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March 31, 2021 By cs

Georgia Tech’s Contracting Academy is pressing the pause button

It’s been a successful ten-year run for The Contracting Education Academy at Georgia Tech, and now it’s time to take a break.

Effective April 1, 2021, The Academy is suspending its course offerings.

Alexis Kirksey

“After 183 government acquisition training engagements, providing 4,950 hours of instruction for the benefit of 3,243 students, we’re taking a breather,” explains Academy program manager Alexis Kirksey.  “Workforce needs and training options in the field of government procurement are evolving, hastened by the pandemic, so Georgia Tech must decide what role should be played in the future.”

At its conception in 2010, the mission of Georgia Tech’s Contracting Academy was defined as becoming a nationally recognized training source for the government acquisition community.   Without question, that mission has been fulfilled.

Chuck Schadl
Looking Back

The Contracting Academy has an interesting history.  The Academy rolled out its first educational offering to 10 students in February 2011.

The Academy was born about a year earlier when a vice president of the Georgia Institute of Technology sponsored a Shark Tank-type competition as a way of encouraging faculty and staff to submit ideas about how the Institute could serve new markets.  Among the 200 ideas submitted in the contest was one from Chuck Schadl and some of his cohorts who proposed offering professional education contracting coursework and curriculum design services to government and industry.  The idea was selected for immediate implementation by Georgia Tech’s Enterprise Innovation Institute.

Rhonda Lynch

Rhonda Lynch was named The Academy’s initial program manager.  For starters, Georgia Tech reached out to the Defense Acquisition University (DAU) to obtain recognition as an official equivalency training provider of DAU curriculum.  Once securing that coveted affiliation, The Academy later earned similar recognition from the Federal Acquisition Institute (FAI).

The Approach

The Academy’s resident course portfolio grew into a dozen courses associated with DAU and FAI.  These courses, ranging in length from three days to four weeks, were taught through Georgia Tech’s Professional Education unit located in the world-class Global Learning Center on the Atlanta campus.  During the pandemic of 2020-21, the courses were converted to on-line offerings.  In addition, The Academy produced customized curriculum and workshops on a variety of government contracting topics.

Donna Bertrand

Over time, under the direction of Donna Bertrand who served as The Academy’s second program manager, major organizations were attracted to The Academy’s training expertise.  The National Association of State Procurement Officials (NASPO), the State of Iowa, MIT’s Lincoln Lab, the Department of Defense Education Activity (DODEA), the Association of Procurement Technical Assistance Centers (APTAC), and dozens of federal agencies — all came to The Academy for curriculum design work and presentation. These organizations, in turn, put our coursework in the hands of contracting personnel in literally all 50 states, and internationally.

From the beginning, a distinguishing trait of The Academy’s government acquisition coursework is the fact that all classes were open to government and business representatives alike.  The resulting classroom interaction allowed both sectors to come away from the classes with a richer understanding of each other’s point of view.

Back to the Future

Looking back a decade to The Academy’s inaugural course, our instructors still remember what happened on the last day of that first class.  The Georgia Tech vice president who approved The Academy’s creation months earlier dropped-in unannounced.  He asked the students a simple, but pointed, question: Was it worth it?  The students enthusiastically responded in the affirmative, and a few weeks later one of the students wrote to the VP saying that he received a promotion as a result of attending the class.  Since then, that success has been replicated many times over through the delivery of a caliber of education not found anywhere else.

The Contracting Education Academy at Georgia Tech’s strength as a training provider is both well-recognized and multi-faceted.  All instructors are experienced acquisition professionals and talented teachers.  Our educational offerings featured detailed student guide books, web-based student resources, how-to handout materials, practical exercises, customizable slide presentations, flash drives loaded with training support materials, FAR flash cards, and other exclusive features.  And from the beginning, educational services were priced competitively, saving training dollars while delivering an unparalleled caliber of education.

We look forward to the next chapter of The Academy’s commitment to service, continuous improvement, and innovation.

