Georgia Tech News | The Contracting Education Academy

March 25, 2020 By cs

Do-it-yourself medical devices and protective gear fuel battle against COVID-19

It’s a race against time that some participants liken to Apollo 13, the stricken NASA spacecraft for which engineers improvised an air purification system from available parts to get three astronauts back from the moon.

***Faculty and students at Georgia Tech have designed a quick and easy way to manufacture face shields. Click on image above to watch video.***

In this case, however, the race is to improvise ventilators, face shields, respirators, surgical gowns, disinfectant wipes, and other healthcare gear to help the hundreds of thousands of people expected to swamp hospitals with waves of critical COVID-19 illness over the next several weeks. The demand for ventilators alone could be four times more than already overwhelmed hospitals can provide.

Using 3D-printed parts, plastic-lined tablecloths intended for birthday parties, laser-cut gears, and similar substitutions, a research team from universities on two continents is racing to develop “do-it-yourself” healthcare gear that can be assembled where it’s needed from components available locally. Team members figure they have about two weeks to get the designs right and share them with anyone who can help with the needs.

“We’re trying to figure out how to get these things to scale in the time we have,” said Shannon Yee, an associate professor in Georgia Tech’s George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering who’s working on the ventilator issue with a half-dozen colleagues at Georgia Tech and other universities. “We are looking at producing things very quickly and this is where having contacts with mature manufacturing sources is going to help.”

Supplying Face Shields to the Medical Community

The Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Emory and Georgia Tech serves as a bridge between healthcare needs and the broad technical know-how at Georgia Tech, and Georgia Tech researchers are talking regularly with hospital systems to discuss their needs. So far, hand sanitizer, disinfectant wipes, face shields, respirator masks, and ventilators have been identified as critical needs. Using resources of the Flowers Invention Studio – such as 3D printing – the group has already produced 1,000 face shields and is preparing to fabricate thousands more in the form of kits that hospitals can assemble.

Georgia Tech faculty members, students and the Global Center for Medical Innovation (GCMI) worked on multiple face shield designs, talking with clinicians at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Emory Healthcare and Piedmont Healthcare to evaluate and iterate. The result was two different designs intended for specific uses in hospital facilities, where face shields protect clinicians from splashes and help extend the life of soft respirators intended to filter out virus particles.

“The team has worked hard to identify materials suppliers and define simple and scalable solutions to meet this challenge,” said Sam Graham, chair of the Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering. “We are fortunate to have partners ready to team up with us to help address some of the shortfalls in medical equipment that hospitals are experiencing.”

To scale up fabrication beyond the Georgia Tech campus, the team focused on simple designs that could be shared with and produced by individuals with access to a makerspace – and major manufacturers with injection molding capabilities. The team plans to make the designs available for anyone with laser cutting or 3D printing capabilities.

“Initially we were just thinking about meeting the needs of Atlanta, but cities everywhere need them,” said Saad Bhamla, an assistant professor in the School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering who specializes in “frugal science” – creating inexpensive lab devices. “We have created great models that can be used to create a pipeline of instructions that others can use. The face shields will set the stage for other device models as they become available.”

The group is leveraging Georgia Tech contacts with companies to identify suppliers for alternative materials that can go into their “Apollo 13” devices. Team members, including Christopher Saldana, an associate professor in the Woodruff School, are working with GCMI on those issues, using equipment in Georgia Tech’s maker spaces and elsewhere.

“The Georgia Tech mechanical engineering team is working to modify open source face shield designs so they can be manufactured in high volumes for the rapid response environment that COVID-19 requires,” said Christopher Saldana, an associate professor in the Woodruff School. “Our team has modified these designs using a range of product and process optimization methods, including removing certain features and standardizing tool use. By working on cross-functional and cross-disciplinary teams and directly involving healthcare practitioners and high-volume manufacturers, we will be able to respond to this effort at the scale and speed required.”

