Training Requirements for Railroad Dispatchers: Objectives, Syllabi and Test November 1998 Designs 6
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U.S. Department of Transportation Training Requirements for Railroad Federal Railroad Dispatchers: Objectives, Syllabi and Administration Test Designs Office of Research and Development Washington, DC 20590 S. Reinach J. Gertler Foster-Miller, Inc. 350 Second Avenue Waltham, MA 02451-1196 G. Kuehn IIT Research Institute 10 West 35th Street Chicago, IL 60616-3799 DOT/FRA/ORD-98-08 Final Report This document is available to the U.S. November 1998 public through the National Technical Information Service, Springfield, VA 22161 NOTICE U.S. Department of Transportation This document is disseminated under the sponsorship of the Department of Transportation in the interest of information exchange. The United States Government assumes no liability for its contents or use thereof. Office of Research and Development Washington, DC 20590 NOTICE The United States Government does not endorse products or manufacturers. Trade or manufacturers' names appear herein solely because they are considered essential to the objective of this report. Technical Report Documentation Page 1. Report No. 2. Government Accession No. 3. Recipient's Catalog No. 4. Title and Subtitle 5. Report Date Training Requirements for Railroad Dispatchers: Objectives, Syllabi and Test November 1998 Designs 6. Performing Organization Code 7. Author(s) 8. Performing Organization Report No. S. Reinach, J. Gertler, G. Kuehn* DOT/FRA/ORD-98-08 9. Performing Organization Name and Address 10. Work Unit No. (TRAIS) Foster-Miller, Inc. 350 Second Avenue Waltham, MA 02451-1196 11. Contract or Grant No. DTFR 53-95-C-00049 12. Sponsoring Agency Name and Address 13. Type of Report and Period Covered U.S. Department of Transportation Final Report Federal Railroad Administration August 1996-December 1997 Office of Research and Development 14. Sponsoring Agency Code Washington, DC 20590 RDV-32 15. Supplementary Notes *Illinois Institute of Technology Research Institute 16. Abstract This report presents the results of a study to develop railroad dispatcher training objectives, syllabi for three types of training programs and test designs for the three programs. Information about current railroad dispatching methods and training programs, assembled through site visits and interviews with railroad training officials, provided the basis for developing the training objectives, syllabi and test designs using instructional design methodologies. The dispatcher’s job functions along with basic prerequisites formed the basis for the training objectives; each training objective consists of an instructional objective and associated performance objectives. The objectives were designed to be broadly applicable to all types of railroads, regardless of size, type of service or dispatching technology. Syllabi for three types of training (initial dispatcher training, initial territory training and periodic refresher training) were based on the training objectives. Test designs for trainee evaluation upon completion of each of the three training programs were also prepared. The types of test items in each test design reflect the complexity of the learning outcome from each objective. The report concludes with some observations regarding factors that appear to contribute to successful dispatcher training programs and recommendations for additional research. Appendices contain resource materials for railroad training officials. 17. Key Words 18. Distribution Statement Railroad dispatcher, instructional design, training objective, This document is available to the public through the instructional objective, performance objective, test design National Technical Information Service, Springfield, VA 22161 19. Security Classif. (of this report) 20. Security Classif. (of this page) 21. No. of Pages 22. Price Unclassified Unclassified 158 Form DOT F 1700.7 (8-72) Reproduction of completed page authorized PREFACE This report presents the findings and results of a research study designed to develop recommendations regarding training for railroad dispatchers. The focus of the study was on developing training objectives, testing methods and training syllabi. The work was performed under Contract DTFR53-95-C-00049 with guidance from Thomas Raslear of the Office of Research and Development, Federal Railroad Administration. The authors also extend their appreciation to Thomas Keane of the Office of Safety, Federal Railroad Administration, for providing a background on the FRA’s two railroad dispatcher audits and for answering numerous questions throughout the course of the project. Thanks are also due to William Clifford, President, American Train Dispatchers Department (ATDD), and Les Parmelee, former President, ATDD, for their valuable feedback on the training objectives and model syllabi. The authors also wish to thank the six railroads that arranged site visits or interviews for the study team and the numerous railroad industry representatives who reviewed the draft training objectives and model syllabi and provided valuable feedback. Susan Madigan, Transit Safety Management, provided expertise and assistance throughout the project, including significant contributions to the training objectives and model syllabi. Duncan Allen and Winn Frank, DeLeuw, Cather, provided assistance in selecting railroads for site visits and in structuring the training objectives. Frank Raposa provided assistance in the process of developing the training syllabi. v vi CONTENTS Section Page EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .......................................................................................................... 1 1. INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................... 4 1.1 Background...................................................................................................................... 4 1.2 Purpose ............................................................................................................................ 5 1.3 Scope ............................................................................................................................... 6 1.4 Overall Approach.............................................................................................................6 1.5 Organization of the Report .............................................................................................. 8 2. DISPATCHER JOB DESCRIPTION .......................................................................... 9 2.1 The 1974 Devoe Report................................................................................................... 9 2.2 Changes in the Dispatching Environment ..................................................................... 10 2.3 Railroad Dispatcher Job Functions ................................................................................ 11 2.4 Dispatching and Train Control Technology................................................................... 12 3. CURRENT TRAINING PROGRAMS ...................................................................... 14 3.1 Collection of Training Materials from Existing Industry Programs .............................. 14 3.2 Site Visits and Interviews .............................................................................................. 15 3.3 Summary of Site Visits and Training Materials............................................................. 16 4. DEVELOPMENT OF TRAINING OBJECTIVES .................................................. 18 4.1 Instructional Design Process ......................................................................................... 20 4.2 General Framework: Bloom’s Taxonomy ..................................................................... 20 4.3 Instructional Objectives ................................................................................................. 21 4.4 Performance Objectives................................................................................................. 22 4.5 Initial Development of Training Objectives .................................................................. 22 4.6 Industry Review and Validation .................................................................................... 23 5. TRAINING OBJECTIVES ........................................................................................ 24 5.1 Objectives ...................................................................................................................... 24 5.2 Three Training Programs ............................................................................................... 36 vii Section Page 6. DEVELOPMENT OF MODEL SYLLABI ............................................................... 39 6.1 Elements of a Syllabus .................................................................................................. 39 6.2 Syllabus Development Process...................................................................................... 40 6.2.1 Initial Development of Model Syllabi ........................................................................... 41 6.2.2 Industry Review and Validation .................................................................................... 41 6.2.3 Issues Relevant to Developing and Using Syllabi ......................................................... 44 6.3 Syllabus Implementation Tool ....................................................................................... 44 7. MODEL SYLLABI .....................................................................................................