Welcome

Opening remarks and welcome by Bruce Aumack, IBM Solutions and Delivery Manager, and George Kozmetsky, EnterTech Principal Investigator, IC² Institute.

Mr. Aumack welcomed all to the IBM TeamFocus Decision Room and introduced our computer groupware facilitator, Carolyn Johnson.

Introductions of attendees

Update of activities

Deaton Bednar discussed project activities occurring since the last coalition meeting. Major accomplishments include:

• securement of second year grant funds
• completion of the instructional system design
• production of media assets in progress
• completion of program evaluation plan
• draft of model for learner referrals and supports
• addition of new coalition members.

Model for referral and support of students

Mindy Jackson, EnterTech Project Coordinator, provided an overview of a process model to support student success "before, during and after" training through: 1) program referral of students with requisite skills and readiness to learn; 2) support of students during the training program; and 3) referral to job opportunities and/or continuing education upon program completion.

The model addresses learner needs and barriers as identified in the Target Learner Characteristics Report.  By recognizing and accommodating learner needs in a holistic and supportive learning environment, students can be successful in the EnterTech training program and bridge their program success to better jobs, continued education, and sustainable economic futures.

A variety of referral sources will screen students for eligibility and to determine a good "fit" of learner ambitions to program goals. Using selection criteria is not meant to dissuade or deselect students but rather to ensure that the program is a good option for the individual, that the individual can successfully engage in the instruction, and that they are likewise prepared and motivated to complete program requirements.

Through individual screening, a profile of each learner's needs can be identified. Learners can then be connected to local resources.  Students must learn to manage the demands of personal life and work obligations. To address this life-work intersection, EnterTech includes instructional supports and informational supports for learners.  Instructional supports include a Personal Planner in which learners can identify informal networks of support, develop contingency plans for needs such as transportation and childcare, and create strategies for managing issues of personal concern. Informational supports include an electronic bulletin board system that lists local resources and that can maintained and updated by the students and instructor.

EnterTech also wants to assist learners in taking their next step upon program completion: that is,  that learners are prepared for job interviews or continuing education enrollment. To boost this preparation, EnterTech provides each student with a skills transcript - listing their performance accomplishments in EnterTech - and a portfolio that includes resume and references as well as work samples highlighting their demonstrated competencies from the EnterTech training program.

TeamFocus input on the model

Members were asked "What are your recommendations to improve the proposed model?" Common comments included: the need to develop strong partnerships with local employers, even "commitment-to-hire" relationships; conducting more profiling of individual characteristics, including affective traits, during screening; ensuring metrics are included in the portfolio and a key for interpretation; ensuring student confidentiality on issues deemed nondisclosurable by law; need for piloting to occur in small work groups; providing adequate support to pilot sites; tracking student completers through employment and receiving evaluations from employers . Common concerns included the fragmentation of referral sources and program sites and the need to include a control group in program evaluation plans.

Production update

David Palumbo, Vice President of Learning Technologies at Human Code, provided a quick update of production activities, including user testing, media asset production, and the database management system - or backend engine - for the instruction.

Next, Paula Wellings, the Lead Producer of EnterTech at Human Code, gave a walk-through of one day of instruction. The three-and-one-half hours of instruction was truncated into an hour long presentation that featured the five components of EnterTech's "integrated learning environment" or ILE:

1. Computer Program, Web-Based

• real world context for skills acquisition
• learning activities as simulated work tasks
• virtual characters narrate motivating story of success
• learner "decision points" control events within computer environment
• transparent assessment
• continuous feedback on progress
• individual student adjustments/branching in instruction
• online resources for just-in-time learning

2. Instructor

• role model and mentor
• guide learning process
• create supportive classroom community
• facilitate and coach group discussions
• assist with targeted remediation lessons
• troubleshoot computer and navigation issues

3. Group-Based Projects

• peer-to-peer interaction
• week-long projects completed in teams
• create products for portfolio

4. Personal Planner

• intersection of personal life and work
• define support network of friends, family and community resources
• contingency planning for transportation, childcare
• additional topics such as money management, paychecks and benefits

5. Learning Resource Guide

6. Skills Transcript and Work Portfolio

TeamFocus input on production

Three questions were posed to members.