Tooling U Works for Both Company and School Based Programs (Part I)

Oberg Industries (Freeport, PA) has a long history of corporate commitment to training, particularly in tool and die apprenticeship. Their program is registered through the U.S. Department of Labor with both the associated theory classes and OJT experience delivered onsite. The coursework sequence is highly customized for Oberg's business niche, and the assumption is that beginning students do not need any relevant experience. For some time the company has been moving toward competency based instruction and a pay for skills performance evaluation system.

Safety and Training Manager Greg Chambers recalls, "Like almost everyone else in the industry, we've been hit hard by the economy the last three years and were due for a review of our training methods. Our continuous improvement plan already had us starting to evaluate alternative delivery methods, and the economy probably accelerated the process."

Geography and specific course selection make it difficult for company employees to tap into the chapter-sponsored classes offered through evening programs at local vocational centers. This problem increased when two of these sites were closed because of low enrollment.

Although Oberg is a large company by NTMA standards (500 employees), the issues they identified in evaluating computerbased training (CBT) are common to smaller firms. Questions like the following highlight some key areas of concern:

• Should we use CD-ROM or Internet delivery?
• What are the workstation requirements?
• Are there bandwidth limitations?
• How do we provide multi-site support?
• What level of computer competence will students (and instructors) need?
• How are tests administered and monitored?

There were some additional questions relating to the existing classroom instructional methods. For example, the instructors were not sure how to balance CBT and traditional classroom formats. Another point of uncertainty was when to introduce CBT. "Our internal customers were very skeptical about the value of using computers and were completely against simply having an electronic textbook," said Chambers. Answering their questions was obviously a key to building ownership of any plan.

The company developed an e-learning strategy with the following measurable goals:

• Overall program cost reduction
• Flexibility and control for shop floor supervisors
• Productivity improvement for students and instructors
• Benchmarking for progress checks
• Correlation with the OJT portion of apprenticeship
• Fit with company strategic planning process

After careful review and evaluation, Oberg decided to start by using Tooling U modules as part of their orientation sequence. Basically, new students are given a list of 15 core courses they have to complete plus they must choose at least five more "electives" for a total of 20 courses. Tooling U worked out a modified subscription structure that allows Oberg to purchase units of 90-day duration. Students are assigned a password ID and must complete the orientation phase within the 90-day time frame. This is a supervised activity at the company with students getting 1-2 hours of release time during their regular work shift.

Feedback from management has been very positive about the ease of implementation and management of the system. Individual student record keeping is automated with detailed reports available on-demand. And the instructors and students can interact through a proprietary email section that creates the feel of a classroom discussion session or individual Q/A exchange. Managers also give the Tooling U technical support staff high marks in responding to problems that arise with both software and content elements.

Two important outcomes have resulted that were not part of the original expectation. First, the weeks of e-learning activity allow instructors to observe work habits and technical strengths/weaknesses in students that a single testing session would never reveal. Students likewise get a chance to explore individual interests more thoroughly than previously.

Second, the instructors have noticed an improvement in "class" performance when the "online" learners enter the traditional class sequence. The common experience of online instruction develops a unified content background base and vocabulary so less time is spent getting everyone on the same page. Expectations of both instructors and students are more synchronized with the reality of the curriculum requirements.

What's Oberg's vision for the future of online training? Starting with a block of 50 subscriptions, they have now sent 30 through this e-learning experience. They are considering other ways to build this into their ongoing training program. One aim is to involve more advanced students in problem solving scenarios and authentic job related tasks. Of course this requires increasing the graphics capability and interactive options for the existing software package. Tooling U is working on ways to integrate this into their system.

Oberg also wants to offer non-technical courses to the incumbent worker population -perhaps supervision or safety related instruction. Obviously remedial instruction can be delivered through this type of approach, and documentation provided for the benefit of managers and the employees involved.

"So far our experience has been both rewarding and challenging for both students and staff," says Chambers, "but we all realize that we are just beginning to utilize the potential of online delivery."

Next month we'll continue this investigation with a look at how Gateway Community College is using Tooling U to enhance their Machining Technology degree programs. For more information about the NTMA/ Tooling U partnership contact Dick Walker in the NTMA Education Department or visit the website at www.toolingu/ntma.