Project Title: U.S. Trustee Program - New Employee Orientation

Transcription

1 Project Title: U.S. Trustee Program - New Employee Orientation Executive Office of U.S. Trustees Client Organization Jeffrey M. Miller, Associate Director Client name Donald F. Walton, Deputy Director Client name Clifford J. White, Director Client name National Bankruptcy Training Institute Instructional Designer Issued by Melinda D. Moore Date Contact Tel: Fax: Melinda.Moore@usdoj.gov Reproduced loosely - from Web-Based Training, Second Edition by Margaret Driscoll.

2 Table of Contents 2 Executive Summary... 3 Introduction... 4 Background... 4 Opportunity Statement... 4 Audience... 4 Course Content... 4 Goals and Objectives (at the course level)... 4 Media Analysis... 5 Learning Design - at the Course Level... 6 Theoretical Background... 6 Subject Matter Content Representation... 6 Student Interaction with Course Content... 6 Interaction among Students... 6 Assessment Strategies... 6 Feedback... 6 Module Design/Outline... 7 Lesson Title... 7 Learning Outcomes... 7 Course Resources... 7 Individual Activities... 7 Group Activities (if applicable)... 7 Assessment... 7 Discussion/Interaction... 7 WebTycho Check List... 8

3 3 Executive Summary The purpose of new employee orientation (NEO) is to welcome new employees, familiarize them with the organization, their jobs and tasks, and to explain Program mission, priorities, policies, procedures, and benefits. Studies show that formal orientation programs are effective in retaining and motivating employees, reducing turnover, and increasing productivity (Bevin, Barber, & Robinson, 1997, p. 28). Although each U.S. Trustee Program (USTP) regional office may have internal, informal mechanisms to provide new employees with pertinent organizational information, the USTP currently has no formal NEO training. A new employee s first impression and interaction with an organization can have lasting effects on their career with the agency. Given this potential impact, it is essential that the USTP provide new employees with some form of organized NEO to ensure quality orientation, preserve uniformity in training, and equip employees with accurate and helpful information. The USTP new employee orientation would be delivered using an electronic and automated learning format. The training will consist of web-based tutorials providing general information to new employees. Established principles of adult learning show that effective training and education of adults must include opportunities for participants to interact with the presenter, test the skills they are learning, and for material to be relevant and practical (Morrison, Ross, & Kemp, 2007, p. 61). With that in mind, an interactive or synchronous session along with scenario-based units will be included as part of the web-based tutorials. Introduction This training will be designed to acquaint new employees with the general aspects of the federal government and the U.S. Trustee organization and operation, as well as to provide

4 training support to perform their particular jobs more effectively. The overall purpose of the 4 program is to increase the employee s effectiveness, efficiency and job satisfaction. Background The United States Trustee Program is the component of the Department of Justice responsible for overseeing the administration of bankruptcy cases and private trustees under 28 U.S.C. 586 and 11 U.S.C. 101, et seq. It consists of an Executive Office for U.S. Trustees in Washington, DC; 21 regional U.S. Trustees; and 95 field offices. The program has over 1,400 employees who, for the most part, work an 8-hour day shift Monday through Friday. Although the organization currently does not have a NEO program, senior management appreciates the value of such a program and has tasked the organization s training unit, the National Bankruptcy Training Institute (NBTI) with developing a training module for their review. The USTP, as with many other federal agencies is experiencing budget cuts and anticipates funds for training to be more limited in future fiscal years. Because employees are located nationwide, it would be cost prohibitive to arrange for new employees to travel to the organization s training center located in Columbia, South Carolina. Additionally, because the organization is small and turnover of employees is limited, scheduling of residential programs would be difficult. Several months could pass before a group of new employees would be available to schedule a program, thus creating an extended wait training time for many of the new employees. Organizational leadership and the training department agree that distance education is a viable solution given the geographic location of employees and the reduction in future training budgets.

5 The Program currently has video teleconference (VTC) technology and access to a television/video recording studio. Although VTC technology is a workable option, it does not allow scheduling flexibility for the employee or the instructor/presenter and the Program has experienced problems with the quality of presentation and reliability of the technology. Additionally, the use of the equipment requires some training and there are associated recurring usage fees for each call. The use of the television/video recording studio requires the instructors/presenters to travel to Columbia, South Carolina for production and filming. As with VTC, there are numerous additional costs associated with the production, copying, and distribution of videos or digital video discs (DVDs). The video or DVD option also does not allow any synchronous or real time discussion opportunities. Given these facts, the NBTI has selected web-based modules for the new employee orientation program. The NBTI is trained and staffed to support web-based tutorial production. The required software costs are minimal and the Department of Justice s network infrastructure is capable of supporting this delivery method. Web-based tutorials can also be expanded to include synchronous live interaction or web meeting/webinar type events. Opportunity Statement / Problem Analysis The USTP currently does not have a formal new employee orientation. Additionally, the Department of Justice s Office of Legal Programs has determined the USTP does not have any documents that qualify as significant policy guidance as defined by President s Office of Management and Budget Final Bulletin for Agency Good Guidance Practices. The implementation of a new orientation program would have a multifaceted function of providing a Reproduced loosely - from Web-Based Training, Second Edition by Margaret Driscoll.