Filed Under: Academy News Tagged With: acquisition training, acquisition workforce, continuous improvement, continuous learning, Contracting Academy, Georgia Tech, training

March 31, 2021 By cs

How human skills contribute to professional and personal success

In today’s fast-paced — and often virtual — work environment, advancing your technical skills alone isn’t enough to ensure professional relevancy.

Whole-person development is the key to thriving in your career, whether you’re an experienced professional or a workplace rookie.

Whole-person development, also known as holistic learning or personal skills training, is the development of “human skills”— such as intrapersonal communication, adaptability, and conflict resolution — in addition to more technical skills — things like C++ programming, data set analysis, or process mapping. Developing the whole person, rather than just the skills that directly correlate to tasks or projects, will not only improve your knowledge base but will also allow you to navigate challenges, thrive in your workplace, and produce innovative solutions to drive your organization forward.

Adapt to New and Changing Demands

By investing in a wider variety of personal development, your mind will begin to connect parts of itself that were previously disjointed, naturally strengthening your mental flexibility and resilience. For example, connecting your skills in software engineering with your skills in intrapersonal communication may help you to complete projects more efficiently or weather unexpected challenges more smoothly.

This adaptability and agility will help you to thrive in your career journey and become a leader in your sphere. As challenges come your way, your ability to meet them head-on and produce effective solutions will give you a competitive edge, positioning you to advance more easily in your organization or industry. Being more well-rounded and versatile will also open the door to other transitions, whether it is to new types of positions or even a different industry altogether.

Furthermore, becoming proficient in both technical and human skills will allow you to navigate the multi-faceted demands of hybrid work, a growing trend in the workplace today, which combines multiple disciplines into a single position. Hybrid professionals are expected to bring both technical and soft skills to their positions, and because of this, their jobs are far less likely to be replaced by automation.

Strengthen Company Culture

Personal skills training has also been shown to bridge cross-cultural differences, optimize intrapersonal communication, and increase empathy, creating a more fulfilling work environment. As you grow in your understanding of the way your mind works—where you excel and where you need to improve—you will also grow in your ability to appreciate and relate to this in others as well. This empathy creates an environment in which people feel more comfortable admitting to mistakes or confusion, which allows you and your organization to move forward more efficiently. As a result, the organization thrives, and you and your co-workers enjoy a stronger sense of support and trust at work.

Additionally, whole-person development may also contribute directly to company culture, because the soft skills it teaches include ways to handle problems and ways of achieving and maintaining a positive attitude. When every employee possesses tools to approach or avoid problems, such as time management and conflict resolution, they will not only experience a more rewarding office environment but also will be able to tackle stressful situations more calmly and effectively, knowing that there is room for growth and a network of support.

Produce Growth

Holistic learning, by increasing your adaptability and improving stronger company culture, ultimately helps produce growth for your organization. Creating a habit and culture of continual learning and development opens the door for fresh ideas and innovative solutions. As you invest in soft skills such as adaptability, creativity, and conflict resolution, your ability to think of new ideas will skyrocket. As you encourage your co-workers to do the same, you will help create an environment where these new ideas can come from all levels of the organization, as people are less hesitant to point out problems.

Furthermore, holistic learning helps you and your organization grow in ways beyond profit. By widening your skillset and perspective, your capacity to see beyond technical processes will help you strengthen your work strategy and contribute to your organization more effectively. In fact, a recent study with Fortune 500 CEOs found that 75% of long-term job success depends on people skills, while only 25% on technical knowledge. Your leading the way in the adoption of this mindset for your organization will help it advance overall. Companies that care more about people than profit have been proven to be more successful, enjoying lower staff turnover rates, lower occupational stress, sharper decision making, more effective leadership, better team performance, and higher productivity.

Taking the First Step

The benefits of approaching your professional development from a whole-person perspective are numerous, for you personally and for your organization. If you’re interested in taking steps toward your overall self-improvement, take a look at these upcoming opportunities, all designed to increase your resilience and adaptability, enhance your leadership, and foster your well-being.

