CAPRA - College Access Project for Rural Alaska - Training & Technical Assistance

Training Workshops

Participating campuses received two types of training opportunities: Facilitator Workshops and Faculty Workshops.

Facilitator Workshops

Facilitator Workshops, utilizing a train-the-trainer model, brought campus-based training teams together for two days at the beginning of each grant year. Initially the workshop format was instructional. CAPRA’s Year 1 Facilitator Workshop (April, 2006) presented key information and resources related to grant topics and provided opportunities for teams to explore assistive technology applications and devices. The workshop materials consisted of research-based instructional modules conveying essential content on learning style differences, disability laws and etiquette, universal design of instruction, assistive technology, and workshop planning and facilitation. An extensive amount of information was imparted that first year leaving little time for group process and hands-on activities. Copies of the Facilitator Manual & Resource Materials may be obtained by contacting UAA-CHD or UAA-DSS offices.

CAPRA’s Year 2 Facilitator Workshop (October, 2006) combined intense content instruction with ample time for discussion. While the agenda changed, the modules did not. Resulting from the change in participating colleges during Year 2, a second Facilitator Workshop was held for Prince William Sound Community College partners in Valdez (April, 2007). The workshop format, content and processes paralleled that of Year 1 with a few exceptions. Additional resources developed for other campuses during their implementation of grant activities were shared with PWSCC facilitators.

Finally, CAPRA’s Year 3 Facilitator Workshop Manual (October, 2007), this document, utilized the plethora of formative data gathered during the previous 18 months of project implementation. Based on Years 1 and 2 findings, both the agenda and the format of the last Facilitators Workshop changed.

Faculty Workshops

Adjuncts on most University of Alaska campuses receive few, if any, professional development opportunities, yet typlically they teach 80 percent or more of the courses. Consequently, adjunct faculty members teaching on rural campuses were the intended targets for CAPRA training. A $500 stipend for each participant to attend training and to participate in project evaluation activities was a universal inticement.

Individual campuses held on-site Faculty Workshops once a semester throughout the grant period. Every aspect from planning training, holding workshops and providing follow-up activities differed by campus and its site-based training team. Campus facilitators used narrow and broad participant selection techniques: they invited attendees by hand selecting participants and issuing personal invitations, by sending an email via the campus listserv, by following campus protocol for contacting and inviting faculty, and finally by pairing training with graduation travel. The assortment of strategies resulted in diverse participant groups. During Years 1 and 2, the number of non-adjunct faculty (i.e., full-time faculty, staff and administrators) equaled or exceeded the number of adjunct faculty members who were trained. It is important to note that on these small campuses (a) enrollments are small, (b) faculty are few, and (c) all personnel interact with students is a variety of ways. Therefore to maximize benefit to each campus, participation was encouraged by all interested personell. During Year 3, Outreach activities were a grant objective. In addition to adjunct faculty members, participants were sought from local High School Special Education programs, Division of Vocational Rehabilitation offices, and Independent Living Centers.

Assistive Technology from Disability Support Services

Historically Disability Support Services in Anchorage was a regional hub and technical assistance resource for the extended campus DSS Points-of-Contact. This support included temporary or long-term loan of Assistive Technology, both hardware and software, and training. Because of CAPRA, a more strategic and systematic approach to delivering consistent and ongoing support evolved. DSS in Anchorage equipped extended sites with matching Assistive Technology Kits containing laptops, peripherals, and software applications. Additionally, DSS provided the campuses with on-site AT workshops ususally offered adjacent to a CAPRA workshop. A list of AT Kit contents is available from UAA-DSS.

CAPRA Training Goals & Outcomes

CAPRA Project: Dr. N. Jill Wheeler, Center for Human Development, UAA, 2702 Gambell St, Ste. 103, Anchorage, AK 99503
Phone: 907-264-6275 Toll-free: 1-800-243-2199 Fax: 907-274-4802

Center for Human Development • UAA Disability Support Services

CAPRA is a grant from the U.S. Department of Education – Office of Postsecondary Education funded project development and delivery. CAPRA (PR# P333A050050) is funded entirely by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education, Demonstration Projects to Ensure Students With Disabilities Receive a Quality Higher Education Program (CFDA 84.333). Project materials do not necessarily represent the policy of DOE nor should users assume endorsement by the Federal government. During the three year project period (10/1/2005 – 9/30/2008), the Center for Human Development - University of Alaska Anchorage expects to receive $751,544.