If you live in the USA, you've doubtless heard something of the furor concerning the new AIT/backscatter image scanners in some of our airports, and the contemporaneous development of "enhanced" patdowns--which many people have compared to groping or sexual assault. Outrage is high, lines are long, and it seems as though the Transportation Security Administration may finally have gone too far.
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That's right: their training methods apparently include no final assessment of learner capabilities, and rely solely on signed statements that the learners have understood it all. It also sounds like their recurrent training program consists of reading materials alone, without any sort of practical experience or assessment.
Perhaps an instructional design team could have helped them to avoid the current fiasco. (Yes, this is tongue-in-cheek, but I think there's also some truth to it. The way that agencies choose to support or ignore their training needs has lasting impact on their relationships with the public, and they need to pay attention.)
References:
Ito, S. (2010, November 17). TSA has no time to train its screeners. Retrieved from http://www.aclu.org/blog/technology-and-liberty/tsa-has-no-time-train-its-screeners .
After reading this, not only did I chuckle, but I thought of a recent blog article offered by MIT. Check out Computers Get in Touch with Your Emotions (http://www.technologyreview.com/computing/32429/?p1=MstRcnt&a=f). It's an interesting and related source in relation to what is being noted here. - Renee
ReplyDeleteHi Hollis, just a quick note to let you know that I am following your posts. Good luck in Project Management in Education and Training.
ReplyDeleteAndrea
Hi guys! Welcome! Renee, I enjoyed that article.
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