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TCCC Bi-annual Meeting MinutesDecember 7 - 9, 2005 Attendees:
Agenda TopicsWelcoming Remarks & Introductions - Howe Crockett - Federal Lands Highway DivisionDiscussion: Howe Crockett welcomed everyone to the TCCC meeting and introduced several new members (Ken Cox- FLDOT, Jim Feda - SCDOT, Pete Rahn - MoDOT, Dennis Rice - GADOT). Pete Rahn, MoDOT, addressed the group and shared a few welcoming remarks. Pete Rahn stated that he is strong proponent for quality programs such as TCCC and is excited to champion TCCC within AASHTO and other organizations. About TCCC - Chris Newman - FHWADiscussion: Chris Newman, FHWA, shared the following information about the history and direction of the TCCC for those who were new to the group. Please see the TCCC website for a full briefing. Priorities - Curriculum Development, Identifying training courses that need to be created or updated to meet existing needs, addressing gaps within the curriculum so that workforces are well qualified. Other Accomplishments - Curriculum Matrix Development, 16 new courses over the last 5 years, and a formalized business plan to direct the TCCC. Performance DNA Analysis for the Job of Construction Inspectors: "Finding What's Right to Fix What's Wrong" - Donna Anderson and Bill Beuter - VDOTDiscussion: VDOT's Construction Inspection Performance Analysis is an opportunity to share VDOT's experiences, exchange ideas and learn from others. The VDOT commissioner wanted to be sure that the impact of the training dollars that VDOT invested would result in the desired changes and improve the overall performance of VDOT's construction inspection employees. The decision was made by the Learning Center within VDOT to propose an approach using the Human Performance Improvement (HPI) process to capture the best practices of key performers. HPI is a process in which a consultant and a client partner work together to enhance and align workplace performance, in support of organizational or business goals. HPI finds what works and only fixes what is broken. Further is serves to identify best practices, processes, and influences. It also helps to remove barriers and obstacles in the workplace that hinder performance. HPI focuses on outcomes - "what do you have to have at the end of the day". HPI addresses performance improvement in 6 areas: systems & tools; work processes; information sources; learning & development; motivation & incentives; and talent acquisition. This change is needed to retain/maintain a strong workforce which is quickly diminishing due to retirement, shifts to other careers and shrinking project monies. In the early 1990s there were many 'buy outs' thereby decreasing the number of inspectors in the field in VA, while there was a significant increase in the hiring of 'consultants' for the construction inspection positions. VDOT has also found that the compensations for the job of the construction inspector (CI) at VDOT have not kept up with the compensation packages at similar jobs outside of VDOT. VDOT undertook the following approach in sampling their personnel to get a clear assessment of the situation within Virginia. First, 24 construction staff were identified as exemplary performers, by their supervisors, and were interviewed over a two-week period in September 2005. Of the 24 people interviewed 5 were 'key' managers that supported these job performers. Donna Anderson went on to explain that a validated process was used for the HPI process to uncover the key outcomes, work processes, and tasks performed in junction with producing the terms of the contract goal established earlier. The HPI analysis uncovered the facilitators and barriers in the workplace that impact the construction inspectors in performing their job. Some of these facilitators/barriers fell into the following categories:
VDOT used Performance DNATM, as developed by ASTD, to capture and communicate all of the influencing factors contributing to superior performance of the construction inspectors at VDOT, as well as to identify the current barriers to optimum performance. As mentioned before, they interviewed/observed 24 high CIs that are close to and/or meeting the goal of this HPI analysis, as well as their immediate managers. VDOT then compiled a listing of the "findings of these 'key performers' and developed recommendations for removing or minimizing the barriers identified by the CIs. Overall, VDOT found that much is working well, but much can be improved. The final report will be broken down into six areas and will include the following recommendations:
