Rapid Online Training Delivery in Response to COVID-19 Teleworking

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The National Air Pollution Training Program's Joint Training Committee (JTC) recognizes the need for access to online adult learning resources during the teleworking phase of the COVID-19 response. With the majority of state/local air agency staff working from home, training is an opportunity to keep these staff engaged in their work, take advantage of any available staff time, and make substantive progress in training staff during these abnormal times.

The JTC Steering Committee is currently working on the following items to deliver timely online training opportunities for air agency staff during the COVID-19 outbreak.

While the push to quickly develop online training capacity in the National Air Pollution Training Program is motivated by the need to engage the large number of air agency staff who are currently teleworking, the JTC envisions the progress made on remote training through this effort will extend beyond the health crisis.

APTI-Learn Webinars

The U.S. EPA uses the Air Pollution Training Institute Learn (APTI-Learn) Learning Management System (LMS) for managing training content delivery to state/local air agency staff. The APTI-Learn system includes free, online self-instructional (SI) courses in several curriculum areas relevant to air quality management. The JTC is organizing brief introductory webinars for air agency staff on how to access the SI content on APTI-Learn. Up to two webinars will be offered by U.S. EPA staff in early to mid-April covering the following topics. These webinars will be recorded for air agency staff who can't attend the live webinars.

  • Introduction to APTI-Learn: What is it, who’s it for, and how do you get there?
  • Navigation: Orientation to the APTI-Learn website, how to find courses, and understanding topic areas/curricula
  • Accessing Online Content/Format: How to access online course materials; Types of formats (video vs self-instructional) and how to launch a course
  • Case Study: Accessing SI-105 in the Introduction to Air Pollution Control curriculum
  • Known Issues and Support: Browser limitations, FAQs, and how to get help if you run into any issues

Expected Delivery Dates: Weeks of April 6 and April 13

Online Training Course Catalog

Members of the JTC Communications Workgroup and Delivery Workgroup are building a list of free and paid online training resources. This list will be organized by topic area (e.g., Permitting, Modeling, or Monitoring) and include links to the training resources. Content within the EPA APTI-Learn system, as well as content available from private training contractors, will be included in the catalog.

The catalog will also include instructor-led online courses that are available, cost estimates, and whom to contact about scheduling courses.

Expected Delivery Date: April 6 (with subsequent versions sent as new material becomes available)

Training Contractor Engagement

On March 26, the JTC Delivery Workgroup organized a call with the private training contractors who teach in the national air pollution training program. The intent of the call was to discuss with the training contractor community the urgency of access to online training content. The items discussed on the call included:

  • Cataloging Existing Online Training Resources - These may include packaged training videos, pre-recorded or live webinars, and/or live-streamed training. What is out there already, either in the public domain or for a fee, that we can list along with the APTI-Learn self-instructional courses?
  • Contractor availability for online training - What is the interest and availability for converting some of the popular classroom trainings to live, instructor-led online courses? These may include APTI or NACT courses, or other courses that your organization is teaching to the states and locals.
  • Best-practices for Online Training - If the Joint Training Committee were to develop draft guidance on how to efficiently convert a classroom training into an online course, input would be needed from those having experience with both in-class and on-line training formats to help craft that guidance.
  • Create Quick Wins - Identify fast turn-around projects to get training opportunities out to states/locals as soon as possible. The timing for delivery is within a 4-6 weeks. Immediate input is needed on the classes best positioned to deliver as live, online classes.
  • IT Solutions - What can be done with off-the-shelf webinar software, like Zoom or GoToMeeting, rather than high-end A/V production solutions. What is the most efficient and effect way to deliver acceptable training quickly using fairly simple and inexpensive IT solutions?
  • Connecting supply with demand. - Creation of a centralized resource for MJOs to post state/local training needs for online courses will help efficiently connect contractors with state/local training program demand for online training.

Expected Delivery Date: Week of April 6

Expedite Training Procurement

The JTC Communication Workgroup will develop a list of the top priority training needs of the state/local air programs. The list of priority needs will be gathered by the MJOs and sent to the Communication Workgroup for inclusion in the resource. This resource, which will likely be as simple as a Google Drive spreadsheet, will be sent to the training contractor community for connecting the course demands with the supply of training subject matter experts.

Expected Delivery Date: April 8

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