e-Transit: Electronic BusinessStrategies for Public Transportation

Volume 3

Using the Internet for Transit Training

and Certification

TRANSIT COOPERATIVERESEARCHPROGRAM

TRANSIT COOPERATIVERESEARCHPROGRAMTCRP

REPORT 84

Sponsored by

the Federal

Transit Administration

Sponsored by

the Federal

Transit Administration

TCRP OVERSIGHT AND PROJECTSELECTION COMMITTEE(as of October 2002)

CHAIRJ. BARRY BARKERTransit Authority of River City

MEMBERSDANNY ALVAREZ Miami-Dade Transit AgencyKAREN ANTIONKaren Antion ConsultingGORDON AOYAGIMontgomery County GovernmentJEAN PAUL BAILLYUnion Internationale des Transports PublicsRONALD L. BARNESCentral Ohio Transit AuthorityLINDA J. BOHLINGERHNTB Corp.ANDREW BONDS, JR.Parsons Transportation Group, Inc.JENNIFER L. DORNFTANATHANIEL P. FORD, SR.Metropolitan Atlanta RTACONSTANCE GARBERYork County Community Action Corp.FRED M. GILLIAMCapital Metropolitan Transportation AuthorityKIM R. GREENGFI GENFARESHARON GREENESharon Greene & AssociatesKATHERINE M. HUNTER-ZAWORSKIOregon State UniversityROBERT H. IRWINBritish Columbia TransitCELIA G. KUPERSMITHGolden Gate Bridge, Highway and

Transportation DistrictPAUL J. LARROUSSENational Transit Institute DAVID A. LEEConnecticut TransitCLARENCE W. MARSELLADenver Regional Transportation DistrictFAYE L. M. MOORESoutheastern Pennsylvania Transportation

AuthoritySTEPHANIE L. PINSONGilbert Tweed Associates, Inc.ROBERT H. PRINCE, JR.DMJM+HARRIS JEFFERY M. ROSENBERGAmalgamated Transit UnionRICHARD J. SIMONETTApbConsultPAUL P. SKOUTELAS Port Authority of Allegheny CountyLINDA S. WATSONCorpus Christi RTA

EX OFFICIO MEMBERSWILLIAM W. MILLARAPTAMARY E. PETERSFHWAJOHN C. HORSLEYAASHTOROBERT E. SKINNER, JR.TRB

TDC EXECUTIVE DIRECTORLOUIS F. SANDERSAPTA

SECRETARYROBERT J. REILLYTRB

TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH BOARD EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE 2002 (Membership as of November 2002)

OFFICERS

Chair: E. Dean Carlson, Secretary of Transportation, Kansas DOTVice Chair: Genevieve Giuliano, Professor, School of Policy, Planning, and Development, USC, Los AngelesExecutive Director: Robert E. Skinner, Jr., Transportation Research Board

MEMBERS

WILLIAM D. ANKNER, Director, Rhode Island DOTTHOMAS F. BARRY, JR., Secretary of Transportation, Florida DOTMICHAEL W. BEHRENS, Executive Director, Texas DOTJACK E. BUFFINGTON, Associate Director and Research Professor, Mack-Blackwell National Rural

Transportation Study Center, University of ArkansasSARAH C. CAMPBELL, President, TransManagement, Inc., Washington, DCJOANNE F. CASEY, President, Intermodal Association of North AmericaJAMES C. CODELL III, Secretary, Kentucky Transportation CabinetJOHN L. CRAIG, Director, Nebraska Department of RoadsROBERT A. FROSCH, Sr. Research Fellow, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard UniversitySUSAN HANSON, Landry University Prof. of Geography, Graduate School of Geography, Clark UniversityLESTER A. HOEL, L. A. Lacy Distinguished Professor, Depart. of Civil Engineering, University of VirginiaRONALD F. KIRBY, Director of Transportation Planning, Metropolitan Washington Council of GovernmentsH. THOMAS KORNEGAY, Exec. Dir., Port of Houston AuthorityBRADLEY L. MALLORY, Secretary of Transportation, Pennsylvania DOTMICHAEL D. MEYER, Professor, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Georgia Institute of

TechnologyJEFF P. MORALES, Director of Transportation, California DOTDAVID PLAVIN, President, Airports Council International, Washington, DCJOHN REBENSDORF, Vice Pres., Network and Service Planning, Union Pacific Railroad Co., Omaha, NECATHERINE L. ROSS, Executive Director, Georgia Regional Transportation AgencyJOHN M. SAMUELS, Sr. Vice Pres.-Operations Planning & Support, Norfolk Southern Corporation,

Norfolk, VAPAUL P. SKOUTELAS, CEO, Port Authority of Allegheny County, Pittsburgh, PAMICHAEL S. TOWNES, Exec. Dir., Transportation District Commission of Hampton Roads, Hampton, VAMARTIN WACHS, Director, Institute of Transportation Studies, University of California at BerkeleyMICHAEL W. WICKHAM, Chairman and CEO, Roadway Express, Inc., Akron, OHM. GORDON WOLMAN, Prof. of Geography and Environmental Engineering, The Johns Hopkins University