  • Organizational Effectiveness Conference, Part 2: Improve (April 30) – Learn how people, structure, and processes play into the success of an organization and how you can optimize all three through continuous learning and improvement.
  • Upcoming courses from our Emotional Intelligence & Resilience certificate – Stress Success and Falling in Love With Life – Strengthen your ability to handle stress and rediscover ways to enjoy life, while also getting a sneak peek into our Emotional Intelligence & Resilience certificate.
  • Cross-Cultural Communication Certificate – Learn how to navigate cultural nuances of English communication as a non-native-speaking professional seeking to meet the leadership and communication demands of today’s world.

Source: https://pe.gatech.edu/blog/working-learning/benefits-of-holistic-learning

Filed Under: Georgia Tech News Tagged With: continuous improvement, continuous learning, holistic, organizational effectiveness, professional education, skills, training

September 6, 2018 By AMK

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 opporutnities 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.

To enroll in one of Georgia Tech’s many MOOCs, please browse the available courses on our partner platforms, Coursera and edX:

  • Find Georgia Tech MOOCs on Coursera
  • Find Georgia Tech MOOCs on edX
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 and building a professional network. Ongoing professional education makes it possible.

Source: https://pe.gatech.edu/blog/10-tips-help-you-succeed-adult-learner

See all of Georgia Tech’s professional education contracting courses at: https://contractingacademy.gatech.edu/training/

Filed Under: Georgia Tech News Tagged With: adult education, adult learning, continuous learning, Georgia Tech, GTPE, lifelong learning, MOOC, online learning, professional development, professional education

May 30, 2018 By AMK

OMB wants to strengthen a learning culture in government

Amazon, Apple and Google are examples of Fortune 500 companies that are known as learning organizations. They relentlessly pursue knowledge creation and transfer, leading to improvements in products and practices. By actively managing their institutional learning, they serve their customers’ needs — and their bottom lines.

In government, on the other hand, deliberative strategic planning around learning happens far too rarely. Even though the 1993 Government Performance and Results Act requires agencies to develop strategic plans, its implementation has never met the original expectations. There are good reasons why learning approaches differ between the public and private sectors, but every organization can learn and apply that knowledge to improve results.

A few federal agencies are showing that it can be done. The Labor Department, for example, requires its operating agencies to develop learning agendas that identify high-priority research studies that those agencies would like to have done. The U.S. Agency for International Development launched a learning office with agencywide policies that encourage grantees to develop learning plans. And in just the last two years, the Small Business Administration has made notable progress, launching an evaluation office and creating an agency-wide learning agenda.

Keep reading this article at: https://www.govexec.com/excellence/promising-practices/2018/05/omb-wants-strengthen-learning-culture-government/148350/

Filed Under: Government Contracting News Tagged With: acquisition workforce, continuous learning, Labor Dept., learning culture, OMB, performance, SBA, USAID

May 15, 2018 By AMK

This is what Georgia Tech thinks college will look like in 2040

The Georgia Institute of Technology has a fondness for bold experiments.

It created the nation’s largest online master’s program in computer science, which won praise for its quality and low cost. It is home to the Center for 21st Century Universities, a “living laboratory” for educational innovation. It introduced artificially intelligent tutors in the classrooms. And it is reimagining the campus library to focus less on books and more on teaching, research, and collaboration.

Three years ago, the university took this experimentation a step further when it established the Commission on Creating the Next in Education, asking it to imagine the public research university of 2040 and beyond. Which business and funding models will become outdated? How will Georgia Tech best serve the next generations of learners?

The commission’s report, recently released, contains a number of provocative ideas. Among them: new credentials that recognize continuous learning, a subscription fee model instead of tuition, “education stations” that bring services and experiences to students, and worldwide networks of advisers and coaches for life.

Keep reading this article at: https://www.chronicle.com/article/This-Is-What-Georgia-Tech/243400

Read the report prepared by Georgia Tech’s Commission on Creating the Next in Education at: http://www.provost.gatech.edu/cne-home

Filed Under: Georgia Tech News Tagged With: continuous learning, education, Georgia Tech, innovation, professional education

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