 15 in a way that can be easily understood and accessed. Ideally, it will help the industry over- come many of the barriers identified in the remainder of this guidebook by supporting shared approaches to implementing effective and innovative technical training practices. For example, by allowing transit organizations to access web-based training or even hands-on training delivered in their region, each organization can reduce overall training costs while accessing better quality training. Additionally, having a widely-used and respected catalog could provide opportunities for the best training developers and instructors to attract additional customers, identify common training needs, and improve and expand their course offerings to better support the industry. With support from a prominent transit industry organization, the web-based catalog could gain visibility and enable the courses to be improved via community discussion and collaboration. These concepts are explored further in the sections that follow.