EX OFFICIO MEMBERS

MIKE ACOTT, President, National Asphalt Pavement Association MARION C. BLAKEY, Federal Aviation Administrator, U.S.DOTREBECCA M. BREWSTER, President and CEO, American Transportation Research Institute, Atlanta, GAJOSEPH M. CLAPP, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administrator, U.S.DOTTHOMAS H. COLLINS (Adm., U.S. Coast Guard), Commandant, U.S. Coast GuardJENNIFER L. DORN, Federal Transit Administrator, U.S.DOT ELLEN G. ENGLEMAN, Research and Special Programs Administrator, U.S.DOTROBERT B. FLOWERS (Lt. Gen., U.S. Army), Chief of Engineers and Commander, U.S. Army Corps of

EngineersHAROLD K. FORSEN, Foreign Secretary, National Academy of EngineeringEDWARD R. HAMBERGER, President and CEO, Association of American RailroadsJOHN C. HORSLEY, Exec. Dir., American Association of State Highway and Transportation OfficialsMICHAEL P. JACKSON, Deputy Secretary of Transportation, U.S.DOTROBERT S. KIRK, Director, Office of Advanced Automotive Technologies, U.S. DOERICK KOWALEWSKI, Acting Director, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, U.S.DOTWILLIAM W. MILLAR, President, American Public Transportation AssociationMARGO T. OGE, Director, Office of Transportation and Air Quality, U.S. EPAMARY E. PETERS, Federal Highway Administrator, U.S.DOTJEFFREY W. RUNGE, National Highway Traffic Safety Administrator, U.S.DOTJON A. RUTTER, Federal Railroad Administrator, U.S.DOTWILLIAM G. SCHUBERT, Maritime Administrator, U.S.DOTROBERT A. VENEZIA, Earth Sciences Applications Specialist, National Aeronautics and Space Administration

TRANSIT COOPERATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAM

Transportation Research Board Executive Committee Subcommittee for TCRPE. DEAN CARLSON, Kansas DOT (Chair)JENNIFER L. DORN, Federal Transit Administration, U.S.DOT GENEVIEVE GIULIANO, University of Southern California, Los AngelesLESTER A. HOEL, University of VirginiaWILLIAM W. MILLAR, American Public Transportation AssociationJOHN M. SAMUELS, Norfolk Southern Corporation, Norfolk, VAROBERT E. SKINNER, JR., Transportation Research BoardPAUL P. SKOUTELAS, Port Authority of Allegheny County, Pittsburgh, PAMICHAEL S. TOWNES, Transportation District Commission of Hampton Roads, Hampton, VA

T R A N S P O R T A T I O N R E S E A R C H B O A R DWASHINGTON, D.C.

2003www.trb.org

T R A N S I T C O O P E R A T I V E R E S E A R C H P R O G R A M

TCRP REPORT 84

Research Sponsored by the Federal Transit Administration in Cooperation with the Transit Development Corporation

SUBJECT AREAS

Public Transit

e-Transit: Electronic Business

Strategies for Public Transportation

Volume 3

Using the Internet forTransit Training and Certification

MULTISYSTEMS, INC.Cambridge, MA

with

BRATTLE SYSTEMS, INC.Arlington, MA

TRANSIT COOPERATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAM

The nation’s growth and the need to meet mobility,environmental, and energy objectives place demands on publictransit systems. Current systems, some of which are old and in needof upgrading, must expand service area, increase service frequency,and improve efficiency to serve these demands. Research isnecessary to solve operating problems, to adapt appropriate newtechnologies from other industries, and to introduce innovations intothe transit industry. The Transit Cooperative Research Program(TCRP) serves as one of the principal means by which the transitindustry can develop innovative near-term solutions to meetdemands placed on it.

The need for TCRP was originally identified in TRB SpecialReport 213—Research for Public Transit: New Directions,published in 1987 and based on a study sponsored by the Urban MassTransportation Administration—now the Federal Transit Admin-istration (FTA). A report by the American Public TransportationAssociation (APTA), Transportation 2000, also recognized the needfor local, problem-solving research. TCRP, modeled after thelongstanding and successful National Cooperative HighwayResearch Program, undertakes research and other technical activitiesin response to the needs of transit service providers. The scope ofTCRP includes a variety of transit research fields including plan-ning, service configuration, equipment, facilities, operations, humanresources, maintenance, policy, and administrative practices.