Update on Texas DOT Activities - Bob De La Rosa - TXDOTDiscussion: Bob De La Rosa welcomed the TCCC to Texas. He went on to explain that TXDOT is pro-training and has given them a large budget. Bob shared the evolution of the training within TXDOT which is broken into 25 districts with 15,000 employees. Since the beginning, TXDOT has developed a comprehensive program to address training needs. They moved from on the job training to a centralized program with everyone traveling to Austin, TX for the training programs. The State legislature began to question the amount of money that was being spent to bring employees to Austin, TX. Therefore, the TXDOT training department moved to sending 2 instructors to the individual districts to teach the courses. For the past seven years, TX DOT has outsourced the training to local universities and colleges. The largest problem facing TXDOT at this time is that the instructors need to remain current with the most recent codes/changes/etc. Within the last year the TXDOT has developed a new specification book and the trainers are now out of date and have to be brought up to speed, so TXDOT is doing a hybrid of training where some is outsourced and some is taught by DOT employees. TXDOT also conducts a lot of E-learning and Video training. They are seeing mixed results from the video training as they face challenges in keeping participant attention when they are not onsite. TXDO, in partnership with the local AGC, is also looking into translating courses and manuals into Spanish as they have a large Spanish workforce. The problem then became that some of those who speak Spanish cannot read Spanish, so they are now addressing the issue of literacy as well. TXDOT requires contractors to insure that their Spanish speaking workforce are trained well and that they take training that is offered by a qualified Spanish speaking instructor. Information Sharing - Council MembersDiscussion: Martha Monjo, SCDOT, briefed the group on the NTTD activities. The NTTD had looked to become a subcommittee under the AASHTO Standing Committee on Transportation Finance - the proposal for this action will be addressed at the spring AASHTO meeting. Martha Monjo stated that the NTTD will be participating in the International T2 Symposium. The monies from FHWA (1/2 of 1%) have been opened up so that States can now use training funds from FHWA for use with schools and colleges for training funds. Chris Anderson, IADOT, briefed the group on the MTRAC meeting that took place in Ohio during August 2005. Approximately 15 states participated in the meeting and received information on the TCCC from Douglas Townes. The MTRAC is currently working to update the course information that is on the TCCC website. They also identified volunteers who are working with the TCCC on the subcommittees. Susan McDonald-Osborne discussed computer based training. The States then discussed reciprocity and certification of employees. They discussed means of informing partnering States of any decertification of any employees or contractors. Chris Anderson informed the group that each State has its own certification process; however, they try to make reciprocity friendlier. ACI is accepted in most of the partner States. Jim Sorenson suggested that MTRAC consider creating a common certification program and one central database for any certified and/or decertified people. MTRAC is trying to put together a standard form for listing what their certification standards are. The MTRAC group had a question answer session that was very productive in discussing issues, such as, design-build programs and inputting AASHTO design specs into State training courses without a copywriting cost. Doyt Bolling informed Chris Anderson that each LTAP center has a copy of the AASHTO specifications that could be used, but the group concurred there would still be a copyright fee. Jim Sorenson suggested that Chris Anderson again look into developing an arrangement with AASHTO so that the material can be duplicated. The PCC Center is now the National Concrete Pavement Technology Center at Iowa State (http://www.pcccenter.iastate.edu/) and would like to participate in training development with the TCCC in an effort to avoid duplication. Garth Newman, ITD, briefed the group of the WAQTC - the WAQTC has been discussing the difference between a 3 year and 5 year qualification. During the last year Garth Newman conducted a study that showed that States that have a 3 year qualification program those States were requalifiying within at least 2 ½ years. After sharing the results, it appears that the WAQTC will move to a 5 year qualification term so that the requalification process takes place every 4 ½ years instead of 2 ½ years. The WAQTC has matured as a whole and are losing representatives. Therefore, they have determined that it is necessary to have a program manager to oversee the day to day activities. This program manager would be funded from the WAQTC pooled fund. Garth Newman also informed the group that the ITD has developed a resident engineer's