Bringing Georgia Tech’s expertise together to address the challenges – and develop collaborations – has been done behind the scenes by people like Sherry Farrugia, chief operating and strategy officer for the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Pediatric Technology Center.

“Serving as kind of a chief strategy officer, my work is to help bridge the gaps, focus the teams, rally the troops, and make critical connections,” she said. “Doing this requires a deep knowledge of who’s doing what on campus, as well as a strong network in the private sector.”

To help meet the need for personal protective equipment (PPE) for health care workers, Georgia Tech has designed and is producing face shields. Shown is a laser cutting machine used to create frames for the shields.

The Supply Chain Challenge

The team is launching a website (www.research.gatech.edu/rapid-response) to both quantify the needs for face shields and solicit supplies of materials. Because the world’s supply chains are unable to ship conventional PPE components, they are looking for alternatives that may not now be part of that production.

The challenge is that everyone is scrambling to find equipment and materials in an international supply chain that has already been depleted by months-long demands from countries that dealt with the virus earlier: China, Italy and South Korea. As the healthcare demands ramp up in the United States, hospitals will have to be more creative in meeting the needs that their traditional sources may not be able to supply.

With significant efforts going into design of locally sourced equipment, expertise on medical device prototyping and approval is needed. That is coming from a network of alumni and local companies and GCMI, a Georgia Tech-affiliated organization that works with device manufacturers around the world to translate designs into devices that can be manufactured quickly and cost effectively.

“The goal right now is to develop solutions that can be sourced locally and that we can produce now,” said Tiffany Wilson, GCMI’s CEO. “We are working with Georgia Tech and others on how we can suggest modifying the designs to optimize them for the current environment. We are helping make sure designs are clinically validated with an eye toward scalability.”

Beyond its experience with medical devices, GCMI is also helping source materials and components, and working with regulators at the FDA to help reduce risks in the responses.

“There have been changes in some of the standards and new guidance from the FDA to enable faster production to open up the supply chain to get more masks and respirators into the market,” Wilson said. “There are still levels of control and risk mitigations strategies that we need to focus on. We’re staying on top of those changes.”

Research on Possible Solutions for Other Shortages

While the face shield is the most mature project the team is developing, researchers are also looking at other needs of the medical community. Among them are ventilators, disinfecting wipes, and respirators.

An example of an Apollo 13 project may be ventilators that are used to help critically ill patients breathe. Traditional equipment makers are working as fast as they can, but that may not be fast enough. To achieve a globally scalable makeshift ventilator will require minimizing the number of parts and thinking about mechanical simplicity, Yee said.

Leon Williams, head of the Centre for Competitive Creative Design at Cranfield University, is working with Georgia Tech researchers to create a makeshift ventilator based on the bag-valve-mask (BVM) – also known as an Ambu bag – a hand-held mechanical resuscitation device already available at hospitals.

Through a system of laser-cut gears and other components, the preliminary concept would use a simple three-volt motor to compress the bag and push air into the lungs of a critically ill patient. Among the challenges is extending the lifetime of the bags, which are not designed for long-term use.

“We need to understand everything about the ventilators that are already in use,” said Susan Margulies, chair of the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University. “By understanding how everything works, we can modify the design to use the components we can get.”

As with face shields, the group expects to make its plans widely available for other groups to iterate and produce. “There is a lot of activity here that is going to move this forward,” said Devesh Ranjan, associate chair for research in the Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, who is coordinating several of the Georgia Tech Rapid-Response projects on campus.

Another identified need is for disinfecting wipes, which seem like a simple enough product: a nonwoven material and a solution based on either alcohol or bleach. The material and solutions seem to be available; the problem is locating the industrial-sized containers to hold them.

“We’ve been looking for containers for the wipes commercially,” said Graham. “What we are finding is that the issue is the containers, but we are looking at other solutions.” He’s working with David Sholl, chair of the School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, to identify potential suppliers.