TCRP was established under FTA sponsorship in July 1992.Proposed by the U.S. Department of Transportation, TCRP wasauthorized as part of the Intermodal Surface TransportationEfficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA). On May 13, 1992, a memorandumagreement outlining TCRP operating procedures was executed bythe three cooperating organizations: FTA; the National Academies,acting through the Transportation Research Board (TRB); and the Transit Development Corporation, Inc. (TDC), a nonprofiteducational and research organization established by APTA.TDC is responsible for forming the independent governing board,designated as the TCRP Oversight and Project Selection (TOPS)Committee.

Research problem statements for TCRP are solicited periodicallybut may be submitted to TRB by anyone at any time. It is theresponsibility of the TOPS Committee to formulate the researchprogram by identifying the highest priority projects. As part of theevaluation, the TOPS Committee defines funding levels andexpected products.

Once selected, each project is assigned to an expert panel,appointed by the Transportation Research Board. The panels prepareproject statements (requests for proposals), select contractors, andprovide technical guidance and counsel throughout the life of theproject. The process for developing research problem statements andselecting research agencies has been used by TRB in managingcooperative research programs since 1962. As in other TRB activ-ities, TCRP project panels serve voluntarily without compensation.

Because research cannot have the desired impact if products failto reach the intended audience, special emphasis is placed ondisseminating TCRP results to the intended end users of theresearch: transit agencies, service providers, and suppliers. TRBprovides a series of research reports, syntheses of transit practice,and other supporting material developed by TCRP research. APTAwill arrange for workshops, training aids, field visits, and otheractivities to ensure that results are implemented by urban and ruraltransit industry practitioners.

The TCRP provides a forum where transit agencies cancooperatively address common operational problems. The TCRPresults support and complement other ongoing transit research andtraining programs.

TCRP REPORT 84: Volume 3

Project J-09 FY’00ISSN 1073-4872ISBN 0-309-06766-9Library of Congress Control Number 2002112858

© 2003 Transportation Research Board

Price $15.00

NOTICE

The project that is the subject of this report was a part of the Transit CooperativeResearch Program conducted by the Transportation Research Board with theapproval of the Governing Board of the National Research Council. Suchapproval reflects the Governing Board’s judgment that the project concerned isappropriate with respect to both the purposes and resources of the NationalResearch Council.

The members of the technical advisory panel selected to monitor this project andto review this report were chosen for recognized scholarly competence and withdue consideration for the balance of disciplines appropriate to the project. Theopinions and conclusions expressed or implied are those of the research agencythat performed the research, and while they have been accepted as appropriateby the technical panel, they are not necessarily those of the TransportationResearch Board, the National Research Council, the Transit DevelopmentCorporation, or the Federal Transit Administration of the U.S. Department ofTransportation.

Each report is reviewed and accepted for publication by the technical panelaccording to procedures established and monitored by the TransportationResearch Board Executive Committee and the Governing Board of the NationalResearch Council.

To save time and money in disseminating the research findings, the report isessentially the original text as submitted by the research agency. This report hasnot been edited by TRB.

Special Notice

The Transportation Research Board, the National Research Council, the TransitDevelopment Corporation, and the Federal Transit Administration (sponsor ofthe Transit Cooperative Research Program) do not endorse products ormanufacturers. Trade or manufacturers’ names appear herein solely because theyare considered essential to the clarity and completeness of the project reporting.

Published reports of the

TRANSIT COOPERATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAM

are available from:

Transportation Research BoardBusiness Office500 Fifth Street, NWWashington, DC 20001

and can be ordered through the Internet athttp://www.national-academies.org/trb/bookstore

Printed in the United States of America

The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetuating society of distinguished schol-ars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. On the authority of the charter granted to it by the Congress in 1863, the Academy has a mandate that requires it to advise the federal government on scientific and techni-cal matters. Dr. Bruce M. Alberts is president of the National Academy of Sciences.

The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964, under the charter of the National Acad-emy of Sciences, as a parallel organization of outstanding engineers. It is autonomous in its administration and in the selection of its members, sharing with the National Academy of Sciences the responsibility for advising the federal government. The National Academy of Engineering also sponsors engineering programs aimed at meeting national needs, encourages education and research, and recognizes the superior achieve-ments of engineers. Dr. William A. Wulf is president of the National Academy of Engineering.

The Institute of Medicine was established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences to secure the services of eminent members of appropriate professions in the examination of policy matters pertaining to the health of the public. The Institute acts under the responsibility given to the National Academy of Sciences by its congressional charter to be an adviser to the federal government and, on its own initiative, to identify issues of medical care, research, and education. Dr. Harvey V. Fineberg is president of the Institute of Medicine.

The National Research Council was organized by the National Academy of Sciences in 1916 to associate the broad community of science and technology with the Academy’s purposes of furthering knowledge and advising the federal government. Functioning in accordance with general policies determined by the Acad-emy, the Council has become the principal operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering in providing services to the government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. The Council is administered jointly by both the Academies and the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Bruce M. Alberts and Dr. William A. Wulf are chair and vice chair, respectively, of the National Research Council.