academy by implementing a lot of CALTRANS' program. The ITD has gutted out the CALTRANS program to make it specific to the Idaho specifications and needs. The ITD program is 3 weeks long. It is comprised of three one-week sessions over a course of three months during which time they are sequestered from their offices and job sites. The Idaho Transportation Department is strongly behind this and allowed the employees to participate in the academy during July, August and September. This academy is currently being used only for ITD employees and does not currently include contractors. Jim Sorenson suggested that the ITD needs to consider having the contractors participate so that they have the necessary skills required to perform the job. Linda Hughes, WSDOT, briefed the group on the activities of the WASHTO meeting. During the WASHTO meeting Chris Newman made a presentation on the TCCC. There was extensive interest in the TCCC Bridge Construction Inspection Course. The main issues that are currently facing the WASHTO are concerns such as reciprocity and training. The main realization that came from the meeting is that the TCCC needs to do a better job of marketing. Jim Sorenson asked Linda Hughes to explore the possibility of adapting the WSDOT Pavements Guide to an online training course. Jim Sorenson asked if Linda Hughes could work with Dr. Joe Mahoney, of the University of Washington, to share the course. Jim Sorenson stated that he is willing to put some money to adapting the course as needs. Ken Cox, FL DOT, briefed the group that the SETTFQ is currently developing a quality conference to be hosted by Kentucky in Louisville, KY. The focus will be to bring the construction and materials representatives together. There will be one day of separate sessions and then another where the two groups will meet. They are also looking at bringing in national experts from organizations such as AASHTO and FHWA. The NETTCP and the MARTCP were not represented at this meeting. Lee Onstott, NMDOT, informed the group on the AASHTO Subcommittee on Construction activities. The AASHTO Construction meeting was held in July 2005 in Louisville, KY. Douglas Townes and Lee Onstott made a presentation on the TCCC and handed out CDs of the latest training courses as well as the matrices. The courses were very well received and it appears that the AASHTO Subcommittee on Construction is on board with the TCCC. The subcommittee also developed a proposal for an NCHRP study to review the value of the TCCC in each State in an effort to get more support to the pooled fund. This resolution was also passed by the Materials and Maintenance Subcommittees. Tom Malerk, FLDOT, briefed the group on the activities of the AASHTO Subcommittee on Materials activities. During the summer meeting Tom Malerk made a ½ hour presentation on the TCCC. Tom Malerk overviewed what the TCCC is and then also presented the Train the Trainer for Trainers Who Don't Train Video and then also described the Technician Instructor Video. They have made the video and course available to 18 States. Jim Feda, SCDOT, discussed the activities of the AASHTO Subcommittee on Maintenance which met in July 2005 in New Hampshire. Bud Darby made a presentation to the entire group on the NICET maintenance certification process and activities. The problem in the past has been that there has not been a great participation in the Maintenance workforce development task force. Jim Feda is currently working to increase the interest in this task force. Next year they are going to schedule two meeting for each of the task forces and focus groups so that they can cross pollinate and identify the training/workforce development needs of the other focus groups. Jim also discussed the Maintenance Academy that the SCDOT is currently developing with Clemson University. Jim Feda is planning to meet with Bud Darby in the Spring of '06 to discuss the alignment of the competency levels with the NICET competencies. Doyt Bolling, UT LTAP, informed the group that the LTAP is hosting an international symposium in St. Petersburg, FL. He also discussed the LTAP's efforts to develop a parallel group which he is hoping to bring into the fold. John O'Doherty, NCPP, discussed the NCPP's latest activities. They are currently working with FHWA to review individual State's pavement preservation programs and compiling information into a centralized database. The NCPP is providing technical assistance on the NHI project to convert CALTRANS' Maintenance Technical Advisory Guide to an online training course. The NCPP is providing technical assistance to this project. The NCPP is also managing the pooled fund efforts for the Midwest Pavement Preservation Partnership. The NCPP has developed two courses that they would like the TCCC to review and possibly bring into the TCCC product line.