Respirators, Swabs and Gowns

Protecting healthcare workers from the coronavirus requires a special type of respirator, soft face masks that remove virus particles from the air. Because the virus particles are so small, hundreds of nanometers in diameter, that protection requires high-efficiency filtration materials that until recently were mostly manufactured in China.

“The filters are not being produced at the rates that are needed, so we have been thinking about what we can put together that approximates an N95 filter that’s needed to protect healthcare workers,” said Ryan Lively, an associate professor in the School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. “We need to make something that can be produced out of homemade goods, then verify that it can do the filtering needed.”

Lively has been experimenting with alternatives, such as high-efficiency filtration materials manufactured for HVAC systems that could be sewn inside a fabric pouch. “There are journal papers out there showing filtration materials that are not as good as N95 are still effective at increasing rejection of the virus particles,” he said.

If these work as needed, Lively could produce limited numbers in his lab. “We have estimated that we can produce 700 masks per week using the pilot line that we have for research and repurposing it for cranking out hydrophobic fiber media,” he said. “That won’t solve the problem, but it will help meet a very critical need.”

The swabs used for COVID-19 testing are also in short supply, as are gowns designed to protect healthcare workers. Carson Meredith, director of the Renewable Bioproducts Institute, is tracking down alternative sources from among the many manufacturers who are members of the Georgia Tech interdisciplinary research institute.

“The idea is to take a basic material intended for a different function and transform it into the products that we need,” he said. One example is a material manufactured for party tablecloths – plastic on one side to prevent spills from going through, and paper on the other for festive designs. “We’re looking at whether the machinery that produces those can be rapidly turned into making a temporary gown.”

The research team meets by phone daily to update each other on what’s been done and to share ideas. They follow international Slack channels to know what other similar groups are doing across the U.S. and the world.

They know their prototype production equipment can’t meet the world’s needs, so they’re sharing plans with others who may have capabilities. Ultimately, major manufacturers will catch up, but that could take months – perhaps too long for the expected COVID-19 infection curve.

“The best thing we can do is share that information broadly to try to come up with solutions that use parts that can be sourced locally,” Yee said, referring to the ventilator project. “Simple solutions using motors that people can get anywhere, structures that can be 3D-printed and materials that can be hand-cut with saws may get us through this.”

Georgia Tech has established a Rapid Response website to identify needs for personal protective equipment and potential collaborations.

Source: Research News, Georgia Institute of Technology – https://news.gatech.edu/2020/03/23/do-it-yourself-medical-devices-protective-gear-fuel-battle-against-covid-19

Media Relations Contacts: John Toon (404-894-6986) (jtoon@gatech.edu) or Ben Brumfield (404-272-2780) (ben.brumfield@comm.gatech.edu)

Writer: John Toon

March 9, 2020 By cs

Botchwey named associate dean in Professional Education

Georgia Tech Professional Education (GTPE) has named Nisha Botchwey, associate professor of city and regional planning in the College of Design and an adjunct professor in Emory University’s School of Public Health, its new associate dean of academic programs.

**Nisha Botchwey has been named associate dean for Academic Programs in Georgia Tech Professional Education.**

Botchwey was selected following a national search and will begin her new role on March 9.

She holds a master’s and Ph.D. in urban planning from the University of Pennsylvania and a master’s in public health from the University of Virginia. Throughout her career, Botchwey’s research has focused on health and the built environment, with an emphasis on youth engagement, health equity, and data dashboards for evidence-based planning and practice.

She has earned many distinctions, including an NSF ADVANCE Woman of Excellence Faculty Award, a Hesburgh Award Teaching Fellowship from Georgia Tech, the Georgia Power Professor of Excellence Award, a Rockefeller-Penn Fellowship from the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Nursing, and a Nominated Changemaker by the Obama White House’s Council on Women and Girls.

