Module and Course Development Grant
University of Southern Indiana
Web-based Team Training Module
Abstract
The University of Southern Indiana (USI) is committed to addressing the workforce needs of its stakeholders. USI Extended Services and the School of Business propose the development and delivery of a web based team-training module for skill development of the workforce and for academic instruction of students enrolled in Management 305, a required survey course in management for students in the School of Business. Team skills are critical for today's workforce. This module will allow many workers the opportunity to develop the team skills competencies required in most organizations. The team-training module will be made available through the Department of Workforce Development (DWD), Work One Evansville, Career Choices. It is anticipated that the module may be offered statewide through all Work One Centers in the state of Indiana in the future. By offering this module via Internet and CD-ROM, individuals will have increased access to this training. The module will also be incorporated into the USI Management 305 curriculum. An amount of $14, 991.81, primarily for instructional development of the module and its initial Internet delivery, is requested.
1. Evidence Of Significant Need For The Module
Based on evidence from the business and academic communities, team skills are a key component needed for workers to be successful in today's market. According to a recent study conducted by the University of Southern Indiana President's Task Force on Workforce Needs, interpersonal skills, especially team skills, were determined to be an essential requirement for Indiana workers' success. Regionally, a Tri-State area study conducted by the Hudson Institute, a national research organization, indicated over 70% of employers rated the need for improvements in team and cooperative skills as high.
Based on data from the Department of Workforce Development, Work One, Southern Indiana region, we project that over 23,000 adult customers will have access to the Internet team module in the pilot phase. It is anticipated that the module may become available statewide through the Work One network to over 500,000 adult customers.
Career Choices Incorporated (CCI) is a community-based organization established to engage in activities that result in the creation of jobs and the fulfillment of individual employment needs, including the training of individuals to meet current and projected business and industry employment needs. The organization operates training and education programs, arranges for supportive services and provides case management to enable eligible persons to enter and persist in the workforce. CCI operates in partnership with the Department of Workforce Development and Vocational Rehabilitation in the Work One Evansville center.
In the USI Management 305 course at USI, over 350 students will use this module per academic year. In the future, the complete Management 305 course may be made available via Internet and become accessible to students nationwide.
2. Evidence Need Is Not Being Met
Based on information obtained from Work One, team training is not presently available to customers. Currently, no Internet based training of any kind is available, and therefore, this program will be the first Internet based training offered at the Work One pilot site in Evansville. In addition, the School of Business at the University of Southern Indiana is using no solely Internet based programs.
3. Consistency Of Overall Instructional Goals
The overall learning objective of the Management 305 team module and the Career Choices team training instructional module is to increase the team skills and knowledge level of the participants. The internet based delivery method is available anytime, anywhere to the participants, creating a environment that better responds to needs of the participants by eliminating the need for the participant to travel to a particular location at a particular point in time. The information that is traditionally conveyed in lecture form will now be accessible via the Internet. Instructional objectives are the same as in a non-Internet based method, but the mode of delivery is enhanced with the use of technology.
4-5. Stenghth And Breadth Of Institutional Support
The attached letters demonstrate strong institutional support. The letter written by Dr. Ed Jones, ISPE Working Group representative, ranked the team module project as a USI priority.
6. Instructional Design Plan
We propose taking the Management 305 course, expanding the attention given to the team topic, and introducing the Internet-based delivery method in the team module. The team module curriculum will incorporate suggestions from the Management 305 teaching team and Work One staff. The module will be piloted first in the Management 305 class, evaluated, and redesigned, if necessary, for use with the adult customers at Work One Evansville. The team module curriculum will be designed specifically for Internet-based use. CD-ROM delivery will be available to those CCI satellite offices without Internet access. The USI Distance Education department will work with the design team to ensure that the module is tested and is appropriate for the university's Internet delivery system and compatible with Work One Evansville's computer system.
7. Effectiveness Of Design For Serving The Target Audience
The Hudson Institute indicated the vast majority of employers ranked the need for team skills training for their workforce as high. The design of the team skills module will provide increased understanding of team dynamics and the opportunity to develop more effective teams. Incorporating adult learning theories into the curriculum and using the self-paced Internet-based instruction to accommodate different learning styles will better serve the target audience than the classroom lecture approach.