Business Plan Update - Chris Newman and Laura Lawndy - FHWADiscussion: Chris Newman updated the group on the status of the business plan and solicited input from the group as a whole. He informed the group that the Geotech courses that were under development are now ready for delivery, so that 4 of the 6 courses requested by the Geotech Curriculum Committee are now in place - TCCC will need to contact Peter Osborn to establish whether there is still need to develop the final two courses envisioned by that group. The Construction Workmanship pilot course took place in VA in October and should be ready for delivery early in 2006. This course is intended for level two inspectors to bring them to a level three status within the TCCC matrices. The Bridge Construction Inspection Course is finalized and is being delivered by NHI, but distribution within TCCC is still being worked out. Ann Gretter suggested that the TCCC consider creating a train the trainer course for the Bridge Construction Inspection Course. Chris Newman further informed the group that there has been a kick-off meeting for a Bridge Rehabilitation Course took place in October and solicited volunteers to sit on the technical panel to review this course. Chris Newman discussed how future courses would be delivered (i.e. the contractor will produce 100 copies of the course for the TCCC). Ann Gretter informed the group that in the future the NHI website will support ordering materials such as this. The QA Technologist Course should be delivered by the end of December according to Greg Doyle, FHWA. During the summer of 2005, Chris Newman wrote a scope of work for Phase I work in the development of the Maintenance Academy; the action was held up in FHWA contracts. Those issues have now been resolved and the RFP will go out for the scoping work in February of 2006. The FHWA Office of Asset Management has allocated $200,000 already for the development of this 4-week course. Chris Newman updated the group on the financial status and the processes that he and Laura Lawndy are undertaking to release the pooled funds for use. Douglas Townes informed the group that the Bolt Fasteners course will be available again shortly.
Re-engineered ACI Concrete Transportation Inspector Training and Certification Program - Tom Malerk - FLDOT and John Nehasil - ACIDiscussion: Tom Malerk, FDOT, briefed the group on the development of a new course entitled Concrete Transportation Construction Inspectors (CTCI) course, which is a training and certification program designed to reflect the competency level of inspectors on concrete transportation projects. This includes all concrete infrastructures. CTCI is a comprehensive program developed for a person with considerable knowledge and years of experience in concrete inspection on transportation projects. CTCI has been expanded to include an associate level inspector who is relatively new to the field. The expanded version is designed for level II and/or III with the full version being directed toward level III/IV personnel. The CTCI certification remains unchanged and includes:
The Associate Inspector Course Includes:
It is not required to have the Associate level certification before they can get the full CTCI certification. The CTCI course was changed because the customer requested change because the existing course was not meeting the needs of the field. ACI circulated two levels of customer surveys to asses how CTCI was meeting or not meeting the needs of the users. The ACI Associate CTCI Certification program is expected to be available for delivery through ACI's sponsoring group network in early 2006. For more information on this course, please contact John Nehasil, Director of Certification, at Jnehasil@concrete.org or at (248) 848-2548. The training materials are available in a workbook that can be obtained through ACI. Technical Trainers may be available from ACI, so interested parties should contact John Nehasil. Committee Updates - TCCC Committee ChairsDiscussion: Course Development Subcommittee - Doyt Bolling, UT LTAP - Doyt Bolling shared the work plan for the course development subcommittee. The team is working with the Matrix Subcommittee to screen identified courses & sources that address SKA's of matrices at all levels for each category. The team is identifying holes in training courses & prioritizing needs for course development. They will update and improve existing training courses on a fast track basis. The team will also coordinate and integrate with LTAP/TTAP committees working on workforce & professional development. They will then forward all course development information on to the marketing committee for distribution. Doyt Bolling shared examples of the first steps that the subcommittee has already undertaken. Communications and Marketing - Douglas Townes, FHWA - Douglas Townes outlined the goals of the group which included developing a marketing and communications plan and to develop a mission statement for the committee. The team debated the pros and cons of writing the business plan in house or consulting out the work. In order to evaluate the situation they took the skeleton from the business plan, the input from the team's two marketing experts, and input from a series of web conferencing/brainstorming to determine which direction to go. Douglas Townes and Judith Johnson put together a skeleton marketing plan and expect to have a one-year plan by Friday's Executive Council Meeting. Matrix Development - Linda Hughes, WSDOT - Linda Hughes briefed the group found that there was a lot of overlap between the matrix and the course development subcommittees, so they have been working together to identify existing courses. The subcommittee is also looking to finalize the Safety and Maintenance matrices. Team is also going to strive to promote the use of the matrices so that people are evaluating what level the courses are being created to. Linda Hughes informed the group that there may be database problems to make it a bit more user friendly, so the team is looking on coordinating a database format that may fit with other groups that are looking to undertake similar tasks. Performance Measures - Allan Samuels, ADOT - Allan Samuels discussed what the Performance Measures group has been doing since the last meeting. This committee is developing measures to evaluate the performance of each of the subcommittees as well as the TCCC as a whole. The team would like to put forward a request to have the TCCC website updated and the database strengthened so that it can better track performance issues. Resource Advancement - Lee Onstott, NM DOT - Lee Onstott informed the group that they are moving forward and will be spending time during the TCCC meeting to develop a work plan. The Resource Advancement team recruited Dan Mathis, FHWA Washington Division in an effort to educate other FHWA Division Administrators. The TCCC has been promoted to all of the AASHTO Subcommittees. The team has agreed that they need to identify which States should be visited first, so Lee Onstott would like the other subcommittees to put together a listing.