“GTPE has embarked on a transformational journey to strategically align our academic offerings with the needs of a rapidly changing workforce. Nisha Botchwey’s experience with strategic planning, team management, and community engagement will enhance our growth plan and elevate the quality of offerings for an ever-increasing, diverse population of learners,” said Nelson Baker, dean of Georgia Tech Professional Education. “We are thrilled to have such expertise on our team.”

GTPE serves the fastest growing learner population in higher education: working adults aged over 25.

In this new position, Botchwey will support the development of new demand-driven programs, such as additional at-scale online master’s degrees, a new Fintech Academy, and pioneer contemporary educational products including alternative credentials and enhanced career services for adult learners. She will have curricular oversight and management of all new and existing online degrees and professional development programs and foster a learner-centric environment in service to the adult learners across GTPE programs.

Botchwey will maintain a joint appointment in the College of Design, where she will continue her research and teaching, advise students, and remain involved in the intellectual life of the college.

“This is an era of change and adaptation across institutions,” said Botchwey. “I look forward to working with this amazing team of faculty, staff, learners, and industry partners as we continue to create innovative educational pathways and solidify GTPE’s role as the lifelong learning home for Georgia Tech, here and across the globe.”

A search committee consisting of faculty and leadership across the Institute reviewed over 130 applications. Members included Daniel Castro, chair and professor in the School of Building Construction; Lizanne DeStefano, executive director for the Center for Education Integrating Science, Mathematics, and Computing (CEISMC); Larry Jacobs, associate dean of the College of Engineering; and Sri Narasimhan, professor and business analytics center co-director in the Scheller College of Business.

“The applicant pool was extremely competitive,” said Jacobs. “Alongside her experience and relevant technical skills, it was Botchwey’s enthusiasm, clear preparation, and strong people skills that stood out.”

Georgia Tech has been at the forefront of creating cutting-edge educational offerings that are accessible to career-minded individuals and provide real-world knowledge. As the global campus and lifetime learning arm of the Institute, GTPE serves more than 42,000 working professionals each year through more than 400 professional development courses and boot camps, 50 professional certificates, and 13 industry-specific online degrees.

Source: https://www.news.gatech.edu/2020/03/04/botchwey-named-associate-dean-professional-education

March 2, 2020 By cs

U.S. Space Force chief tours Tech

A daylong tour of Georgia Tech on Feb. 24 introduced General John Raymond to some “next-gen thinking” that he might find helpful in his latest assignment.

**General John Raymond told Georgia Tech students and faculty that there is a great need for not only technical innovation, but also breakthroughs in space policy.**

The recently named chief of Space Operations for the United States Space Force spent the day talking space exploration and space policy with faculty, researchers, and students from the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs; the Center for International Strategy, Technology, and Policy; and the Daniel Guggenheim School of Aerospace Engineering.

He capped off the day with a lecture, “Space as a Warfighting Domain,” delivered before a packed audience in the Kendeda Building for Innovative Sustainable Design.

“There is nothing we do in the Joint Forces that isn’t related to space,” he told listeners before giving a brief history of the military’s space engagement. “Our adversaries have been watching what we do in space, wanting to disrupt us, and our job is to make sure that never happens.”

Raymond ended by encouraging the next generation of innovators in the audience to study hard and work even harder. The Space Force may be in their future. After all, when he was in college, Raymond said, he didn’t touch a computer until his junior or senior year.

“It’s an exciting time to be in this business. I wish I could change places with you. Don’t be bashful. You have a skill set that, when you graduate and are hired, whatever you do, you can help this country.”

Space as a Laboratory: The Daniel Guggenheim School

Raymond’s visit to the Guggenheim School introduced him to research on a broad array of projects – from optimized space mission operations to space situational awareness and alternatives to GPS navigation.

“The AE School has a strong, historical relationship with the military,” said William R.T. Oakes School Chair Mark Costello. “We are thrilled to welcome General Raymond to campus and are excited about digging into the challenges that the Space Force will put before us.”