8. Evaluation Plan
Given that the module will be provided through both Work One and the Management 305 course, evaluations conducted immediately following the pilot of each program will yield information to be used in modifying the module for future use. The Internet module will contain an evaluation for students to submit upon completion of the pilot course, which will serve as a formative evaluation for the course developer for design revisions for the Work One module. Following each pilot, an on-line evaluation will be included in the module for use by Management 305 students and Work One customers. After the pilot phase, evaluations will be reviewed periodically to assist in further course enhancements and new module development. It is anticipated that many more additional team modules will be developed in the future. Results of the evaluation process will be shared with School of Business faculty and personnel at Career Choices.
9-10. Potential Contribution Of The Module To Other Efforts
The University of Southern Indiana is committed not only to the needs of the students of the university but also to the workforce development needs of the residents of Indiana. By developing this module for use by individuals in the business community, USI strengthens its commitment to partner in enhancing the competencies of Indiana's workforce.
This module directly relates to workforce education in Indiana by providing workers with basic team skills critical to their success. These transferable skills are of value to many Indiana employers. The Management 305 course is a requirement for all majors in the School of Business at the University of Southern Indiana. Management 305 has been identified as the course in which team effectiveness training shall be done. Team skills developed in Management 305 will then lead to more effective team performance in other courses, and ultimately in the workforce.
11. Marketing Plan
The primary marketing activities will involve the delivery of the module through the Department of Workforce Development, Work One Evansville in the Career Choices office. In order to reach the target audience, a print and media marketing plan will be developed by a marketing consultant. It is expected that print, radio, and a training showcase will be included. The consultant's expertise will be employed to increase awareness among those not presently served by Career Choices and to increase the number of customers using the team-training module.
Marketing Timeline
| August 2001 | Marketing Consultant presents plan to development team |
| September 2001 | Marketing Plan approved for implementation |
| Dec. 2001, January, 2002 | Begin Marketing for Career Choices |
| April 2002 | Evaluate marketing effort |
12. Timeline
| April, 2001 | Begin curriculum development |
| May, 2001 | Edit/revise curriculum |
| June, 2001 | Internet design phase Blackboard software curriculum |
| July/Aug, 2001 | Pilot program in Management 305 Course, Summer session #3 Evaluate & revise module |
| August, 2001 | Deliver revised module - Management 305, Fall 2001 |
| December 2001 | Evaluate module after course completion |
| Dec/January, 2002 | Begin module adaptation for Career Choices customers Start Career Choices marketing |
| February, 2002 | Pilot Career Choices module |
| April 2002 | Evaluate pilot module, revise |
| On-going | Periodic evaluation |
13. Module Development Personnel
The development team includes from the University of Southern Indiana, Nancy Kovanic, Ph.D., Extended Services, Organizational & Professional Development Group (Project Director); Dane Partridge, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Management, School of Business (Project Co-Director); Saxon Reasons, Ph.D., Manager of Instructional Technology Programming, Distance Education (Web Coordinator); Dana Willett, Media Production Manager, Instructional Technology Services (Graphics Contributor). The Implementation Associates from Career Choices include Franka Siscel, Executive Director, Career Choices, Incorporated, and Gail Knight- Williams, WIKY Marketing & Sales (Marketing consultant).
Budget Narrative
IHETS/ ISPE - Amount Requested from Grant
Salaries/Fringe Benefits
Nancy Kovanic, USI, Project Director
For curriculum development: module design and development; Internet curriculum development; coordination with School of Business faculty development and implementation; and Career Choices, with module development and implementation
Salary: $7889.54 Fringe $2385.59
240 hours = $10,275.13
Dana Willett, USI, Graphics Contributor
Funds will used for video production, digital camera pictures, editing and postproduction time for off-site and on-campus events filming for the module.