Electronic Instruction: A look at Web Training, Conferencing, and Information Sharing - Debbie Gwaltney, FHWA/National Highway InstituteDiscussion: Debbie Gwaltney briefed the group on how NHI is utilizing web-based training, conferencing, and information sharing. Debbie Gwaltney led the group in addressing issues related to converting to e-learning and web-based conferencing. She outlined issues for change such as lack of qualified instructors, lack of calendar time, lack of travel dollars, and easy access to content at time of need. Other reasons for converting include learners moving through training more quickly and there is the ability for one-on-one time with learners who need additional help or need further challenge. Debbie Gwaltney further assisted the group in understanding what type of material to convert to e-learning to include the following: Excellent Candidate for Conversion: Can the course be practiced and tested online?
Good Candidate for Conversion: More difficult to practice and test online, but could use a blended method of online teaching with encouragement of online chats and then practice/test in a "classroom"
Poor Candidate for Conversion:
Another topic for consideration when determining which courses to convert is which learners will accept the change to online learning versus those who will not. Some good criteria for evaluation include those who:
Debbie Gwaltney then presented a cost comparison for eLearning versus the traditional instructor-led training (ILT). The average cost of new ILT training is approximately $25-50K per 6.5 hours. The average cost for eLearning can be up to $25-30K per hour for new course development in html/Flash, but can be reduced to $25-50K per 6.5 hours if using PowerPoint as the basis. Once a course has been determined to be acceptable for eLearning, a decision must then be made as to the online delivery method as there are two different types. The first delivery method is asynchronous through which everyone may learn at a different time, whether from the office or from home in his or her pajamas. On the other hand, synchronous delivery requires that everyone be online at the same time much like a traditional classroom. Two key factors that should be considered when deciding on a delivery method are the information "need to know or simply nice to know" and "must the information be remembered or can it be looked up at a later date". Debbie Gwaltney reiterated that the goal for online delivery is to slim down the training. Before eLearning there was too much content, training & travel dollars wasted, and learners were frustrated and often forget what had been learned. With eLearning the goal is to have just enough content, training dollars are wisely used, time away from the job is minimized, and learners can immediately apply their new skills knowledge on the job. ELearning courses should train personnel only on the content that the learner:
For eLearning FHWA uses Macromedia Breeze to convert and host resource websites, web conference training and web-based training. Debbie Gwaltney walked the TCCC through the conversion process and best practices for conversion. The best practices include:
Debbie Gwaltney reminded the group that it is very important not to confuse two key roles: Rely on an instructional systems designer to create overall design of training and identify teaching strategies Rely on a subject matter expert to supply the technical content (script) Following her presentation, Debbie Gwaltney informed the group the NHI is willing to convert 3 existing courses to eLearning at no cost to the State during a trial period from January - June 2006. She requested that the TCCC determine which courses they would like to convert and then provide the information to NHI, Debbie Gwaltney, by February 13, 2006.
