UDOT U News Summer, 2014

UDOT U News, August 2014

NEWS NEWS Message from Richard Murdock, UDOT U Administra ve Vice President

UDOT U: OPPORTUNITIES TO LEARNOver the last three years, I’ve quite o en been asked, what is UDOT U and what can it do for me?

The simplest answer to the fi rst part of this ques on is UDOT University is UDOT’s learn-ing organiza on; in other words, it is a fancy name for the training the department deliv-ers. To answer the second part of the ques- on, what can [UDOT U] do for me, I’ll list

what we do, and then you decide if there is anything that might be of value to you.

We do the following things: (1) provide UDOT employees and stakeholders with opportuni- es for learning and development, (2) facili-

tate partnerships with other learning organi-za ons, (3) provide tools and infrastructure to track training hours and training eff ec veness, and (4) assist subject-ma er areas fi nd ways to fund needed training.

Providing learning opportuni es

If you’ve a ended a UDOT-hosted NHI course, a breakout session at the UDOT Annual Con-ference, or a webinar using Adobe Connect you’ve par cipated in UDOT U. Chances are you are one of the 13,000 a endees for which UDOT U has provided learning opportuni es over the last couple of years. We’re in the pro-cess of adding to our course catalog, powered by Adobe Connect; go here to browse the 100+ off erings: www.connect.udot.utah.gov. We’re adding more every day. We contract

with groups and work with vendors to keep mar-ginal costs down for our business units.

Developing employees

As a learning organiza on UDOT U a empts to provide development opportuni es for employ-ees. Funds, obviously, are not unlimited so we look for ways to get the biggest bang for our buck. Purchasing licenses for Lynda.com; bring-ing in external subject ma er experts through NHI, AASHTO, and local universi es; and refocus-ing the breakout sessions at the UDOT Annual conference to center on training has provided employees easy access to learning opportuni es. The tui on assistance program, although more strictly a benefi t than a training program, has al-lowed many UDOT employees to seek accredited degrees from local colleges and universi es.

Fostering learning and sharing

UDOT U has assisted the department ini ate the TRAC and RIDES programs, AASHTO-sponsored STEM ini a ves for primary and secondary schools. Through this program UDOT provides needed materials and exper se to schools. Teachers use the materials to present engineer-ing- and transporta on-related lessons to future engineers and technicians.

IN THIS ISSUE:Year in Review.......................3

Checklist for Research...........4

Library Services.....................5

Lori Economy........................5

Ac ve transporta on............6

Poster Session.......................8

Rick Murdock UDOT U Administra ve VP [email protected]

[email protected]

Con nued, next page.

Summer 2014


UDOT Chemist Sara Carlock demonstrates pH tes ng, which is used in the transporta on industry to assure materials meet specs.

Message from Richard Murdock, con nued.

UDOT U is also in the beginning stages of part-nering with the research division to develop ways to capture, organize, and manage employ-ees’ considerable knowledge and experience. We are looking for ways to make ins tu onal memory shareable. We’re at the very begin-ning of the project; your ideas for how this might best be accomplished are welcome.

Developing infrastructure

UDOT U has developed a central website that acts as a portal leading employees to the learn-ing opportuni es off ered in the department. Our course catalog, webinar so ware, and other tools are available for use by all UDOT employees and in most cases outside contrac-tors and consultants.

Providing funding for training

The training budget has steadily increased over the years as our internal groups and subject ma er experts have made good use of the funds. This last fi scal year (FY 2014), the budget was double the previous year. This

commitment to funding demonstrates Sr. Lead-ers’ commitment to learning, innova on, and developing employees.There are a several other things that we’re working on that I’d like to go into, but I’ve droned on long enough. Hopefully, it’s clear that UDOT U is here to serve you and your learning needs. If there are ways we can help, please do not hesitate to contact us at [email protected].

Kendall Draney and Bryan Allen at a UDOT Conference breakout session on project management.

UDOT U STUDY FINDINGS

This Spring, UDOT U hired a consultant to review its processes and structure. The consultant’s fi ndings and recommenda ons are linked below:

Benchmarking Report Execu ve Summary

UDUDUDOTOTOT UUU SSSTUTUTUDYDYDY FFFINININDIDIDINGNGNGSSS

TThis Spring, UDOT U hired aa consultant to review its pprocesses and structure. Thecconsultant’s fi ndings and rrecommenda ons are linked bbelow:

BBenchmarking ReportEExecu ve Summary


YEAR IN REVIEW

UDOT U ANNUAL STATISTICAL REPORT -- Fiscal Year 2014

Training Experience, Kirkpatrick Level 1: This table shows a measure of how trainees measure their training experience. Most respondents rate their overall experience as good or excellent.

