Flipping Learning on its Head  

For most of us, the idea of a classroom brings to mind the familiar image of a teacher in front of a room full of students eagerly (or sometimes not so eagerly) waiting to learn. From one generation to the next, this classroom concept hasn't changed very dramatically. Teachers provide live instruction coupled with limited hands-on practice in the classroom. Then, additional practical exercises are assigned as homework for students to complete outside of class without assistance. This model has been applied universally from elementary classrooms to senior-level leadership courses. In the professional training and development world, most courses, even those delivered virtually, continue to follow a similar live-lecture and practice approach.

Stephen Martin

Today, however, government and corporate organizations face limited training dollars and disappearing travel budgets, while their employees struggle to find the time to be away from the office for days on end. At the same time, the rapidly changing work landscape and the need to prepare workers for new personal and professional challenges makes training and development a crucial component of any long-term human capital strategy.

So what if we turned the classroom upside down?

In a "flipped classroom," in-person class time is spent on practical application and hands-on exercises. Rather than an instructor, there is a facilitator who mentors and provides personalized support while students work individually and on teams. It's not a new concept, but it's an idea that is gaining momentum thanks to advances in technology making it easier to produce and distribute materials virtually. In the flipped model, the traditional lecture is replaced by audio, video and multimedia assignments for students to complete before class. Students are given access to these materials before the scheduled in-person class and can set their own schedule for completing them. Technologies like portable music players, smartphones and tablets make using these materials even more convenient.  

Once in class, rather than spending time on lecture, the students apply what they've learned through practical exercises and hand-on activities. During class, the facilitator is able to provide additional support and reinforce key concepts while students also learn with and from one another. The flipped classroom model is catching on in elementary schools, college and university programs, and even the adult learning space. By providing the "knowledge transfer" portion of a class as pre-recorded materials, less class time must be devoted to lecture, which significantly reduces the total length of in-classroom time required. In turn, this reduces time away from the office, travel days and per diem costs that are difficult to come by with today's busy schedules and tight budgets.

Read the full article here. 

Using Course Design to Educate Employees on Organization-wide Mandates 

Has your organization been mandated to adopt a new policy or practice? Are you searching for ways to train your entire staff on this new mandate, but you are uncertain how to go about it?

Creating a productive and efficient course design is not easy and requires self-analysis and reflection, whether it's a single course or a more complex curriculum. DAI has deep expertise in course design that can help your organization meet its important learning objectives.

DAI has produced courses that focus on training employees to develop soft skills, such as applying a new policy on the job. Recently we developed an advanced hands-on performance-based writing course that helped one of our federal clients meet the federal mandate for Plain Language, while combining it with client-specific writing topics.

It's critical to provide your employees with the resources they need to learn and grow together in an evolving climate. We believe that good course design results in a purposeful and motivating space to learn and we want to create that environment for your employees. We'll work with you to develop learning objectives for employees and present your content in a clear, concise and effective way.  

Learn more by contacting bd@dai-solutions.com. 

DAI Selects Community Service Events    

While many of our employees participate in charitable events and

Volunteers, including our own Jennifer Davis (rear, center) at the Chris4Life booth at the recent NBC4 Health and Fitness Expo.

• AIDS Walk Washington - October walk/run fundraiser to help provide health care to those infected
• Chris4Life Colon Cancer Foundation - Ongoing fundraising in search of a cure
• Thrive DC - Numerous volunteer opportunities in an effort to prevent and end homelessness
• Toys for Tots - Holiday gift giving bringing hope to less fortunate children