e-Learning Sandbox Project

Are you interested in...

Are you interested in...

Broadening the use of e-learning in your professional development program?
Reducing training development expenditures by sharing of development costs among States?

If you answered, "Yes", to these questions, you may want to apply for participation in an e-learning sandbox using Adobe Breeze products and services.

What is an e-learning Sandbox?

An e-learning sandbox is an online space in which to experiment and innovate around processes for creating and delivering e-learning. The e-learning sandbox will provide the opportunity for States to explore, at virtually no cost, the use of online learning to deliver professional development activities to the transportation community.

The Federal Highway Administration's Office of Professional and Corporate Development (OPCD) and the National Highway Institute (NHI) are partnering with the Transportation Curriculum Coordination Council (TCCC) to provide a sandbox for the States to design and deliver Web Conferencing Training (WCT) and Web-based Training (WBT) using the FHWA Breeze infrastructure. You may learn more about Adobe Breeze Meeting and Presenter at the URL: http://www.macromedia.com/resources/breeze/

Why Should Your State Consider the Sandbox?

The increased use of e-learning will better prepare the highway community workforce by broadening the training audience reached. Also, e-learning has the potential to increase the sharing of courses among States thereby reducing training development expenditures. State participation in the sandbox facilitates exploration, without expenditure of State funds.

Who May Apply to Participate in the Sandbox?

A total of three projects will be selected from the New England Transportation Technician Certification Program (NETTCP), the Mid-Atlantic Region Technician Certification Program (MARTCP), the Western Alliance for Quality Transportation Construction (WAQTC), the Multi-Regional Training and Certification Program (M-TRAC), and the Southeast Task Force on Technician Training and Certification (SETFTTC). Priority will be given to NETTCP, MARTCP and WAQTC since the other organizations had representation in the Phase 1 Sandbox completed in May 2006. A State may partner with another State(s) in its region to participate. The training content may or may not be State specific. The training may or may not be NHI offerings.

Selected States will participate in the sandbox at no cost other than the conference calls used in conjunction with the WCT. The OPCD/NHI and TCCC are sharing the cost with the expectation that the participating States will become advocates for moving State training into e-learning.

How Will the E-learning Sandbox Work?

The three project teams' points of contact (POCs) will be provided training on how to design and deliver Adobe Breeze WCT and WBT. The expectation is each team POC will train the other members of the team. Real time assistance will be provided to the project POCs during their initial session of WCT.

How Will the States' Projects Be Selected?

A project team must complete and submit an e-learning Sandbox Application by the due date to be considered for sandbox participation. OPCD/NHI and TCCC members will select the three projects based on the following selection criteria:

Training requirements address the FHWA Vital Few and TCCC goals and objectives. (30 points)
Learning objectives meet the training requirements. (25 points)
Course materials already exist. (20 points)
The target audience and content are good candidates for e-learning delivery. (15 points)
The development team has depth. (10 points)

What is the Project Timeline?

States complete applications and submit to Debbie Gwaltney by August 11, 2006
OPCD/NHI and TCCC determine three States participating in sandbox by August 18, 2006
OPCD completes the train-the-trainer instruction by September 8, 2006
Participating States deliver at least one hour of training by October 27, 2006
OPCD/NHI and TCCC review and evaluate processes and results by November 30, 2006
OPCD/NHI and TCCC deliver final recommendations for scaling project to all interested States at the December 2006 TCCC meeting

Questions?

Please contact Debbie Gwaltney, FHWA/OPCD Knowledge Exchange Manager, (Debbie.Gwaltney@fhwa.dot.gov or 202-366-9379) if you have questions.