2013 2014

Courses presented: 134 142 Hours of instruc on 495.5 731.9

Individuals trained 5289 7604

Costs

Total spent on direct training costs/courses: $319,579.00

Average cost of a training hour (per individual) $18.66

Learning Measures

Learning Measures

Training Experience, Kirkpatrick Level 3: This table shows how trainees responded two months post training to the ques on, “Have you used what you learned?”


The checklist is a tool for use in planning and monitoring progress of new research projects at UDOT and it’s available on the Research Division website under Project Tool Box, along with a new Project Management Worksheet which helps to defi ne the project prior to contrac ng with a university or consultant.

RESEARCH CHECKLIST The Research Division recently updated the Project Management Checklist.

A previous version of the checklist had been in use for several months and was based on project management training given to UDOT regional and central project managers by Ernie Nielsen of BYU. In early 2014 the Research Division staff received addi onal training from Ernie Nielsen in using the project planning principles within the checklist, including an exercise using an actual new re-search project. Based on that exercise the check-list was refi ned and the worksheet was created in July 2014.

The updated checklist is a simplifi ed version of the previous one and is well suited for the typi-cal size of research projects funded at UDOT. The new worksheet helps key individuals inside and

A researcher conduc ng an mechanically stabilized earth wall study extracts a piece of steel rebar to check for deteriora on.

outside UDOT, represen ng groups most af-fected by and most able to contribute to the research, to defi ne the project objec ve and deliverables.

These tools help research project managers involve the right people in planning and con-duc ng the research, preparing the way for eff ec ve implementa on of research results at UDOT.

Research projects at UDOT typically have much smaller budgets, have fewer ac vi es or tasks, and are more focused on incremen-tal process improvements than regular UDOT projects. UDOT research projects are usually completed within one or two years, and the majority of these come from the annual Re-search Workshop where submi ed problem statements are priori zed.

Both types of projects can benefi t from the same project management principles, includ-ing eff ec ve planning and scheduling of tasks and resources. Scheduling tools used on UDOT research projects vary from basic MS Project fi les to spreadsheets to track tasks and milestones.

-- David Stevens, Research Project Manager

Training news from the College of Program Development


Lorri Economy

Lorri recently worked in the distribu on and transporta on side of Family Dollar Stores in St. George where she worked as a training manager.

Her professional background includes working for the Na onal Park Service, the Utah Department of Workforce Services. Besides managing training programs, she has experience in communica- ons, performance management, and policy and

program development.

Lorri’s educa onal background includes a Bach-elor of Arts Degree in English with a minor in

MEET LORRI ECONOMYTraining Manager Lorri Economy has joined UDOT in a new posi on. Her role will be to oversee training programs developed for maintenance and construc on and available through UDOT U.

Joni DeMille

Poli cal Science and a Master of Public Ad-ministra on from Southern Utah University. Lorri has also completed the Utah Cer fi ed Public Manager (CPM) off ered through DHRM. Her off -work interests include trav-eling, golf, cycling, running and triathlons.

The library also has books on developing and improving leadership, communica on, wri ng and customer service skills. Some are also available in audio or DVD format. We also have project man-agement books, so ware manuals, including some from the popular “for Dummies” series, materi-als on building work teams, managing stress and panic a acks, resolving confl ict and dealing with diffi cult people.

Ever wondered what “color” you are? We have the Color Code books containing the self-test and details about each personality type. Want to ad-vance? Brush up your interview skills with one of our technique books. Big mee ng or presenta on coming up? Stop by for a book on how to hold be er mee ngs and give more dynamic presenta- ons, or for a fun book with games and icebreak-

ers. Want to learn Spanish? Check out our CD/DVD instruc onal set and get going.

These famous names are represented on our shelves: Stephen Covey, Lee Iacocca, Dale Carn-egie, Anthony Robbins, Bill Gates, Earl Nigh ngale

and Les Brown.

We even have a sma ering of books on fi nance and re rement, as well as some fi c on and nonfi c on books.

Library materials can be checked out for 4 weeks, with renewal available on items that haven’t been reserved by another employee. If you need an item we don’t currently have, we can request it from another library through Interlibrary Loan.

The Lester Wire Library has something for everyone. Stop by any me during our working hours to check something out or just to see what we might have for you.

The Library is open from 8 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.

-- Joni DeMille, UDOT Librarian [email protected]

A RESOURCE FOR LEARNINGMost of you probably know that UDOT’s Lester Wire Library houses technical reference materials, research reports and AASHTO and TRB publica ons frequently used by engineers.



Many at UDOT know about the Road Respect cycling tour – it’s an outreach and educa on eff ort, started in 2011, that promotes bicycling and em-phasizes safe, respec ul cycling and driving.

Road Respect has moved beyond annual tours and built on the good will generated by cyclist-ambas-sadors.

