Building Institutional and System Capacity to Address Critical Issues
Submitted by pepnet 2 Program Specialist Marcia Kolvitz
Twenty years ago, my supervisor talked a lot about "state capacity-building" activities.
Hmm. I didn’t really get what he was talking about. I was a newly-hired training coordinator, excited about doing workshops, planning conferences, and developing new products. I wanted to provide information and resources that would enhance the skills of people working directly with students to improve the services students received. I didn’t think about how what we were doing would affect the systems in which we worked.
For a while, we worked in a parallel manner – he talked about state capacity building, and I developed conference agendas. Then, over time, my varied experiences helped me understand the numerous and complex relationships among what individuals know and do, what their institutions provide, and what the systems they worked in could do to support educational programs.
So if building capacity in a state was the goal, the first question I had to answer was, "Building capacity to do what?" Stephen Covey in his 1989 book, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, advised us to "begin with the end in mind" when putting a plan together. What does "the end" mean in education? For students, the end might be getting a diploma, continuing to postsecondary education or training, or being successfully employed. For professionals, the end is less clear because we have already completed our formal education and are deemed qualified to do our jobs. How do we know when we are we done learning skills and strategies? How do we cope with all of the changes that seem to be happening faster than ever?
For me, that’s the crux of the situation: Education professionals need to have the knowledge and skills to manage both a changing educational environment and a changing student population. pn2 can (and does) provide resources and activities that build the skills needed by professionals who work directly with students. But we need to go beyond building the capacity of individual professionals; we also need to look at institutions and the systems that house them to see what type of information and training must be developed to support and maintain individual development. pn2 is committed to providing services and resources to our stakeholders that build capacity within organizations and states to develop and implement effective, evidence-based interventions and programs that will ensure that young people who are deaf or hard of hearing are successful in achieving their goals.
That’s the second question that pn2 is now facing: How do we work with individuals, institutions, organizations and states to help build their capacity to provide effective programs and services that will result in positive student outcomes? Our model includes components in four integrated areas: personnel development, technical assistance, technology and media use, and research and evidence synthesis. However, rather than using traditional approaches to providing services, we’re looking at an array of strategies to expand our scope and serve the needs of a broader group of stakeholders. An individual service provider may have a wealth of knowledge and experience, but it can be difficult for one person to address tough educational problems. pn2 has recently broadened our focus beyond individual development to developing activities and tools that bring together colleagues with differing, perspectives and experiences who have developed evidence-based practices to address complex issues.
For example, pn2 has shared the results of the 2008 Test Equity Summit online. While individuals may use this information to increase their knowledge and change their practices, we also believe the supporting materials should be used to address policy and practice issues at state levels. This type of information exchange and resource development will grow over the next four years as pn2 launches several "communities of practice" that will provide a framework for colleagues to interact, address specific problems, and develop resources that can be shared with others.
Where are we now, where do we want to be, and how will we get there? No single person has all of the answers, but by working together and sharing the issues we face we can consider our resources and collaborate to build our, our institutions’ and our states’ capacities to enhance educational outcomes for students who are D/HH.
pn2 Offers New Approaches to Increase Institutions’ Capacity for Students Who Are D/HH
Submitted by pepnet 2 Personnel Development Specialist Christine Skocznski
You’ll be seeing the term “Capacity Building” frequently in this issue of the pepnet 2 eUpdate, and the concept is central to the pepnet 2 mission—so what does it mean?
Simply stated, Capacity Building refers to approaches and methods of increasing the capacity of institutions, professionals, schools, agencies, and other entities to deliver their products and services to individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing.
Support for collaboration among pepnet 2 (pn2) stakeholders and a new series of pn2 trainings promise to increase the capacity of institutions to provide needed accommodations for students who are deaf or hard of hearing.
Pn2 Online Training Modules
Pn2 is creating a series of online training modules that will be available 24/7 to improve stakeholders knowledge and skills relating to deafness. The first of these, Access: The Fundamentals, is a series of five modules that provide a basic understanding of hearing loss and its implications for communication and learning in educational settings.
The modules are:
- Deafness and Hearing Loss,
- People who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing,
- Language and Communication,
- Legal Obligations: Section 504, ADA, and Section 508, and
- Classroom Accommodations.
Intended for postsecondary administrators, faculty, and staff who work with students who are deaf or hard of hearing, the modules are also effective in high school programs, community rehabilitation centers, and employment programs. Access the modules online. Individuals who successfully complete the training may download and print a pn 2 verification of completion.
Pn2 Communities of Practice
The pn2 Personnel Development (PD), Technical Assistance (TA) and Research and Evidence Synthesis (RES) teams collaborate to foster and support Communities of Practice (CoP)— virtual associations comprising people, institutions and groups sharing concerns or a passion for something they are or do. CoP coalesce around an issue or idea that is important to their members and work to change or improve current practices affecting that issue. CoP create their outcomes through dialogue within the group.
As CoP take shape, the pn2 website will provide descriptions of their focus, contact information, and instructions for joining groups that match your interests and concerns.