The Transportation Research Board is a division of the National Research Council, which serves the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering. The Board’s mission is to promote innovation and progress in transportation by stimulating and conducting research, facilitating the dissemination of information, and encouraging the implementation of research results. The Board’s varied activities annually engage more than 4,000 engineers, scientists, and other transportation researchers and practitioners from the public and private sectors and academia, all of whom contribute their expertise in the public interest. The program is supported by state transportation departments, federal agencies including the component administrations of the U.S. Department of Transportation, and other organizations and individuals interested in the development of transportation. www.TRB.org

www.national-academies.org

FOREWORDBy Gwen Chisholm

Staff OfficerTransportation Research

Board

TCRP Report 84: e-Transit: Electronic Business Strategies for Public Trans-portation documents principles, techniques, and strategies that are used in electronicbusiness strategies for public transportation. TCRP Report 84 will be published as mul-tiple volumes; Volume 3: Using the Internet for Transit Training and Certification pre-sents the results of an investigation into the potential of web-based training (WBT) asa means of providing effective, high-quality training to the transit industry. This reportmay be used by senior managers, operations managers, and technical and professionalemployees.

The Internet and other new information and communication technologies are rev-olutionizing the way services are delivered and organizations are structured. Electronicbusiness processes change the ways organizations operate and conduct business.Opportunities to lower transaction costs and improve efficiency have changed rela-tionships between transit agencies and their suppliers and customers, and electronicbusiness processes are likely to change industry structures in the longer term. Portalsfor transactions in government-to-government and business-to-government market-places are offered through diverse organizations. Numerous transit agencies are prepar-ing to offer customized itinerary planning and fare media purchasing over the Internet.

The declining costs of communications, data storage, and data retrieval are accel-erating the opportunities spawned by the Internet and other information and commu-nications technologies. Choosing and sequencing investments in technologies,processes, and people to reduce costs and increase productivity present challenges tothe transit manager, who must weigh the costs, benefits, and risks of changing the waysservices are delivered. To assist in meeting such challenges, TCRP Project J-09 is pro-ducing a multiple-volume series under TCRP Report 84. The research program willidentify, develop, and provide flexible, ongoing, quick-response research designed tobring electronic business strategies to public transportation and mobility management.

Volume 3: Using the Internet for Transit Training and Certification is the third vol-ume in the TCRP Report 84 series; the report is in portable document (pdf) format onCRP-CD-27. Multisystems, Inc., prepared the report with assistance from Brattle Sys-tems, Inc. The objective of this task was to identify best practices and lessons learnedregarding the potential of incorporating WBT into the transit industry. Volume 3 pro-vides an overview of the subject and identifies baseline resources for use by transit agen-cies. A key source of information in the study was a panel of subject matter experts(SMEs), each of whom has expertise and experience in some combination of trans-portation training, WBT, and intelligent transportation systems. These SMEs were iden-tified, recruited, and surveyed to provide views on potential transit applications of WBTand certification. The study findings reveal that WBT would be most beneficial whenused to train a dispersed and diverse agency staff having differing areas and levels of

expertise, but needing a solid common knowledge base. Further, the study noted thatWBT could be useful for providing training in well-defined skill and knowledge sets totechnical professionals and, to a lesser extent, to operational staff. WBT was also feltto be useful for repetitive training of core competencies to all staff. The study concludesthat WBT offers the potential to provide significant benefits to the transit industry.

Volumes issued under TCRP Report 84 may be found on the TRB website atnational academies.org/trb.

COOPERATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAMS STAFF FOR TCRP REPORT 84

ROBERT J. REILLY, Director, Cooperative Research ProgramsCHRISTOPHER W. JENKS, TCRP ManagerGWEN CHISHOLM, Senior Program OfficerEILEEN P. DELANEY, Managing EditorANDREA BRIERE, Associate Editor

TCRP PROJECT J-09 PANELField of Special Projects

PAUL A. TOLIVER, King County Metro, WA (Chair)GORDON AOYAGI, Montgomery County Government, MDRONALD L. BARNES, Central Ohio Transit AuthorityROBIN CODY, San Francisco Bay Area Rapid TransitRAYMOND H. ELLIS, AECOM Consulting Transportation Group, Inc., Fairfax, VARICARDO ERNST, Georgetown UniversityLAWRENCE J. HARMAN, Harman Consulting, Boston, MAEVA LERNER-LAM, Palisades Consulting Group, Inc., Tenafly, NJSHAWN M. MARCELL, Gladwyne, PAPATRICIA S. NETTLESHIP, TNG, Inc., Santa Monica, CADANIEL ROTH, Freightdesk.com, Bethesda, MDROBIN STEVENS, New York, NYLINDA S. WATSON, Corpus Christi Regional Transit Authority, TXNIGEL H. M. WILSON, Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyANTHONY M. KOUNESKI, APTA Liaison RepresentativeTHOMAS PALMERLEE, TRB Liaison Representative

AUTHOR ACKNOWLEDGMENTSTask 6, “Web-Based Training and Certification,” of TCRP

Project J-09 was performed by Multisystems, Inc., and Brattle Sys-tems, Inc. Multisystems served as the primary e-contractor for thestudy.

