Mode Matrix Development

1 MODE MATRIX DEVELOPMENT BEFORE CLASS Connection Activity Overview Required Resources Agenda & Instructor Notes Review to see how this Read to learn more Review to make sure you Read to prepare for activity fits as part of about the content of have the materials you what you will do in class the course and Unit 1. the activity. need for this activity. during the activity. CONNECTION Activity #1 is the first assignment within the Unit 1: Defining the Freight System which introduces students to the components and characteristics of the freight system. The information provided in Unit 1 is the building block for a greater understanding of freight transportation within our transportation system. In Activity #1, students describe the modes within the freight transportation system and compare the economic and operational characteristics of modes. This is how this activity fits into the unit. Unit 1: Defining the Freight System L Introduction to Freight Transportation A Mode Matrix (Pre-class and In-class) L Intermodal Transfers L Role of Supply Chains A Commodity Flow Once students have an understanding of the means by which goods move they will be better prepared to engage in subsequent activities within Unit 1 and the remainder of the course. ACTIVITY OVERVIEW Activity #1 consists of both a pre-class (1a) and in-class (1b) component. In the pre-class activity students are assigned a mode of freight transportation to research, summarize, and be ready to act as an “expert” on during in-class discussions. It is important to emphasize to the students that their preparation in the pre- class activity is important to ensure a successful in-class activity. Within, and related to, each mode students are asked to research the following topic areas: • Pertinent history (e.g., technology, relevant policy, mode history impacts on present operations) • Infrastructure (e.g., quality, reach, connectivity, ownership and management) • Typical goods movement (what is typically moved via mode), common services • Vehicles and kinds of services (used to move goods) Freight Transportation © 2012 Kelly Pitera (Facilitation Guide) Activity 1a & b: Mode Matrix Development • Overseeing agencies (public and private) • Technology associated with the mode • Current issues (congestion, environmental issues, security…) • Advantages (over other modes) • Disadvantages (over other modes) • Within Washington state Students are provided with a “mode matrix” which has examples of the kind of information desired within the topic areas. This gives the students guidance for the open ended assignment and lets them know what level of effort is expected of them. During the in-class activity students share previously gathered information on freight transportation modes, ultimately identifying key issues for each mode and developing a matrix to compare modes. Working within modes, students will clarify concerns and uncertainties and complete their portion of the mode matrix below. Once each group has completed their portion of the mode matrix, new groups will be formed, where each group has one member representing each mode. Within these new groups, students will help each other complete the entire mode matrix. Because time is limited, the students are asked to start by focusing on two topic areas (matrix rows) of their individual mode (one area which they feel is most important to understanding the mode and its role in the freight transportation, and one area where they were surprised by what they learned). Additionally, groups will work together to answer the Critical Thinking Questions related to mode comparison. The learning objectives for Activity #1 include: • To be able to define and describe components of the freight transportation system. • To be able to compare economic and operational characteristics of modes. • To do independent research and report findings to the class. REQUIRED RESOURCES • Activity #1a and #1b text DURING CLASS Discussion Agenda Instructor Notes Common Questions Notes and Ideas Review with the students to Use this to remind you of the Keep these in mind! Keep these in mind for show them what tasks will be information that you need to They are what students possible use during completed during class and the remember and the sequence have asked about this class or to update the approximate time for each task. that you will follow during class. activity in the past. activity in the future AGENDA Pre-class activity (#1a) • Assign student to a mode (TRUCK, RAIL, AIR, WATER) to use in completing pre-class assignment. • Assign student to a mixed mode group - where each group has one member representing each mode (1, 2, 3…) - to use in completing the in-class assignment. Freight Transportation © 2012 Kelly Pitera (Facilitation Guide) Activity 1a & b: Mode Matrix Development In-class activity (#1b) • Students gather in groups by mode to discuss information gathered during the pre-class activity. Within the group, students should clarify concerns/uncertainties and fill in mode matrix for their given mode. (apprx. 20 minutes) • Students gather in mixed mode groups. Within these groups, students should help each other complete the entire mode matrix and answer the Critical Thinking Questions pertaining to the information. (apprx. 20 minutes) • Within the mixed modal groups students should compare across modes to answer the Critical Thinking Questions provided within activity. (30 minutes) Post-class • Each mixed modal group should finalize a completed version of their mode matrix and Critical Thinking Questions, and submit electronically to the instructor. INSTRUCTOR NOTES The instructor is to facilitate the activity by helping the students arrange themselves in groups, both by mode and mixed mode. During both group sessions, the instructor should observe groups, noting problems and if certain mode/attributes are not being covered thoroughly. Additionally the instructor should take questions from the groups on aspects of the mode matrix content. The instructor should clarify the following as students gather in mixed modal groups: • As stated in the student activity handout, when sharing information in the mixed modal groups, students should focus on two topic areas (matrix rows) of their mode: one area which they feel is most important to understanding the mode and its role in the freight transportation, and one area where they were surprised by what they learned. • Students should take advantage of flash drives and laptops when compiling mode matrix information. • The Critical Thinking Questions posed in the activity are open-ended. Emphasize that the questions are open to interpretation by students and that many answers are considered correct, especially when accompanied by explanations. • Due to the scope of the assignment and information provided in class up to this point, students may not have well-developed responses to the questions. The intent is to have students think beyond what was investigated in the pre-assignment and small group discussions. The themes presented in these questions will be further developed throughout the course. • Bullets and short answers are acceptable when answering the Critical Thinking Questions. The instructor should clarify the following as the class session ends: • Mixed modal group are to complete their mode matrix and Critical Thinking Questions for the next class period. COMMON QUESTIONS/CONCERNS It is necessary to specifically address (see above) the open-ended nature of questions and the intent to have students think beyond the boundaries of what they have investigated and shared with each other. Students should also be reminded that this is not the only time during the course that they will be exposed to the material. Rather, many of the topics will be touched upon at later points and discussed in more detail. Freight Transportation © 2012 Kelly Pitera (Facilitation Guide) Activity 1a & b: Mode Matrix Development This assignment is time-intensive and in previous trials of this activity students have not had adequate time to complete the assignment. To address this, students have been instructed to focus on only two topic areas (see above) when sharing information within their mixed modal groups. Additionally, the number of Critical Thinking Questions asked within the activity has been reduced. The removed questions are now posed under Discussion Notes/Ideas, below. This exercise simplifies some aspects of the modes and makes many generalizations. Near the end of the exercise students asked about some more detailed questions regarding cost – for example who pays which costs and whether social costs were included. This was positive, and some of these issues will be addressed later in the course, but students should be reminded that generalizations are also important at this point. Students had some difficulty differentiating current issues from disadvantages or advantages. This differ- ence should be clarified by the instructor. DISCUSSION NOTES/IDEAS Additional questions which could be asked during the activity session include: • Identify a current issue related to sustainability. Why is it a sustainability concern? What can be done (by whom) to improve this issue? • Which mode of freight transport do you think is the most attractive, and why? • Which mode of freight transport do you think is the least attractive, and why? • If you had $1,000,000 (or any arbitrary amount of money), which issue regarding freight movement in Washington state would you address? Why? AFTER CLASS Answers and Notes Activity

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