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Professional Development
Initiative
Final Exam/Evaluation Plan
Prepared by:
Neal Ackerman
The Computer Training Institute
4/30/2015
Introduction
The "Different Strokes for Different Folks" initiative will provide important professional
development training to the instructors at The Computer Training Institute, to better work with students
who have different learning styles. Many of the students who enroll in The Computer Training Institute
haven't been successful in traditional classroom environments. They often come to us because they find
traditional classrooms to be too challenging. The Friday Institute has developed Massive Open Online
Courses for Educators (MOOC-Eds) that will be used in the Different Strokes for Different Folks
initiative. One of their MOOC-Ed courses is called Learning Differences, "which focuses on executive
function, motivation, and working memory as a foundation for developing strategies to address the needs
of students with learning differences" (Kleiman, Wolf, 2014). The MOOC-Ed course will be used in
conjunction with a training program developed by The Computer Training Institute. This training will
compliment the MOOC-Ed program well as it is tailored to our unique student population. According to
Kleiman and Wolf (2014), "MOOC-Eds are most valuable when participants work through them together
with local colleagues and discuss how the MOOC-Ed resources and activities apply to their local
context." Our training program has been carefully evaluated to provide training specific to our school
while utilizing the MOOC-Ed course, Learning Differences.
All instructors employed at the Computer Training Institute will be required to participate in the
Different Strokes for Different Folks initiative. The Computer Training Institute has a high standard of
success. The goals for the Education Department are 90% retention by graduation, 78% graduation rate
and 6 certifications earned by the student by the time of their graduation. As a school, we are currently
missing our goals and are pushing hard to reach them. The demographic at the Computer Training
Institute is generally students who didn't find success in traditional classrooms. For this reason, it's likely
that the Computer Training Institute enrolls a high percentage of individuals with unique learning needs.
We firmly believe that the Different Strokes for Different Folks initiative will better prepare our
instructors to work with our demographic.
To deliver this important training, The Computer Training Institute has created several carefully
selected activities that will teach our educators the skill they need to teach individuals with learning
differences. These activities include: open peer-to-peer discussions about past experiences with students,
group projects, classroom activities, watching video interviews with individuals who struggled with
different learning styles, expert panels, student scenarios, and asynchronous discussions through online
discussion boards and Twitter. The Different Strokes for Different Folks initiative will begin on June 1,
2015 and will conclude July 20, 2015.
Logic Model for the Different Strokes for Different Folks Professional Development Initiative
Evaluation Questions
EQ1) Describe in detail what new teaching methods were incorporated as a result of the Different Strokes
for Different Folks initiative?
EQ2) How and why has the Different Strokes for Different Folks impacted Retention Rates, Graduation
Rates and Certification Rates?
EQ3) To what extent do students at the Computer Training Institute feel they are getting a better learning
experience and learning outcomes since implementation of the Different Strokes for Different Folks
initiative? What type of student feedback is being given since this implementation?
EQ4)In what ways are the Computer Training Institute better teaching students with learning differences?
Evaluation Questions
To what extent do the Instructors at the
Computer Training Institute understand
teaching methods for students with learning
differences?
Indicators of Success
References:
Kleiman, G., & Wolf, M. (2014). Going to Scale with Online Professional Development: The Friday
Institute MOOCs for Educators (MOOC-Ed) Initiative. North Carolina State University College
of Education, 1-31.