Much of Costello’s conversation with Raymond revolved around CubeSats – the miniaturized satellites that are now routinely launched into space via traditional two-stage rockets.

By October of 2020, the AE School will have launched seven student-built CubeSats, each with unique scientific and technological missions. One of them, ORCA, will be launched in March to calibrate ground-based orbital and positioning equipment from space. Students in the Space Systems Design Lab (SSDL) designed it in just six weeks, after a launch spot was unexpectedly offered to them last November.

“They spent pretty much every waking moment during winter break working on it,” said Professor Brian Gunter.

“The great thing about our lab is that our undergraduate researchers are primary participants in these launches – designing the vehicles, building the circuit boards, 3D-printing the thrusters. They learn to take an idea from the beginning and follow it through with all of the complexities that unfold.”

Throughout his lab tour, Raymond was noticeably engaged in each presentation, stopping speakers to mine them for additional technical details. Prof. E. Glenn Lightsey, the SSDL director, applauded his keen interest in the field and in the future.

“We want space to become an active, vibrant environment, but as that happens, we will need to think about how to protect our assets in space. And we will also need to think about how to regulate safety; right now, there are no rules about how to fly. The Space Force can transform the way we see both of these things.”

Keeping Pace with the Need for Policy Innovation: The Sam Nunn School

Raymond later visited with students and faculty from the Nunn School for policy-oriented discussions that ran the gamut — from the complexities of creating the unique warfighting culture of a new service branch to what constitutes unacceptable aggression in space.

Raymond said the need is great for not only technical innovation, but also breakthroughs in space policy, an area he said currently resembles the “Wild Wild West.”

He told students that enormous opportunities are waiting for people like them in the space sector, whether it be military, civilian, or government spaceflight programs.

“When you graduate from here, know that you’re good enough to do whatever you want to do,” he said.

Mariel Borowitz, an assistant professor of space policy in the Nunn School, helped organize the visit and said she hopes it will lead to relationships that can help Georgia Tech play a role in the success of the Space Force.

Among other initiatives, the Nunn School and the Guggenheim School are partnering to develop a joint graduate certificate program in international security and aerospace systems. The Nunn School also is a participant in the Center for Space Technology and Research.

“The Space Force is going to need people who understand the strategic implications of operating in a contested space environment, and this is the type of issue that Nunn School faculty and students are well equipped to do,” she said.

Source: https://www.news.gatech.edu/2020/02/25/us-space-force-chief-tours-tech

February 18, 2020 By cs

10 tips to help you succeed as an adult learner

Adult learning is no walk in the park. Going back to a formal learning environment can be daunting for working professionals even if they’re top achievers in their jobs.

At Georgia Tech Professional Education (GTPE), we support adult learners as they build their expertise to pursue their career goals. Our staff are adept at serving the needs of adult learners because they understand their challenges – they’re lifelong learners themselves. Here are the top tips from GTPE staff based on their personal experiences as adult learners.

1. Choose the Right Learning Opportunity

Your time is valuable, so it’s essential that the program you choose is worth your while. Chris Walker, assistant director of marketing, found that deciding whether training would truly benefit him to be one of his primary concerns. He advises conducting research before committing to a program of study. “See if the school you’re interested in will provide contacts to their graduates who can offer references,” he suggested. “It’s so important to know if you’ll get a return on investment before you make your decision.”

Brenda Sanders, graphic designer, mentioned other ways to research potential programs. “I went online to see the reviews from other students about what they learned and how they felt about the assignments and instructors,” she said. Getting recommendations from friends and colleagues is also an effective way find out if a program will be a fit for you.

