Running head: INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGY AND DESIGN FROM A MILITAR

Instructional Technology and Design from a Military Contractor's Prospective James Call University of Tennessee Special Topics IT 595

Interview date: October 30, 2012 Word Count: 1,311

INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGY AND DESIGN FROM A MILITAR Instructional Technology and Design from a Military Contractor's Prospective In 1985 when Mr. Jay arrived at his first Air Force assignment as an Electronic Warfare

Officer learning to fly on the RC-135 Cobra Eye at the height of the Cold War, he could not have imagined where his career would take him. The young officer with a Bachelors Degree in Industrial Technology from the University of North Dakota deployed all over the world - from desolate islands in Alaska to tropical paradises in the Pacific defending the United States against an ever-present Soviet missile threat. Nevertheless, the Cold War eventually ended and the Air Force shifted its focus from perpetual observation to training and development and Mr. Jay embraced a new role as a Flight Instructor. He trained and evaluated young aviators across several C-135 platforms and developed a robust resume as a military educator. It was this experience that led him down the path to his current profession as an Educational Technologist. I met with Mr. Jay in an empty classroom and after exchanging a few war stories we got down to the business at hand. He is a kind and talkative individual and was excited to be interviewed. In fact, he came prepared with his own notes on the profession, copies of the Air Force regulations that govern his work, and an example lesson that he had developed on Leadership. We started by discussing the company that he works for, Crew Training International (CTI). CTI was founded in 1992 by two former Navy pilots who were flying for FedEx in Memphis, Tennessee. They had noticed in many aircraft mishap reports and disasters in aviation during the 1970s and 1980s that there was a need for Crew Resource Management (CRM) training, which emphasizes the optimum use of all available resources - equipment, procedures and people - to promote safety and enhance the efficiency of flight operations (iChoice, n.d.). The training helps crews to identify risk factors and chains of error that lead to mishaps. CTI

INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGY AND DESIGN FROM A MILITAR started providing CRM training to aviators all over the United States and currently all Air Force aviators are required to attend the training before they can embark on a career in flight. Today CTI is government contracted to teach all phases of military flight training to the Navy, Air Force, the Royal Air Force (UK), and the Royal Air Force of Saudi Arabia on several different flying platforms including Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPAs). (CTI, 2012) Although I

was aware of the military aspect of his field, Mr. Jay surprised me by informing me that CTI also delivers risk management training to surgeons to help them navigate the high stress environment of operating rooms. The company hired Mr. Jay seven years ago, but his route to the profession was somewhat unorthodox. After retiring from the Air Force, he was working at a local hardware store atop a forklift when a former co-worker and CTI employee happened upon him and offered him a job. He accepted and, although it is an interesting story, he said this is not typical. CTI requires a Bachelors Degree for the position of Educational Technologist, but a Masters Degree is preferred and he told me that an emphasis in education gives the applicant a strong advantage. Prior military service is not required, but it is sought after. An in depth knowledge of the aviation community and the differences in military and civilian aviation, however, are paramount. The applicant also needs to have a Top Secret security clearance from the Department of Defense, but Mr. Jay said that the company will help to attain this after hiring. He had earned his Masters Degree in Human Relations from the University of Oklahoma, maintained his clearance from his prior service, and taught aircrew before so he was well qualified to begin at the entry level position as an instructor. From his time as an instructor in the Air Force, he studied learning theories, Instructional Systems Development (ISD), and course development at Flight Instructor Training so he had a basic knowledge of education. CTI

INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGY AND DESIGN FROM A MILITAR also provided him a paid membership to the American Society of Training and Development (ASTD), a professional organization in which he attended quarterly training and seminars. Five years later, he took the position of Educational Technologist, which he has had for two years now. As an Educational Technologist, Mr. Jay had to become proficient in a program called

Moodle, an internet-based online course creation tool. He said applicants must also be equipped with MS Word, PowerPoint, LeaderGuide Pro, and Visual Basic skills. Typically he spends seventy percent of his time working with PowerPoint and LeaderGuide Pro and thirty percent using Moodle. He rarely uses Visual Basic but uses it to create interactive group assessments. However, before he can develop a course, there are several levels of leadership that must approve the instruction proposal. He told me that first the Educational Technologist communicates a need for a new course or a revision to an existing course. Then the CTI subject matter expert (SME) and the Active Duty Air Force SMEs provide input needed to create the course and work closely with him in development. Next, CTI internal quality control reviews the material and forwards it to a detachment command at the Wing level (this is the equivalent of a regional office in business). Last, Air Combat Command (ACC) educational offices review and approve the course (ACC is the equivalent of the corporate headquarters of a business). Developing a course is a lengthy process which takes about six months and Mr. Jay sees that as one downfall of his field. As the technology used in military aviation is constantly changing, the courses must constantly change and evolve. He told me that the Air Force requires that courses be reviewed for accuracy yearly and if they are always changing it makes this

INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGY AND DESIGN FROM A MILITAR virtually impossible. Another issue with the dynamic nature of Air Force technology has to do with RPAs. Mr. Jay said that he feels confident that the profession will still be in high demand in ten years, but noted that it will be much different than it is now. He remains pessimistic about the future of older airframes like C-135s because the military is rapidly moving toward RPAs and unmanned vehicles to accomplish the same missions. He told me that the people CTI is hiring today will likely be developing courseware solely for RPA training by the end of their careers. This is a great challenge because all unmanned vehicle technology is new and it is hard to find people who have any experience working with them. Despite the seemingly negative outlook for some in the military aspect of the field, I left the interview feeling confident that anyone with a Masters Degree in Instructional Technology would be a welcome asset at CTI - with or without military experience. The two programmers and a graphic designer who work on his team have no prior military or aviation history and a newly hired instructor has a purely educational background. Although Mr. Jay sees the introduction of RPAs as the symbolic end of his era, he is well positioned to take a leadership

role in the future development of training for unmanned flight and with the branching out of CTI into corporate and medical training, the possibilities in this career are abundant. There are many challenges when dealing with technology in his field, but I believe that these are a blessing and not a curse. The introduction of RPAs to existing military career fields will increase demand for Instructional Technologists for years to come. I have a positive outlook for the necessity of those in our field and the opportunities available with a company like CTI. This was a very interesting interview about an exciting field in Instructional Technology and I hope that you enjoyed reading about it as much as I enjoyed conducting it.

INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGY AND DESIGN FROM A MILITAR References CTI. (2012). CTI. Retrieved from http://www.cti-crm.com/ iChoice Pty Limited. (n.d.). Crew Resource Management / Aviation Safety. Retrieved from http://www.crewresourcemanagement.net/

INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGY AND DESIGN FROM A MILITAR

Interview a Professional in the Field Questions

Job Overview What is your official title and job description? What company do you work for? What types of training does the company provide? To whom does the company provide training? Is it contract based? Job Requirements What education level is required for this position? What was your education level when you applied and what is your education level now? What design programs do you need to be proficient in? Do you need to have prior experience in this field for this position? Is a security clearance required for this position? How does one attain a clearance if necessary? Is prior military service a requirement for this position? Experiences in the Profession What programs do you work with to design training? How did you gain proficiency in these programs? How often do you use these programs to design training (percentage of time devoted to each one)? How do you design training? What is the general flow of a course from beginning to completion? What positions are involved in the course flow? Who are your Subject Matter Experts (SMEs)? Reflections from the Field Are you a member of any professional organizations in which you share your experience in the field? Is this profession in high demand? Where do you see the profession in ten years? How does new technology affect this profession? How often do you attend trainings or seminars? What types of jobs are available in your field? Do you have any examples of training that you have produced that you could share with my colleagues?