Section 5: Trends and Issues in Various Settings

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         1.    Rapid prototyping involves a working model of a project that is still in the planning stage. By putting the working model through early tests, the rest of the project time (planning and revision needed for the final product) will be reduced. Time consuming revisions can be done on the fly and those involved will definitely feel more ownership of the final product. For education, I can see this type of methodology being put to good use in a science class. For example, if students were studying the effects of an earthquake on buildings and the amount of force a building is required to withstand, smaller models of the buildings might be a good idea for the students to work with initially. During this stage, students can test out theories and learn about the strengths and weaknesses of different materials and how they should be put together. If changes or improvements need to be made, they are done to the prototype first, which is then retested. Once students are satisfied with the smaller prototype, the same features and ideas that went into to prototype can be easily transferred to the larger model.

Using a simulator for training

2.      2.    The full spectrum diagram shows “Skill Level” along the x-axis and “Rank/Capability” along the y-axis. Obviously for this training we would want a positive slope. The training target is high skill level and high capability no matter what the environment. This will ensure that there are no weak links. A weak link in a military setting can be disastrous and cost lives and millions of dollars. Since the setting for the delivery of training varies, it is important that training can occur and be effective in any environment. To ensure this happens trainers need to be mindful and know their students. Trainers need to know how their students learn best and under what conditions. One example in the book discussed cooks, many of whom were Hispanic, that had difficulty learning with computer-based training because they had limited experience with computers. Using a blended approach of computer training and an instructor proved to be more effective. For the scenario concerning being hired as a consultant, if technology is to be part of the training and electronic access is not always available, obviously something portable and easy to transport will be necessary. A cart with laptops or smaller netbooks preloaded the training modules and simulations would seem to be a logical solution. This way electricity will not be an issue (make sure you have good battery life) and training can proceed as usual.

3.          A staff development to introduce GSTE would begin with an ice-breaker where staff members would work in small groups and list those “core values” they feel are necessary to uphold in order for our school to meet its goals. Each small group would then list their core values. This would be the launching pad for ideas to foster these core values. These ideas would be written next to the core values. Finally, small groups would discuss the short term and long term activities that would have to take place in order for us to achieve our goals.

To introduce staff members to the concepts behind Step-Up-To-Excellence, I would ask them to talk about 5 topics:                                  1. What should be the motivators for our district leaders?

2. Should we think of our district as a whole system or as individual     schools?

3. Can we solve our own issues and obstacles?

4. What changes are needed in our district in order to achieve our district’s goals?

5. What human, financial, and technical resources are needed to achieve our district’s goals?

This would spawn healthy dialogue and conversation which would then lead to the introduction of the 5 Steps to whole district improvement. They would then see the sweeping effects and improvements that this strategy involves and how it works. I would present examples of other districts that embraced this methodology aimed at whole-district improvements and highlight the strides and improvements they achieved using this process.

4.      4.    The first university I was able to locate with information about faculty development was the University of Iowa. It uses the term “faculty development”. This department is under the Office of the Executive Vice-President and Provost. It offers resources and workshops for all faculty members, information about the Office of the Provost's annual series of workshops for departmental executive officers, and access to a campus-wide faculty development calendar. Looking at the spring calendar, all of the faculty development classes were over a two day period. There were seven different classes, including Engage: The Expanding Classroom, ICON Communication Tools, and SITA: Projects in Practice.

Next was Michigan State University. Its department for faculty development is called the Office of Faculty and Organizational Development and is under the Office of the Provost.  It offers MSU faculty, academic staff, and administrators seminars and programs on faculty and instructional development and organizational and leadership development.  Under “Faculty and Instructional Development Opportunities”, there are seminars and workshops (Spring Institute on College Teaching & Learning, On-Demand Online Seminars, Workshops for Faculty Leaders, and Programs for Academic Specialists), Cohort Programs (Faculty Learning Communities, Lilly Teaching Fellows, and Walter and Pauline Adams Academy for Instructional Excellence and Innovation), and a section called Community Building (Faculty Social Gatherings, Faculty Development Network, and Faculty Emeriti Association). All of these faculty and staff development sessions seem to be spread out over the entire school year.  

Lastly, I came across Armstrong Atlantic State University in Savannah, Georgia. Its department is called “faculty development” and is under “Faculty Resources” which is under “Academics”. It offers information on awards, grants, new faculty, and teaching resources. Under “Teaching Resources”, I found headings for Technology & Teaching (links for Virtual Resource Site for Teaching with Technology, The Visible Knowledge Project, Blended Learning, and Educational Technology Committee Blog @AASU), Faculty Development Seminars, Communities, and Roundtables, and Web Resources (Problem-Based Learning, Teaching & Learning Center Resources, and Professional & Organizational Development, to name a few), Website Development, and Podcasting Resources.