2. Prioritize Your Learning

Balancing work, life, and learning is always a concern for working professionals. And for Najla Lewis, marketing manager, it was no different. “One of my top challenges was managing my responsibilities – work, family, and homework,” she said. She overcame this obstacle by completing as many tasks as possible before her course started. During the course, she tried to make use of short bursts of free time to minimize her workload in the office, such as answering emails during her lunch breaks and in the evenings. Her advice to others is to prioritize learning. “Plan to make short-term adjustments to your life pattern because they will benefit you in the future,” she said.
Lindsey Laney, academic program manager, found that she needed a dedicated learning space when she worked on her second master’s degree. “I knew I needed a quiet space to work, so I transitioned our guest bedroom into an office dedicated to school,” she said. “I had a dedicated school computer, school desk, and an understanding that when the door was closed, I was working on school and couldn’t interact at that time.”

Fatimah Wirth, instructional designer, pointed out another aspect of planning ahead: reviewing the syllabus and course structure. “If you’re taking an online course, make sure to set aside enough time to watch lecture videos, complete assignments, projects, quizzes, or exams and take part in discussions,” she said. “If you’re taking face-to-face classes, allow enough time to attend classes and complete assignments or projects outside of class time. Take into account travel time and travel conditions.”

For Patrice Miles, assistant dean of business operations, prioritizing her learning also means being fully engaged during class. ”I focused on being ‘in the moment’ and avoiding distractions when I was in class,” she said. “The phone stayed in my purse!”

3. Don’t Let the Big Picture Overwhelm You

Laura Haynes, assistant director of operations, experienced three major life events while working on her doctorate. She got married, had a baby, and suffered the loss of her father. She also had a full-time university teaching position during this time. It’s no wonder she considered abandoning her studies. However, one comment gave her the will to keep going. “I shared my thoughts with one of my mentors, who was a university president. He advised that I would ‘never regret completing a Ph.D. program.’ I credit his simple remark with compelling me to persist and complete the degree,” she said.

Her recommendation to other adult learners is based on her mother’s advice to focus on the manageable tasks at hand and take one day at a time. “Take bite-sized morsels of study digested daily to avoid choking on the potentially overwhelming number of assignments required to complete each course,” she said. “I highly recommend this approach, without which I may have become overwhelmed and disengaged.”

4. Believe in Yourself

Georgia Tech is known for its rigor and the strength of it STEM programs. This reputation can lead working professionals in non-technical fields to wonder is they are able to succeed in our programs. Najla Lewis, marketing manager, found herself questioning if she would be able to manage the rigor of a course at GTPE and whether she would be a fit for a project management program with her non-technical background. “Even though many of our learners are from technical fields, there are also learning opportunities for people in non-technical fields,” she discovered. “I found that the project management certificate program had a good mix of adult learners from all industries, career levels, and disciplines. I fit in well and was able to lend my individual talents to the group activities and discussions.” Her advice to others is to believe in themselves.

5. Focus on Long-term Benefits Not Short-term Obstacles

Chris Walker, assistant director of marketing, considers taking time off work for professional education to be a key challenge. Being out of the office to take a course means that the work piles up while you’re away. Rather than focusing on the consequences of missing work, Walker suggests keeping your long-term goals in mind. “Try to focus on the value of the long-term benefits of training versus the short-term inconvenience of taking time off work and having to play catch up,” he suggested.

6. Don’t Let Technology Get You Down

Technology plays a major part in our lives, so make sure it works to your advantage when you’re learning. Edith Greenwood, producer of interactive instructional media, raised the issue of technical needs. “Take care of any technical requirements related to the class before it starts,” she said. “Trust me, this will make assignment completion less frustrating.”

Lindsey Laney, academic program manager, pointed out the importance of contingency plans related to technology. “I planned for ‘what if’ scenarios such as what if the Internet goes down? What if my computer stops working? Are my documents saved on a cloud so I can access them from any computer?”

7. Know How You Learn Best

From online programs to traditional face-to-face classes, today’s adult learners have many options to choose from when it comes to professional education. Each delivery method has its advantages. Online learning offers optimal flexibility and the opportunity for online collaboration with peers outside your area. Traditional classes provide the face-to-face contact with your instructor and classmates. Hybrid programs offer a combination of online and face-to-face learning.