Buck Marks of Multisystems served as Principal Investigator andProject Manager of the study and so was responsible for the overallsupervision of the research. Mr. Marks led the design effort for thesubject matter expert (SME) survey instrument, was the primaryauthor of this report, and was responsible for making this report atrue e-document. Mike Bolton served as Senior Advisor for this

study. Dan Fleishman provided essential review and project sup-port, especially during the reporting phase. Jim Hassett and EmilyMarino of Brattle Systems assisted in the research. Ms. Marinofinalized the survey instrument, performed the SME telephoneinterviews, and provided a preliminary analysis of the findings. Theproject team would like to express special thanks to the 11 SMEswho participated in the research and made the project possible. Theguidance of Stephan Parker and Gwen Chisholmthe TCRP Pro-gram Officers for the projectand the J-09 Project Panel is alsoacknowledged and appreciated.

CONTENTS OF CRP-CD-27

Section Number Section Name Page

1. PREFACE: HOW TO USE THIS ELECTRONIC DOCUMENT............................ 1-1

2. SUMMARY............................................................................................................... 2-1

2.1 Overview of the Research Project ...................................................................... 2-1

2.2 Recommendations .............................................................................................. 2-2

2.3 Summary of Research Findings.......................................................................... 2-4

2.4 WBT Objectives ................................................................................................. 2-4

2.5 WBT Promise ..................................................................................................... 2-5

2.6 WBT Implementation Issues .............................................................................. 2-5

2.7 WBT Applications.............................................................................................. 2-6

2.8 WBT Technology ............................................................................................... 2-6

2.9 WBT Value Creation.......................................................................................... 2-7

2.10 Conclusions ........................................................................................................ 2-7

3. RESEARCH OPPORTUNITY AND OBJECTIVES................................................ 3-1

4. METHODOLOGY AND RESULTS ........................................................................ 4-1

4.1 Review Prior Institutional Efforts....................................................................... 4-3

4.2 Perform Literature Search .................................................................................. 4-6

4.3 Create Transit Training Resource Webpage..................................................... 4-15

4.4 Develop SME Survey ....................................................................................... 4-17

4.5 Identify and Recruit Representative SMEs ...................................................... 4-17

5. SME SURVEY RESULTS AND FINDINGS........................................................... 5-1

5.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................ 5-1

5.2 WBT Objectives ................................................................................................. 5-2

5.3 WBT Promise ..................................................................................................... 5-3

5.4 WBT Implementation Issues .............................................................................. 5-5

5.5 WBT Applications.............................................................................................. 5-7

5.6 WBT Technology ............................................................................................. 5-10

5.7 Value Creation of WBT.................................................................................... 5-12

6. LESSONS LEARNED AND NEXT STEPS............................................................. 6-1

6.1 Lessons Learned ................................................................................................. 6-1

6.2 Next Steps........................................................................................................... 6-2

7. APPENDIX A: Bibliography of Key Sources ........................................................... 7-1

8. APPENDIX B: Contact Information for WBT SMEs ............................................... 8-1

9. APPENDIX C: SME Survey Outline ........................................................................ 9-1

10. APPENDIX D: Tally of SMEt Responses to Scale Questions ................................ 10-1

11. APPENDIX E: Summary of Responses to Selected SME Survey Questions ......... 11-1

TABLES

Table Number Table Name Page

Table 1: Transit Training Complexity Matrix ............................................................... 4-12

Table 2: Four Types of Web-Based Training ................................................................ 4-14

Table 3: List of Subject Matter Experts......................................................................... 4-18

FIGURES

Figure Number Figure Name Page

Figure 1: ITS Professional Capacity Building Page ...................................................... 4-4

Figure 2: NTI Online Course Page ................................................................................ 4-5

Figure 3: CUTA’s Traditional and Online Training Courses ........................................ 4-5

Figure 4: TransitTraining.com....................................................................................... 4-6

Figure 5: USDOT Transportation Virtual University Course Locator

Figure 6: Transit Training Resource Page ....................................................... . . . . . . . .4-16

4-12 .......................

1. PREFACE: HOW TO USE THIS ELECTRONIC DOCUMENT

The electronic transit (i.e., e-transit) project was structured so that task orders would

produce e-documents for rapid distribution via the Internet. This e-document is designed to

provide live links to webpages, online documents, and e-mail messaging. The design,

which includes the use of footnotes rather than endnotes, allows readers to easily

Go directly to the online versions of webpages in readers’ web browsers (e.g.,

Netscape or Internet Explorer) so that readers can examine the pages and look at

other parts of those websites;

•

•

•

Open links to online documents so that the full contents can be reviewed or

downloaded; and

Launch e-mail software from within the e-document with a blank message

already addressed to particular contacts, enabling readers to readily

communicate with the subject matter experts involved in this effort. (These

experts are found in Appendix B: Contact Information for WBT SMEs.)