Discussion: Delivery of TCCC Products: International T2 Symposium - Tom MalerkDiscussion: Tom Malerk briefed the group on plans for an LTAP Technology Transfer International Symposium that is scheduled to take place from July 30 - August 3, 2006 in St. Petersburg, FL. Further information may be found on the website at www.ltapt2.org. This is an international symposium on technology transfer and will be a compendium of a number of different training groups to include LTAP, TTAP, NTTD, and others. The focus of the meeting is training and resource development. The TCCC will participate in this meeting to discuss the curriculum matrices and their intended uses. Ben Gribbon informed the group that there will also be a strong TRB presence at this meeting. Further, the LTAP managers have set aside some monies to evaluate the TCCC matrices to ensure that they match the needs of the local agencies. Initial findings are that the competencies in the matrices are applicable to the LTAP agencies. Tom Malerk, FLDOT; Ben Gribbon, FHWA; Ann Gretter, FHWA; and Doyt Bolling, UT LTAP, will be at the meeting already. The group further discussed who should represent the TCCC at this meeting and the Executive Council will make the final decision at a later date as to whom else to send.
UDOT's Proposed Construction Inspection Training Program - Jeff Saddler, UDOTDiscussion: Jeff Saddler informed the TCCC about UDOT's development of a Construction Inspection Qualification Programs. This is as a result of UDOT moving to a 10% efficiency process which cut the workforce by 10% and combined the maintenance and construction employees. This has resulted in a staff of 700 who do not have experience in the construction arena. The program is designed to provide each transportation tech with a log book in which there are series of questions that the technician must have answered by the end of the program whether by asking an expert or by doing some research. During a process review FHWA suggest that UDOT have an IA component to the Construction Inspection. Therefore, Jeff Saddler is looking for input on how to cover the Independent Assurance (IA) portion of the program. Bill Beuter suggested that each individual be provided with a development book that must be signed off by the technical expert when the task is learned or accomplished (i.e. shadowing). Tom Malerk informed the group that there is an NCHRP project ongoing to establish IA Guidelines. In researching the IA Guidelines it appears that very few have an IA program. The guidance for this type of program is forthcoming. The legislation calls for an IA program for Materials and Construction; however, it leans more toward materials. Garth Newman questioned the need for an IA on top of the current construction qualification/certification requirements. There will be further guidance within the next six months as Chris Newman and Douglas Townes review the CFR to clarify the actual requirements of 23 CFR 637. Chris Newman further stated that if the clarification comes that there is a need for an IA program then they would also provide resources for assisting the States in developing these programs such as existing training courses and developing new ones to meet the needs. Bridge Coatings Inspection Course - Douglas Townes, Chris Newman, and Ken CoxDiscussion: Ken Cox also briefed the group on the current status of the SSPC Bridge Coatings inspector training course. FHWA originally took the lead in developing this course, but has since lost the employees who were driving the course after several pilot courses had been conducted. The States that had assisted in the development are now looking to FHWA to rollout the final course and the SETFFQ is requesting that FHWA assist in having trainers attend the meeting next month so that they can become certified trainer for this course. FHWA is now stepping in to have this developed into a national course put out by NHI and one that can also be put out by SSPC. FHWA is also funding a few State trainers participating in the January training session so that they can be certified. Chris Newman will review the course materials for consistency with NHI format. The SSPC (industry group) will maintain national certification. 2005 NICET Construction Inspection Steering Committee Meeting - Mike Clark - General Manager, NICETDiscussion: NICET is in the process of updating their construction/materials programs and are the verge of validating them. This used to be a general materials program and is now being broken out into separate lab and field components. In June NICET hosted a meeting to discuss the transportation and public works construction inspection to determine what the key issues to be addressed are. The steering committee developed matrices for NICET certification levels to include 5 levels with the 5th level not being an additional certification, but rather further experience. The next step is to get the development committees together and develop the necessary certification for each of the levels. Mike Clark explained that in the past the NICET products have been modular in nature. The problem that they have run in to is that the people who were interested in obtaining results of the certification exams had to go to several different tests to make sure that the individual was properly certified in all areas. NICET is now moving toward a standardized testing process with separate tests for specialty areas. NICET is also moving more to computer based testing in order reach a wider audience. NICET expects to have another meeting with the development committees with an expected rollout of the transportation series by the end of 2007 with levels I and II available by 2006. The maintenance certification program is in final stages of development and has been submitted to the AASHTO Subcommittee on Maintenance for review and validation. It should be ready by June 2006 at the latest for rollout. The maintenance program mirrors the TCCC matrices. The NICET issued a questionnaire on behalf of the TCCC to evaluate quality assurance in asphalt technology, which had a good response with a 143 surveys returned. Final results will be available in the near future. They are, however, learning that there should be an ethics portion to all certification