Brenda Sanders, graphic designer, suggests considering which option offers you the best chance of success before you choose a program. “Figure out which classes work best for your lifestyle and for the way you learn,” she said. Some people need to be in a classroom, but more and more people are turning to online learning.”

8. Don’t Be Afraid to Ask Questions

Jay Boudreaux, course management coordinator, noted that adult learners need to be patient with their learning. “Ask questions when you need help with understanding content,” he said.

Whether you take an online or a face-to-face class, take advantage of the opportunities to interact with instructors and classmates to enhance your learning. Fatimah Wirth, instructional designer, suggested, ”Be comfortable with seeking help by asking questions in a face-to-face class or in discussions if you’re in an online class. Be sure to attend office hours, face-to-face or online, to seek clarification or answers to questions you may have.”

9. Revisit What You’ve Learned and Apply It

Having taken mainly traditional, face-to-face classes, Bobby Strickland, graphic designer, found he needed to adjust to online learning. “I learn better in a classroom, so learning online was a challenge. I needed to repeat sessions to make sure I understood the content,” he said. “Taking written notes helped me retain the online content and made it feel more like a classroom. I tried to implement the content into my work projects as soon as possible so that I had a better chance at retaining it.”

Strickland’s advice to other adult learners new to online learning is not to be hard on themselves. “Be patient with yourself. If it’s been a while since you were in a learning environment, know that the pace has escalated,“ he said.

10. Explore Your Financial Options

The cost of professional education is often a concern for working adults. When Najla Lewis, marketing manager, decided to take the project management certificate program at GTPE, she explored the financial options available to her. GTPE, along with many employers, is generous when it comes to contributing to employees’ professional education, so always check with your employer if funding is available to you. Lewis also took advantage of a discount by committing to the entire certificate program rather than taking only some individual courses. “I also spaced courses out over two fiscal years so that I could take advantage of the educational support from my employer,” she said.

Massive open online courses or MOOCS are growing in popularity. Offered by the world’s top universities, they are free to everyone from anywhere. MOOCs are a convenient, affordable way to keep learning. They’re also a useful, low-risk way to test the waters before you decide to invest in professional education on a specific topic or to ease back into formal learning if you’ve had a long break from it.

Lifelong Learning Is Worth It

Balancing work, life, and family while pursuing professional education can be a challenge, but you can overcome it. And the long-term benefits far outweigh the short-term inconveniences.

“Professional education allows me to be more effective and relevant in my role, and to set an example for my team about the importance of education for a lifetime,” said Patrice Miles, assistant dean of business operations. “I also find the networking with others in the program to be so valuable as we continue the learning outside of the classroom.”

You’ll never regret deepening your knowledge, sharpening your skills, and building a professional network. Ongoing professional education makes it possible.

Source: https://pe.gatech.edu/blog/working-learning/adult-learning-success

Georgia Tech Professional Education is a leader in innovative educational delivery, designed for working professionals in tech, business, and leadership. Our connection to the marketplace — coupled with our world-class faculty, researchers, and subject matter experts — provides an unparalleled prospective to education innovation, industry trends, future work, and lifelong learning. To uncover additional resources to help with questions and challenges around career advancement visit our Working & Learning page.

February 4, 2020 By cs

Map out your future with a ‘personal board of directors’

In an era of rapid technological development, acquiring new skills is more than a matter of professional development. It is a matter of professional survival.

**By surrounding yourself with the right people, and by seeking their guidance, you can stay on top of important changes in your workplace.**

The goal is to keep pace with change and remain relevant in your chosen field. The question is how to do that strategically, especially when people now hold an average of 12 jobs in their lifetime.