Links are identified by underlined blue text. In addition, most figures that show webpages

are also formatted as links to the Internet. To check this, the reader should briefly hold his

or her cursor over the image. If it is a “live” link to the Internet, the cursor should change

to a hand icon, and a note about the link should appear at the upper left corner of the

image. All links, including figures, should be clicked once to launch the online version.

However, the reader should be aware of several potential limitations:

The directions above assume that the reader has a constant connection to the

Internet, typically through one’s local area network. Readers using a dial-up

connection will need to log into their Internet service provider (ISP) before the

links will work.

•

• For the links to work as described above, readers’ web browsers and e-mail

programs must be configured properly. If they are not, readers will need to

speak with software support staff or their network administrator.

1-1

Links are sometimes changed or eliminated by the webpage or document owner.

This means links that work as of the publication of this report may not function

at a later datethat is the nature of the Internet.

•

This e-document is in portable document format (PDF), which runs in Adobe Acrobat

Reader® 5.0 (the Reader is included on CRP-CD-27). The user can employ the Adobe

Acrobat Reader toolbars, which make it easy to browse and navigate this e-document.

1-2

2. SUMMARY

2.1 Overview of the Research Project

Recognizing that the transit industry should explore the potential of e-business, TCRP

initiated Project J-09, “e-Transit: Electronic Business Strategies for Public Transportation”

in 2001. This multitask study of the potential for electronic business activities in the transit

industry has seven tasks, including Task 6, “Web-Based Training and Certification.” This

research project was designed to explore the potential of web-based training (WBT) to

provide cost-effective, high-quality training to the transit industry.

Internet hardware and software technologies and applications are evolving rapidly to

provide the tools needed to develop and supply training for an abundance of topics via the

World Wide Web. These products, services, and resources enable staff persons in most

sectors of the economy to engage in training without many of the constraints endemic to

classroom courses.

The resulting research findings reported here strongly support the perspective that the

transit industry can and should move more fully into the WBT arena. WBT experts expect

the training to provide significant benefits; however, the transit industry is generally slow

in adopting and adapting to new technologies such as the Internet. Moreover, the research

showed that the transit industry is constrained because it lacks a knowledge and resource

base that transit agencies can use to identify WBT needs, approaches, requirements, and

resources. As several research sources indicated, the transit industry needs to look at

training as a business strategy.

The Multisystems project team designed this e-documentwith its numerous Internet

hyperlinks to transit industry and general business training resourcesto begin bridging

the knowledge gap described by the research findings. This report and the Transit Training

Resource (TTR) webpage developed during the project should serve as a first step in the

effort to make WBT a reality for more transit agencies. Both research products will allow

interested transit agency professionals to begin learning immediately about WBT. The

reader can learn what others have already accomplished within and beyond the transit

2-1

industry and can access resources and services for adding WBT to the training menu for

transit staff.

2.2 Recommendations

The recommendations presented in this report range from immediate actions to next

research steps. Because WBT is a broad, multifaceted topic with continually changing

perspectives, applications, and technologies, identifying next steps to this research was as

challenging as developing a suitable methodology for the project. Without losing sight of

the important fact that WBT is grounded in adult education theory and instructional design,

the recommendations include the following:

Create a Transit WBT Web Portal. Similar to TTR, a transit WBT web portal

would be specifically designed for the needs of the transit industry at large as

well as for individual transit agencies. The portal would provide a common link

among various transit industry efforts to promote WBT courses. It could be

similar in concept to APTA’s TransportMAX web portal for transit e-business

and draw on many of the existing resources identified during the research. Of

equal importance, the portal could provide a central location for coordinating

and reporting on other recommendations listed below.

•

• Survey Participants in an Existing Transit WBT Course. Closely related to

the first recommendation, studying an existing WBT course would involve

surveying participants who have already taken an existing WBT course for

transit. Working through the course’s organizational sponsor, the research would

be designed to measure overall satisfaction, the quality of course and relevance

to work demands, use of Internet and WBT technologies, how much is actually

learned, and what material is retained after the course. The survey could also

assess the WBT mode or modes used in the course (e.g., web/electronic

performance support systems, web/computer-based training, web/virtual

asynchronous classes, web/virtual synchronous classes, blended courses, or

other WBT models).

2-2

Evaluate WBT Implementation Procedures. The project team recommends

funding further research to evaluate WBT implementation in order to identify

short-term steps to maximize the cost effectiveness of WBT for transit. This

study could include several transit agencies of different sizes and types from

across the country. It could begin by identifying the top training issues at each

agency, including priorities of what is taught to which staff positions and

organization levels. After priorities are identified, subject matter experts (SMEs)

could evaluate how to address these key training issues with the smallest

financial investment, such as using preexisting off-the-shelf courses and support

systems where possible. The courseoff-the-shelf or customcould then be

rolled out to all participating agencies and could include a campaign to promote

its use.