GETTING ACTIVE: A fl exible, non-tradi onal approach to planning provides a learning environment for UDOT and stakeholders and empowers community members to see ac ve transporta on opportuni es.

Today, Road Respect Community—an off -shoot of the annual Road Respect Tour-- connects UDOT with communi es and policy makers to plan and improve ac ve trans-porta on op ons.

Under the Road Respect Community Program, ci es and towns through-

out Utah are leveraging and building on what they already have in place to create comprehensive ap-proaches to bicycle planning. The program begins with a forum that examines issues and solu ons having to do with local bicycling. The forums bring together representa ves from UDOT, local ci es

Con nued, next page.

Top: UDOT Director Carlos Braceras speaks at a 2014 Road Respect event. UDOT’s Mark Taylor is pictured far right.

Bo om: Road Respect Commu-nity connects UDOT with cyclists and policy makers to plan and improve ac ve transporta on op ons.

and coun es, planning and law enforcement agencies, cycling advocates, and community members who have an interest in ac ve transporta on.

The ini al forum centers on addressing the concerns of the community. Then com-munity members are invited to take the ideas generated during the forum and work with local government leaders and UDOT to improve area ac ve transporta on in an ongoing process. “We have enjoyed a lot of success in our Road Respect Community program,” explains Evelyn Tuddenham, UDOT’s Bike-Pedestrian Coordinator. “The forums have put several communi es on the fast-track to improving ac ve transporta on op ons.”

Example: Moab Main Street

An intense business, trucking and travel corridor, Moab Main Street is also a route cyclists use to get to the many trails that let tourists experience the beau ful, match-less red rock landscape. Business owners along the corridor are glad to accommodate the infl ux of tourists. But the community members, cycling groups and leaders were concerned with how to get cyclists around town and on and off trails safely.

The issues forum in Moab helped educate the stakeholder groups about available op- ons along the mul -use corridor. “When we

le Moab, there was a much be er under-standing by the locals about the mobility issues UDOT was faced with on a street that needed to accommodate a wide variety of users, from pedestrians and bicycles, to large trucks,” says Tuddenham. Together, the forum a endees came up with ideas



for mapping and signs. UDOT is now looking at solu ons for pedestrian crossings. These eff orts will help improve mobility and safety for cyclists, pedestrians and motorists. Community members will con nue to work with UDOT to fi nd addi onal solu ons.

Making connec ons

“With Road Respect Community forums, we are able to get people together in an informal, non-threatening se ng,” says Tuddenham. Such a se ng can foster trust, enhance dialogue among disparate groups. Once ci zens are able to voice their concerns and be trained about op ons, ideas for solu ons inevitably follow. Road Respect Community forums have:

1) Helped community groups, including local ci es or county planning or law enforcement agencies, and cycling advocacy groups, understand how UDOT func ons. 2) Connected UDOT with com-muni es to strengthen the rela onship between UDOT regions and the public. 3) Empowered com-muni es to take the lead, with UDOT support, to develop ac ve transporta on plans and ac vi es. UDOT U is funding a report about the program so other UDOT programs can use the collabora on and training approach as a model.

Road Respect Community is a grass-roots eff ort that fosters educa on and ac on. The program has moved UDOT forward in the eff ort to unite with community groups and other government agencies to collaborate and develop ac ve transporta on plans across the state.

Ac ve transporta on, con nued.

A forum facilitator posts issues on a display board for all a endees to see.

UDOT Region Four Director Rick Torgerson addresses a croud in Cedar City. Communi es to take the lead, with UDOT support, to develop ac ve transporta on plans and ac vi es.

The Road Respect Cycling Tour is an outreach and educa on eff ort, started in 2011, that promotes bicycling and emphasizes safe, respec ul cycling and driving.


IDEAS ON DISPLAYThe Research and Innova on Poster Session at the UDOT Annual Conference gives research-ers a chance to present engineering ideas, concepts and research projects.

Presenters who par cipate are asked to create a en- on grabbing posters that are easy to read and use visual

informa on to convey ideas. The poster session is not just limited to researchers. Anyone with a transporta on related innova on is welcome to submit an applica on to par cipate.

The best thing about the poster session is the chance to talk one-on-one with presenters, many of whom are grad students. Presenters are bright, ar culate and fully engaged in transporta on research. The event lets confer-ence a endees fi nd out about new ideas, and many of those ideas and innova ons will fi nd and their way to our work at UDOT.

A call for posters will go out in UDOT employees, consul-tants, university professors and students in September. Check the UDOT Research web page for more informa on.

The best thing about the poster session is the chance to talk one-on-one with presenters.


UDOT U News Summer, 2014

Documents

Transcript of UDOT U News Summer, 2014