The FAA Academy in Oklahoma City is preparing to offer a new way to attend class. Soon, students will be able to attend live, instructor-led training from their facilities using the online Adobe Connect classroom. Not only will this method promote Temporary Duty Assignment (TDY) cost avoidance, but research shows that when instructional methods are used in the same manner, online learning can actually produce better learning outcomes than traditional face-to-face classrooms.
To prepare instructors for new skill sets, the Academy’s Training and Evaluation Branch (AMA-023) is developing a Virtual Instructor Training (VIT) course, providing train-the-trainer instruction over a five-week period. Students learn new virtual instructor roles, online student engagement strategies, effective broadcasting techniques, lesson plan scripting and more.
To provide Academy instructors with a suitable place from which to deliver training, four Virtual Training Studios are now available at the FAA Academy on the Aeronautical Center premises. Designed to accommodate two instructors per studio, these rooms provide trainers a quiet space to deliver a high-quality broadcasting experience to their students. Each studio provides a “room within a room” design with sound-reduction features.
Jim Doskow, Deputy Director of the FAA Academy expounds, “The Academy is very excited about implementing another innovative solution that will drive down costs for our stakeholders. This new solution will soon be available to all of our strategic training partners and will help us stretch training dollars to reach more users.”
The instructional team can deliver training using either a Tier-I studio configuration, with professional dynamic microphone broadcasting equipment; or a Tier-II configuration using standard headsets. All studios come equipped with three server-grade computers, two monitors for each instructor, plus a flat screen monitor for instructors to observe the virtual classroom experience from the students’ point of view.
Instructors have the option to use additional tools, such as webcams, green screens, and Wacom tablets to provide a more visually engaging learning experience with their students.
The Virtual Instructor Training course offerings begin in early FY19.