At Georgia Tech, half of the Institute’s total student population is comprised of adult learners taking professional development courses. Through Georgia Tech Professional Education (GTPE), professionals in STEM and business fields strive to keep up with latest developments. These learners understand that it takes a lifetime of learning to keep your skills sharp and your capabilities aligned with shifting market trends.

The question remains though: How do you find the right program? As a busy professional, how do you focus your learning to derive the intended benefits? With so many options to choose from, how do you make the right choices?

One way is to tap into a network of mentors or career advisors.

“At Georgia Tech, as part of our vision for higher education of the future, we’ve identified the need for what we call a ‘personal board of directors,’” explains Nelson Baker, dean of GTPE. “A personal board of directors is similar to a mentorship but more explicit and broader in its application. Your personal board is a group of people who can help navigate your career and education, offering a mix of experience, talent, and diversity that a single individual can’t match.”

If you are ready to take that step, here are a few practical questions to ask yourself as you begin building your personal board of directors.

What is my goal? Board membership should shift and change over time, just like your career goals. If you’re at an early stage of your career and you have your sights set on management, find someone who is at that level. If you’re not sure of your next career steps, find someone who can help you think through your options. And if you don’t want to keep moving up, you need someone who helps you to make sure you stay current. In all cases, find board members who can steer you in the direction you want to go.
How do I find board members? As we envision it at Georgia Tech, a personal board of directors is more explicit than traditional networking. Don’t be afraid to seek out specific expertise, even if you’ve never met that potential board member in person. It doesn’t matter whether your board members are on a different continent or the other side of the country. If they have the skills, connections, and knowledge base you need and are willing to serve on your board, they’re suitable.
How do I approach potential personal board members especially if I’ve never met them? It’s important to do your homework before you reach out. You need to be able to articulate the kind of guidance you’re seeking and show that you are proactive and have done your own research about the field that interests you. You also need to have researched the potential board member and be aware of their expertise and background and how it can be of benefit to you in your career. This preparation before your initial contact is essential because it enables you to approach the individual with purpose, demonstrate that you are proactive and serious about your career, and that you respect their time and value the opportunity to to learn from them.
Why would anyone want to serve on my personal board of directors? Look at it like this: Each of us in our lives can benefit from being on someone’s board. For board members, it’s a way to give back. As for concrete benefits, you represent a potential source of talent to your board members. Equally, they can become resources for one another. Connecting with other mentors and expanding personal networks is helpful at all stages of a career. One key factor to keep in mind is the value of the time your board members spend to help you achieve your goals. Make sure you plan wisely so that you use their time efficiently. Be accommodating, work within their schedules, and never take their time for granted. If you show upfront that you’re conscious of the value of their time, you’re more likely to build a successful professional relationship.
What kinds of skills should my personal board of directors have? Regardless of the size of your personal board of directors, ensuring your board has a wide range of expertise and experience allows you to explore new paths and new passions. You should also consider at least one board member who can help you overcome self-doubt and encourage you to take bold new steps. This board member needs good insight as to who you are as a person and how you operate in day-to-day situations. That might be someone from within your community or your personal life.
What kinds of assistance should I seek from my board? The answer to this question is as variable are you are. First and foremost, they should guide you to keep pace with changes in your field and build the skills and capabilities needed to ensure your job security and career development. This group of advisors should also know what you’re passionate about and help you follow those passions over a lifetime. Keep in mind that passions change or evolve, and so should your personal board of directors.

Regardless of industry or profession, our workplaces and our business environments are in a constant state of flux. By surrounding yourself with the right people, and by seeking their guidance, you can stay on top of those changes. Be proactive, seek out the best board members for your personal goals, and always maintain the attitude of a lifelong learner.

In its report Deliberate Innovation, Lifetime Education, Georgia Tech’s Commission on Creating the Next (CNE) outlines the concept of the personal board of directors. Find out more on CNE’s roadmap for the future of higher education.

Source: https://pe.gatech.edu/blog/working-learning/personal-board-of-directors