requirements. Mike Clark presented a check of $5,000 to the TCCC on behalf of the National Society Professional Engineers /Professional Engineers in Construction. It is hoped that this sponsorship will be an ongoing one. Brainstorming on Business Plan Updates - Chris NewmanDiscussion: Chris Newman led the group in further brainstorming on the business plan to bring it to closure so that it may be ratified during the Executive Council Meeting on Friday. Douglas Townes suggested that each subcommittee assure that their work plans include a sentence such as that listed on page 19 that states that the "work plans should reflect expected cross-over involvement of the other committees, as appropriate." This was agreed to by the other members. Allan Samuels questioned whether the business plan outlines what the work plans should look like. The answer is no that it is up to each committee, but Chris Newman mentioned that he did have an example that can be followed. Chris Newman captured the recommendations by the committee and will provide a completed business plan to the Executive Council. The group discussed the pros and cons of separating out the by-laws from the business plan. The group decided to separate the by-laws, which Chris Newman will do.
Delivery of the TCCC Product - Tom Malerk, FLDOTDiscussion: Tom Malerk, FDOT, raised the issue of product delivery. It was extremely difficult for him to provide the AASHTO Subcommittee on Materials with the TCCC course information. The team brainstormed ideas on how to distribute the course information and agreed that the product needs to be made more easily accessible to those interested. One solution is that in the spring the NHI website will have a link to order the materials. NHI will look into making instructor guides available to the States as needed. Another option is to have a link on the TCCC website that might hook into the NHI e-commerce abilities. The course development committee will put together the requirements.
Website & Database Conceptual Ideas - Chris NewmanDiscussion: Chris Newman led the group in a discussion regarding the TCCC website and what needs to be changed, who is going to change it, and by when it will be accomplished. Currently, Laura Lawndy and Chris Newman have been updating the website on an as needed basis. Laura Lawndy is the primary contact for change on the website. The group decided that each of the subcommittees should develop a listing of changes or items to be on the website and then bring them back to the Marketing and Communications Subcommittee. The other issue that was raised was the need for keeping the website current and providing as much information as possible. The Marketing and Communications Subcommittee will take the lead on the website development, but will coordinate with the other subcommittees to ensure that all interests are addressed.
Coordination of Various Training Database Efforts - Ben Gribbon, FHWADiscussion: Ben Gribbon discussed the TCCC database and how the group should move forward with database. The database that the TCCC needs would include an expanded list of matrices to include the courses available for use from the TCCC, FHWA, LTAP and other partners. The database should include complete data on training courses (objectives, level, audience, tests, manuals, etc.) It should also review and link to competencies by level while maintaining a searchable online training database in more than 50 subject areas on 100s of topics. Meanwhile, a lot of the TCCC partners already have databases. Ben Gribbon suggested finding a means of pulling their information into the TCCC database so that we eliminate a lot of duplicative data input. We should also find a means of being informed of changes to the databases (i.e. addition of course/course deletion). Ben Gribbon further informed the group that there are other growing clearinghouses in the market to include national work zone clearing house, an LTAP clearinghouse, ITE Transportation Engineering Education, USDOT Professional Capacity Building Programs (PCB), and various libraries such as TRIS, National Transportation Library, etc. In addition to those that are growing there are also various existing clearinghouses such as NLTAPA, APWA, the NTTD, TRB, and AASHTO. Ben Gribbon mentioned, however, that a need has been expressed for a master training database. The issue that is consistently raised is that each group has different criteria for what the database should include. Ben Gribbon outlined possible concerns with a national database including data entry, maintenance, duplication of efforts and cost, as well as the different needs of each group. AASHTO has proposed an NCHRP research project to explore having a national database for training materials. This would be a $400,000 level of effort. The outlined training data coordination framework would include areas such as:
Ben Gribbon recommended that the TCCC continue to develop training lists, collect and review training data, and store data on courses that meet the TCCC competencies. He also suggested that we coordinate training data with our partners to facilitate data sharing. Further the TCCC should support and participate in the research to explore training data coordination, and encourage training clearinghouses to support data coordination, while documenting the TCCC's training data requirements. The next steps will include the subcommittees discussing the TCCC database and what it should look like. Ben Gribbon suggested that each subcommittee assign one representative to work with him on developing the database. Ben Gribbon will take the lead on coordinating the subcommittee representatives with Chris Newman as his back up. Ann Gretter should also be kept informed of progress. Doyt Bolling suggested that the TCCC find out which NCHRP panel has the proposal for database development and participate in the panel meeting at the 2006 TRB Annual Meeting. Doyt Bolling volunteered to participate in the panel meeting for TCCC. Douglas Townes questioned whether there is a policy about listing public companies on the website. The group discussed this issue and agreed that there is no known policy, but agreed that this is probably an issue to be decided by the AASHTO group that is proposing the NCHRP study.
