Serving 11,250 students, Blackhawk Technical College (BTC), has used WIDS for curriculum development since 1994. Most recently, the college worked with WIDS to develop “Green Industry Technician” Curriculum.
‘Greening’ Curriculum: Green Industry Technician
The Green Industry Technician Program at Blackhawk Technical College (Blackhawk) in Janesville, Wis., is greener than ever before. The program was recently enhanced to emphasize sustainability and environmental stewardship – training students in the planning, establishment and care of public, private and commercial landscapes. The move by Blackhawk to “green” the curriculum comes just as the new Economic Stimulus bill was passed – with $500 million in grants earmarked for worker training and placement in high growth and emerging energy sectors, including “green” job training and “greening” curriculum.
It appears that Blackhawk is aligning with the “green” movement, as its “greened” landscape design program ensures graduates can promote sustainable land and water management practices; assess project requirements based on sustainable land management principles; select plants adapted for various applications; create sustainable, environmentally sound landscape design plans; construct landscape design plans; demonstrate safe operation of tools and equipment used in landscape applications; and maintain turf and plants.
The “greening” of program curriculum came with help from the Worldwide Instructional Design System (WIDS) and as a result of an industry need for more “green-conscious” professionals within landscape design. WIDS is a non-profit organization that provides learner-centered curriculum design training, consulting and software.
“Blackhawk Technical College conducted a needs assessment last year and found that this is where the market is truly heading,” says Nancy Lightfield, Blackhawk’s dean of transportation, agriculture and apprenticeship and Academic Quality Improvement Program coordinator. “Revising the program to have an environmental emphasis is simply the right thing to do, considering the state of our planet,” she adds. “Some areas of Wisconsin are already running out of water. We are running out of sustainable sources of energy and invasive species and phosphorus loads are a growing concern in area lakes and ponds. The revised Green Industry Technician program caters to these issues, meets industry demands, and is the morally right thing to do.”
Now, the program is aligned with where education and industry are moving. The new Economic Stimulus law has a large focus on cultivating “green” majors and “green” collar jobs, as well as “greening” curriculum, according to Robin Nickel, WIDS-Associate Director.
Revising the Green Technician program to graduate students with enhanced skills in green design practices was made simpler thanks to WIDS.
The Process of Greening Curriculum
WIDS played an integral role in the makeover of the program. “I attended the WIDS Learning Outcomes Assessment: Program Design workshop in June, where I learned about the WIDS Program Design wizard,” Lightfield says. The wizard makes it easy to develop a program design, complete with program outcomes and assessment. It allows for quick revision of a program and analysis of exactly where green concepts are incorporated. Lightfield used the wizard to input the initial program information, and then in July, she and four other Blackhawk program instructors worked with WIDS Trainer Terri Johnson to finalize program outcomes, configure the courses, and write measurable learning outcomes. “Terri was a great facilitator,” says Lightfield. “With WIDS and her assistance, we were able to complete the process in two short days,”
Taught entirely by adjunct instructors, who are also industry experts, the new WIDS-designed curriculum is simple to follow and execute. That’s critical, says Lightfield, because while the adjunct instructors are industry professionals, they aren’t necessarily teaching experts. “The WIDS Model has really helped them embrace performance-based instruction and assessment,” she says. The instructors have gained knowledge and skill as a result of the curriculum revision. “With their training, a couple of the adjunct instructors presented a talk on assessment during a full-time faculty in-service at the College,” says Lightfield.
The new Green Technician Program is the first of its kind in the area, she adds. “There are other horticulture and landscape programs at several of our sister colleges, but none quite as environmentally centered,” she says. “Students can receive face-to-face instruction on environmentally sound practices, and in less than one year, graduate from the program with a technical diploma.”
Enrolling around 40 students per year, the program graduates three to 14 students annually. “During our needs assessment, 69 employers responded to a survey stating they expected an increase in the demand for entry-level employees in this area,” says Lightfield. “We are happy we’ve designed such a successful program – one that produces proficient employees to fill these roles.”