Pn2 QuickClasses
In another capacity-building effort, the pn2 PD team is launching a series of flexible, skill-building eLearning training modules for service providers and consumers. QuickClasses can be completed online, combined with live presentations, or used in a classroom setting. By improving service providers’ professional skills QuickClasses increase the quantity and quality of services they can deliver.
pn2 PD instructors will facilitate the six- to eight-week classes, each of which is designed to improve the skills and increase the capacity of a specific category of participant. Our first QuickClass is for service providers who recently finished the initial C-Print training. (C-Print is a speech to text system schools use to provide classroom accommodations for students who are deaf or hard of hearing.) The QuickClass will reinforce skills the participants learned in their initial C-Print training and increase their capacity to provide this accommodation.
Other planned QuickClasses include:
- Mentoring interpreters,
- Mentoring new DSS service providers,
- Strengthening high school seniors’ self advocacy skills, and
- Planning for life after graduation.
Participants successfully completing QuickClasses receive Certificates of Completion. CEUs are available.
Learn more about the pn2 QuickClasses
First Module of the New pn2 Training Series
Captionists Eager To Put Pilot QuickClass Through Its Paces
Submitted by pn2 Personnel Development Specialist Cindy Camp
A new pepnet 2 training for novice C-Print captionists has attracted more applicants than the class can accommodate, indicating the high level of interest the fledgling pn2 QuickClass personnel development series has generated.
QuickClasses are online training modules facilitated by recognized experts on the class topics. They are designed to improve the skills of service providers, administrators, students, and others providing support for individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing. Participants receive top-notch online training (no travel necessary), at times that fit their schedules. Classes vary in length and structure based on content and target audience. Unlike many online courses, QuickClasses enable participants to interact with their peers and receive personalized guidance from instructors.
The C-Print module is the first of the pn2 QuickClasses. The class will be offered again at a date to be announced.
Future QuickClasses
Coming soon:
Other planned offerings in the QuickClasses series include:
- Mentoring Interpreters,
- Mentoring for New DSS Service Providers,
- Self-advocacy Skills for High School Seniors, and
- Choosing the Next Steps After Graduation.
New QuickClasses will be announced on the pepnetpost listserv and forum, and at pepnet.org
The possibilities for QuickClasses are endless! We’d love to have your suggestions. You can post your QuickClass ideas here.
Pn2 2012 Needs Assessment Survey
Join the More-than-1,000 Who Have Shared Their Experiences
Submitted by Jackie Caemmerer, pn2 Graduate Research Assistant
The pepnet 2 Research and Evidence Synthesis team is pleased to report that as of May 23rd, 1,071 individuals have completed the pn2 Needs Assessment survey. Thanks to all who have responded. If you have not completed the survey yet there is still time to make your opinions count before the survey link is closed in mid-June.
The data collected via the survey will enable pn2 to shape our resources and trainings to best meet stakeholders’ needs.
Here is a chart showing who has responded thus far. As you can see the majority are professionals who work with individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing, followed by individuals who are D/HH, and finally parents of individuals who are D/HH.
And here is a chart showing the 10 issues most important to respondents, based on the surveys returned so far.
Share your thoughts. The needs assessment survey guides our work, so your ideas are important to us—and to you. The survey link below will be active until mid-June, so you still have time to respond. Why not do it now while you are thinking about it? You can also share the link with anyone who would like to add their views on the resources, summits, and training pn2 provides.
Find the pn2 Needs Assessment survey here.
Introducing:
Van Nguyen, pepnet 2 Technology and Data Specialist
Van Nguyen is the pepnet 2 Technology and Data Specialist. She provides computer and database support to pn2 staff and researches stakeholder technology queries.
Her expertise includes multimedia development and delivery, database management, system configuration, data backup and recovery, application modification, troubleshooting and network support. She provides the technical expertise vital to the Center’s mission and her artistic flair makes the pn2 web presence attractive as well.
She provides nationwide consultation and remote technical support to pn2 staff and stakeholders on information technology, including software, multimedia, database structure and applications, and equipment selection. She assists the Center Director and staff with technological, programmatic and financial management support. She is an extremely competent problem solver and troubleshooter and conducts research to ensure that pn2’s technology is state of the art and fully accessible.
Ms. Nguyen, who is deaf, has a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science and has been employed at California State University, Northridge for 13 years as an Information Technology Specialist.
Marcia Kolvitz, Ph.D., pepnet 2 Program Specialist
Dr. Marcia Kolvitz is a Program Specialist for the pepnet 2 (pn2) Personnel Development team, where she shares responsibility for developing and providing training opportunities for stakeholders. Dr. Kolvitz also facilitates ongoing efforts to build state capacity to improve postsecondary retention, outcomes, and opportunities for students who are deaf or hard of hearing.
Her career has focused on ensuring that students who are deaf or hard of hearing receive the education and training they need to achieve their goals. Prior to her current position, Dr. Kolvitz counseled students in a regional deaf education program and in a community college setting. She utilizes these experiences when creating personnel development activities and resources for service providers. She has been with PEPNet since its inception in 1996.
Dr. Kolvitz received her doctorate in Human Ecology with a Human Resource Development emphasis from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. She earned a certificate in Post-employment Training in the Administration of Programs Serving Individuals who are Deaf, Late-Deafened, and Hard of Hearing from San Diego State University. She also has Master of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees in Communication Disorders, with an emphasis in Rehabilitation Counseling from Northern Illinois University.