The research team would monitor course use and satisfaction and would study

the factors that are related to the effectiveness of various types of WBT in

addressing problems at different types of agencies. The results could guide

future implementation programs and help maximize their effectiveness. Based

on the findings, recommendations could be made regarding the WBT solutions

that are likely to best serve the largest number and widest range of transit

agencies.

•

•

•

Centralize and Coordinate Transit WBT Efforts. The transit industry is

generally fragmented in its efforts to create, promote, and distribute WBT

courses. Centralization and standardization of transit WBT development and

distribution would help prevent duplicative efforts found in many other areas of

the industry. It should promote interoperability and reusability of transit training

resources.

Conduct Research into Reusable Learning Objects. Research into reusable

learning objects (RLOs)an extension of the previous

recommendationwould investigate how the concept of RLOs could be applied

to create flexible WBT courses and content, make curriculum updates relatively

easy, help adapt training to different environments, promote interoperability,

2-3

facilitate competency-based learning, and increase the value of individual

agency or industrywide WBT investments by making WBT widely and easily

available. The research would include evaluation of content and knowledge

management systems and approaches that support standardization, centralization

of content, and customization of new courses.

Underlying these recommendations were the project team’s preliminary research findings,

which led the team to change from a two-stage survey approach to a single SME survey.

Originally, the SME survey results were to be used to create a second telephone survey of

transit agency trainers and human-resources personnel. However, the literature review and

first SME telephone surveys made it apparent that transit agency staff would most likely

lack sufficient background in WBT, suggesting that a second survey would likely produce

limited, if not misleading, findings. Instead, the project team increased the number of

SMEs invited to participate in order to build a more substantial knowledge base from

expert perspectives. The recommendations listed above reflect the fact that the transit

industry must first develop some fundamental resources and fund several near-term

research efforts.

2.3 Summary of Research Findings

The project team’s review of prior institutional efforts and the literature search helped

identify the 11 SMEs and provided the foundation for the telephone survey. All SMEs had

experience in some combination of transit, general surface transportation training, or both;

intelligent transportation systems (ITS); and WBT. These individuals represented the

public, private, and educational sectors and contributed the essential information. The

findings are summarized below.

2.4 WBT Objectives

The primary, near-term objective for applying WBT should be teaching computer and

information technology skills and related knowledge sets to technical and professional

employees. This application of WBT should also be readily adaptable to testing resulting

competencies. Similarly, WBT could be useful for certain well-defined skill and

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knowledge sets for technical and professional employees and, to a lesser extent, for

operating and line staff. Transit operations and planning skills, techniques, and technology

could be the initial focus of training for technical and professional employees.

2.5 WBT Promise

Technical and professional employees are not the only ones who could benefit from WBT.

WBT could also be employed to train a large, diverse body of employees because it can

handle different job requirements and levels of expertisefor example, WBT could be

useful for repetitious training of core competencies such as customer service procedures or

maintenance tasks. As for benefits, WBT could be preferential to traditional classroom

training in some cases, especially when an agency’s training needs increase but its training

budget does not. Course content is the starting point for WBT learning. A major promise

for WBT is that, properly managed, it can address the needs of both individual agencies

and larger sectors of the transit industry.

2.6 WBT Implementation Issues

As with any new activity or technology, successful WBT implementation will require the

transit industry to overcome internal and external obstacles. To do so, transit officials must

carefully consider how and where to use WBT, must financially and managerially support

development efforts and subsequent maintenance of courses over time, and must employ

WBT professionals for course development and initial training of transit human-resources

staff. The transit industry must pay special attention to selecting appropriate applications,

rather than to paying for bells and whistles that do not add to any particular training

objective. Upper management support is essential, as is middle management participation

and oversight, to ensure that student involvement and progress that has been enabled via

WBT is tracked and evaluated for results. In other words, the transit industry must realize

an appropriate return on its WBT training investment.

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2.7 WBT Applications

The ideal application of WBT would include instructors. Instructors could be involved

either in real-time over the Internet as an “in-class trainer,” or virtuallythe instructor is

not “present” but is available to answer student questions or concerns. Nonetheless, other

forms of WBT have many potential uses in the transit industry, depending on the particular

subject matter, the needs and capabilities of the students, and the resources available for

WBT. For example, self-paced courses similar to those originally available on CD-ROMs

can by useful for some employees and training topics. CD-based training is being

supplanted because the web-based equivalents are much easier and less expensive to

distribute and update. The online help systems described in the body of the reporteither

as stand-alone information systems or as follow-up support to other WBT solutionscan

provide crucial job support for both technical and professional and operating and line staff.

These job-support systems can also help to stem the loss of knowledge often experienced

following traditional classroom training.