Salary: $622.84 Fringe $218.84
24 hours = $841.68
Consulting Services
Gail-Knight Williams, non-profit marketing consultant, will be contracted to develop and assist in implementation of the marketing for Career Choices. The marketing plan will include all print material marketing, promotion, radio advertising and overall marketing plan and materials.
Rate: $50.00 per hour
20 hours contracted = $1,000
Supplies and Expenses
| Computer zip drives (4 @ $25) | $100.00 |
| CD-ROMs (5 @ $25) | $125.00 |
| Curriculum development materials | $500.00 |
| (books, printed materials and printing costs used to develop team training module) | |
| Printing | $150.00 |
| (Xerox printing cost incurred plus instructional guides/curriculum plan and document printing) | |
Other Direct Costs
In order to promote the Career Choices team-training module the marketing consultant will have a budget of $2000.00 for program marketing. The funds will be used for brochure printing, flyers, web page costs, radio advertising, and other marketing efforts.
USI - Matching Funds
Salaries/Fringe Benefits
Dane Partridge, USI, Program Co-Director
For assistance in curriculum development, module design and development, module implementation and delivery, Internet curriculum development, coordination with other School of Business faculty development and implementation, and consulting with Career Choices regarding module development and implementation.
Salary = $11,488.21 Fringe $3431.54
285 hours = $14,919.75
Saxon Reasons, USI, Web Coordinator
For technical assistance with software and Internet development, technical coordination of the Management 305 delivery, and assistance with technical implementation at the Career Choices location.
Salary = $620.14 Fringe $239.90
30 hours = $860.04
Supplies and Expenses
Extended Services Computer and Telephone Charge = $221.66
School of Business Computer and Telephone Charge = $140.40
Appendix
Biographical Sketches
Dr. Nancy Kovanic is USI's Lead Consultant, Organizational & Professional Development Group, Extended Services. Dr. Kovanic received her Ph.D. from the University of Illinois in Human Resource Development. Nancy worked for over 15 years in private industry, holding positions in marketing and human resources. Prior to joining the staff at USI, Nancy was a faculty member for three years at Indiana State University, School of Technology, Industrial Technology Education Department. While at ISU, she developed curriculum for delivery for IHETS as well as teaching courses using the IHETS delivery system. Nancy currently works with private industry in the development and delivery of training programs and consults in areas of organizational development.
Dr. Dane Partridge is Associate Professor of Management at the University of Southern Indiana, specializing in human resource management, labor relations, organizational design and development, and change management. Dr. Partridge received his Ph.D. in Industrial and Labor Relations from Cornell University. Dane has 15 years of teaching experience and has taught at Virginia Tech, Radford University, and Roanoke College in addition to USI. He has presented management development programs on topics including employee involvement in quality improvement and managing workforce diversity.
Dr. Saxon Reasons, is Instructional Technology Services Programming Manager at the University of Southern Indiana. She received her Ed.D. in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of South Carolina. Some of her responsibilities include supervising the activities of the USI Learning Network, assisting in coordination of faculty technology training, and managing instructional technology programming projects. Dr. Reasons also has served as an adjunct instructor for the USI School of Education and Human Services.
Mr. Dana Willett is the Media Production Manager for the University of Southern Indiana's Instructional Technology Services department maintains and deploys presentation support systems on campus, creates multimedia tools for educators, and supports distance education efforts with technical support for web servers, video production, and teleconferencing. Multimedia content development for the Internet, CDROM, teleconferencing, or videotape delivery includes creation and manipulation of digital images and art, video and audio, and text. Dana is a graduate of the University of Southern Indiana with a B.A. in English and is currently pursuing a Masters in Business Administration. He has over 15 years experience in video and audio production, teleconferencing, and multimedia content development.
Ms. Gail Knight-Williams currently is an independent consultant for her own firm, Consult One. Consult One provides consulting services for profit and non-profit organizations. Ms. Knight-Williams was previously Corporate Vice President of Marketing and Development for WNIN Tri-State Public Teleplex, and Director of Marketing for the American Red Cross - Southwestern Indiana Chapter. Gail has expertise in marketing, advertising, radio promotion, public relations and staff management.
