WTI

Professional Capacity Building for Communication Systems

Primary Investigator Contact Information

External Project Contact(s)

Report(s)

There are no reports associated with this project.

Project Objective

The goal of this project is to provide training and build the professional capacity of rural ITS engineers and technicians by developing and delivering a hands-on rural ITS communications course.

Project Abstract

Transportation departments around the country are challenged to find, hire and retain engineers with sufficient, applicable, and up-to-date training. Enhanced workforce development efforts are needed to address many recruitment and training issues, such as rapidly changing technology, intense competition for skilled workers, high expectations, limited resources, an increasing demand on the transportation system, and an overall smaller labor pool. Specifically, the area of rural ITS communication systems is compromised because of the lack of professional capacity. There is a pressing need for a comprehensive training course on communication systems that will build the professional capacity of rural ITS engineers and technicians. For example, the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) has identified numerous training topics for ITS communications engineers, such as Telco and Plant wired communications, next generation wireless systems, and IP networking fundamentals. However, there are limited existing course offerings in transportation communications related to these topics. Moreover, engineers and technicians must not only be aware of what technologies are available, but especially how to best select, implement, and maintain those technologies. This project will have an educational, professional capacity building focus; the primary goal will be to have leading subject matter experts provide a hands-on learning experience for rural ITS engineers and technicians. WTI will develop, present and evaluate a pilot course, then develop recommendations for next steps (such as possible development of a full curriculum.)

Task Descriptions

1. Project Management
   1. Project management will include ongoing communication activities, an initial kick-off meeting, project meetings, progress reports and a final report.
2. Needs Assessment and Literature Review
   1. The project team will determine and document the importance of sustainable rural ITS communication systems training, the current availability of training materials, and the specific needs of Caltrans’ staff members. Team members will then conduct an analysis to document the gaps between existing training resources and the needs identified.
3. Course Scope and Sequence Development
   1. The project team will identify the content (scope) and order (sequence) for the rural ITS communications course that addresses Caltrans’ needs and increases the professional capabilities of rural ITS engineers for designing, deploying, and maintaining reliable and robust communication networks for rural ITS field equipment. As part of this task, the project team will identify subject matter experts who can serve as instructors for the course.
4. Curriculum Development
   1. The project team will develop one or more complete modules for the rural ITS communications course. For each module, the team will produce course documents including student materials, instructor guide, assessment tools, and lab manuals. At least one module will be pilot tested prior to full course development.
5. Pilot Course
   1. A Pilot Course will be presented to a select group representative of the target audience. Both participants and instructor(s) will evaluate the course content, instructional methodology, organization, and relevancy.
6. Evaluation and Feedback
   1. The curriculum package, along with the evaluations from the Pilot Course, will be given to the curriculum review committee for a final complete review. The project team will study the results of the Pilot Course evaluation along with comments, suggestions, and ideas received from the curriculum review committee, and then will recommend appropriate changes.
7. Identify Next Steps
   1. The project team will identify and discuss with the curriculum review committee the future possibilities and opportunities for this course and project, such as development of a full curriculum, alternative delivery mechanisms, or coordination with other university or technical training programs.

Milestones, Dates, Schedule

Student Involvement

False

Relationship to Other Research Projects

True

Technology Transfer Activities

True

Transportation Research Board Keywords

Rural intelligent transportation systems, workforce development, curriculum development, wireless communications

Partners

California Department of Transportation