6 quality service to new employees and also serving as a platform for the Program to disseminate significant policy guidance. 6 Audience / Target Population Analysis The NBTI provides instruction to a diverse target audience of DOJ attorneys, Assistant U.S. Trustees and support personnel from 95 U.S. Trustee offices located nationwide. The NBTI also offers a limited number of programs to attorney and support personnel from other organizations within the federal legal community. When selecting technology in education, it is important to recognize the needs, as well as the demographics of the target audience (Bates and Poole, 2005, p. 81). The NBTI has an advantage in this aspect, because attorneys and many support personnel students have higher education and/or established study skills, and therefore, require limited support for programs delivered through the use of technology. Additionally, the very nature of work involving federal litigation demands flexibility in the scheduling of educational programs. For these reasons, web-based technology is appropriate and appealing to NBTI distance education students. Course Content The course materials will consist of a general overview of Program policies and procedures that govern the day-to-day functions of U.S. Trustee program and federal government. Although not a complete guide to all policies and procedures, the materials will provide answers to many new employee questions about their offices, systems, personal responsibilities, and the benefits of working for the Department of Justice and the federal government.

7 Goals and Objectives (at the course level) The main objective is to have an effective and consistent orientation program that provides an overview of employee programs and benefits, the mission, vision and strategic plan of the U.S. Trustee Program, the function and responsibilities of specific duty positions, and the conditions of federal employment. Course Objectives: 1. Program Overview: Upon completion of new employee orientation training the employee will gain awareness and understanding of the U.S. Trustee Program s core purpose, values, and vision, mission, and be able to identify current key issues. 2. Position Information: Upon completion of new employee orientation training the employee will gain understanding of what is expected of them in their jobs in terms of their duties, responsibilities, and performance. 3. Administrative Procedures: Upon completion of new employee orientation training the employee will be able to identify the procedures to follow to complete general office administrative functions. 4. Policies: Upon completion of new employee orientation training the employee will gain awareness and understanding of the key policies regarding federal employment with the U.S. Trustee program. 5. Technology/Data Security: Upon completion of the new employee orientation training the employee will gain awareness and understanding of hardware and software available in a U.S. Trustee office and also be able to identify the authorized procedures and practices regarding the use of such equipment. 6. Compensation and Benefits: Upon completion of the new employee orientation training the employee will review their compensation and benefits information and complete all required paperwork to facilitate payment and benefits processing. 7. Health and Safety Services: Upon completion of the new employee orientation training the employee will gain awareness and understanding of the health and safety services available and will also be able to identify the procedures to request such services. Media Analysis The World Wide Web potentially offers a nationwide forum in which to teach the new employee orientation program. The course material can be updated and course text, examples and exercises can be interactive. A Web-based learning model is essentially free from Reproduced loosely - from Web-Based Training, Second Edition by Margaret Driscoll.

8 8 limitations of space and time. The NBTI recommends the purchase and use of Adobe Captivate and Presenter. Adobe Captivate is a tool designed to enable the creation of software simulations and demonstrations. Adobe Captivate is a complementary technology, and its multi-media content can be managed and made accessible by Adobe Presenter/Connect Enterprise Servers. The combination of Adobe Captivate multimedia content with Adobe Presenter web communications, which supports discussion forums using an asynchronous format through archived postings and threads, and a synchronous format through instant chat and web meeting features which include audio and video capabilities, will prove beneficial, as student-to-student interaction enhances both communication skills, which are a critical part of the learning process, and learning capacity, by exposing employees to the ideas of others and alternative ways of thinking (Anderson, 2003, p. 134; Dewey, 1916, as cited by Anderson, 2003, p. 134). Additionally, asynchronous communications allow for flexibility in schedule and provided individuals more time to reflect on the discussion, while synchronous discussion allows for instantaneous feedback and makes participants feel that they are part of a learning community.

9 References Anderson, T. (2003). Modes of interaction in distance education: Recent developments and research questions. In M. G. Moore & W. G. Anderson (Eds.), Handbook of distance education (pp ). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers. Bates, A.W. & Poole, G. (2003). Effective Teaching with Technology in Higher Education: Foundations for success. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Bevin, S., Barber, L., & Robinson, D. (1997). Keeping the Best: A Practical Guide to Retaining Key Employees. (Institute for Employment Studies Rep. IES-R-337). Retrieved June 12, 2007 from EBSCOhost database. Morrison, G.R., S. Ross, & J. E. Kemp. (2007). Designing effective instruction. (5th ed) New York: John Wiley and Sons. Reproduced loosely - from Web-Based Training, Second Edition by Margaret Driscoll.