Presentation of Subcommittee Activities During Break-Out Sessions - Subcommittee ChairsDiscussion: Course Development Subcommittee - Doyt Bolling, UT LTAP - Doyt Bolling informed the group of the activities of the Course Development Subcommittee which partnered with the Matrix Development Subcommittee. The teams began by screening the courses outlined by Marlene Patterson in comparison with the existing matrices. Doyt Bolling will be sending out the matrices and course listings to all of the TCCC matrices. The teams also identified 6 courses that they would like to see developed in the near future through NHI and will put before the Executive Council for consideration. These courses include the following:
The committees have determined that each subcommittee will meet individually every month and then will have a joint meeting every other month beginning in February 2006. The two committees established an extensive listing of items that they would like to have included in the revised website including:
Communications and Marketing - Douglas Townes, FHWA - Douglas Townes briefed the group on the activities of the marketing & communications team. Douglas Townes and Judith Johnson developed a marketing plan that was adopted by the team. The team was able to set priorities for the year to include a new Power Point presentation and marketing materials. They did not finish discussing changes to the website, but will continue working on it and will incorporate any suggestions from the other teams. Matrix Development - Linda Hughes, WSDOT - See notes from the Course Development Team Performance Measures - Allan Samuels, ADOT - Allan Samuels explained what activities the Performance Measures group undertook and how they would like to move forward and what items that they would like to track. Ideas include tracking at which conferences the TCCC made a presentation. The TCCC also discussed how to track materials that are distributed, whether this is a follow-up card to those whom information is provided or placing a small survey on the back of the course CD. Another idea is to solicit business cards from those to whom materials are provided so that an e-mail may be sent to them in follow-up after the meeting is over. The TCCC decided that this would be an activity that the performance Measures group will work with the Marketing group to do. Lee Onstott suggested putting a link on the TCCC website to a database in which the TCCC can log in conference/presentation information. Resource Advancement - Lee Onstott, NM DOT - Lee Onstott informed the group of the progress made by the Resource Advancement Committee. The team identified key contacts to assist in getting the word out about a new pooled fund solicitation as well as a mechanism for distributing the information to the appropriate State contacts. The team also identified key meetings at which the TCCC should be represented and began requesting volunteers for these activities. The resource advancement team also shared their ideas of how the website should be updated. Their thoughts included items such as a link to the pooled-fund information page and how to participate in the TCCC. They also recommended that the website be menu driven with a good sorting method and should be maintained/updated on a regular basis.
Finalize Business Plan - Chris NewmanDiscussion: Chris Newman requested that any final thoughts on the business plan should be forwarded to him for inclusion. Douglas Townes suggested updating the business plan to include division office contacts. This should probably be the construction person. Chris Newman thought that this would be a good appendix to the business plan, but did not feel that this would keep the business plan from being finalized. The TCCC voted to ratify the business plan, so Chris will bring the business plan before the Executive Council for final ratification.
Other Information
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