The distinction among WBT applications is less pronounced when training objectives,

content, and outcomes are the primary guidelines in course development. When such

guidelines are followed, the use of hybrids of the four primary WBT methods (which are

described later) can produce the most effective and efficient online training programs.

2.8 WBT Technology

The transit industry and individual agencies should be aware that WBT courses could

involve content and technologies that would make it difficult for students to take advantage

of the courses, either at work or at homefor example, something as basic as Internet

connection speed can affect the student experience by slowing down response time or

affecting how graphics load. Therefore, at least for the near future, WBT courses should be

designed for any Internet connection and a for range of computers, operating systems, and

web browsers. In general, transit agencies should carefully search for the most appropriate

technologies and service providers to achieve the desired training outcomes by ensuring

that hardware or software does not create student dissatisfaction.

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2.9 WBT Value Creation

To maximize the value of WBT in the transit industry, it is critical that experienced WBT

experts (who may consult in other industries or already have transit experience) work with

transit agency staff to develop appropriate training material tailored to the target audience.

Instructional systems design experts should specify assessment approaches and requisite

tools. Selecting the most appropriate applications and technologies is fundamental to

creating value. Similarly, securing the services from existing transit industry expertssuch

as the SMEs involved in this research or reputable WBT vendors, especially those who are

willing to work with the nuances of the transit industryis fundamental.

In order to maximize the value of WBT, the transit industry should develop the training in

an environment of collaboration and knowledge exchange among individual transit

agencies and transit trainers across the industry. The transit industry should approach

promoting and supporting WBT with the objective of centralizing and sharing training

resources so that investments are maximized. This perspective supports the goal of

standardizing WBT training with the tools needed to customize specific courses to the

particular needs of individual transit agencies, regardless of size, financial resources, and

so forth. One or more of the existing transit trade or training organizations such as APTA,

the National Transit Institute (NTI), TRB, or the Canadian Urban Transit Association

(CUTA) could step into this role.

2.10 Conclusions

TCRP Project J-09 Task 6, “Web-Based Training and Certification,” has examined the

potential role of WBT in providing training to transit employees. Based on the findings of

this research, WBT offers considerable opportunity for use by the transit industry.

Although there will be management, financial, and technological obstacles along this road,

WBT in its various forms has the potential to address training needs for skill and

knowledge sets throughout transit organizations. The profusion of approaches, content, and

resources, however, can be overwhelming, as the project team discovered. For every

information source, technology, or resource mentioned in this report, another 10 could

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have been cited. The situation is similar to that faced by transit agencies trying to develop

other e-business or Internet information services. Further work is clearly needed to identify

and prioritize specific applications of WBT to transit in order to maximize the benefits the

training is capable of providing. The products of this study represent a useful first step in

making transit professionals aware of both the opportunities and issues associated with

using WBT. More importantly, the report provides access to a wide range of resources

transit agencies could begin to use now.

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3. RESEARCH OPPORTUNITY AND OBJECTIVES

In 2001, the TCRP initiated Project J-09, “e-Transit: Electronic Business Strategies for

Public Transportation.” This multitask study of the potential for electronic business

activities in the transit industry has seven tasks ranging from supply-chain management to

web-based customer information. TRB’s overall objective for the e-transit tasks is

described below:

The declining costs of communications, data storage, and data retrieval are accelerating

the opportunities spawned by the Internet and other information and communications

technologies. Choosing and sequencing investments in technologies, processes, and

people to reduce costs and increase productivity present challenges to the transit

manager, who must weigh the costs, benefits, and risks of changing the ways services

are delivered....TCRP’s e-transit research program will identify, develop, and promote

research to maximize the benefits of e-commerce and other new technology

applications for public transportation and mobility management...[and] to provide

flexible, ongoing, quick-response research designed to bring electronic business

strategies to public transportation and mobility management.”1

WBT is accepted in other business sectors as an accessible, centralized, flexible, and

effective way to deliver training. An April 2001, The New York Times published an article

about WBT entitled “Employee Training, Without the No-Doz.” The article states the

following:

Employers are embracing e-learning because it is less expensive than classroom setups

and more accessible to large numbers of workers. All that employees need is a

computer hooked up to the Web…. A proliferation of vendors is offering content,

consulting services and delivery solutions to companies interested in contracting out

their training. International Data [Corporation] estimates that the corporate market for

1 From the J-09 Webpage at http://www4.trb.org/trb/crp.nsf/63b33593db2829ee8525672f0062cef3/219e37784f3f1aa1852569ac00665c62?OpenDocument; this page also shows all the J-09 tasks.

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e-learning in the United States will exceed $11 billion by 2003, up from $2.2 billion

last year….2

The project team’s working hypothesis has been that WBT has the potential to

•

•

•

Address many training needs of the transit industry by increasing opportunities

for training personnel throughout different parts of transit agencies and at

different levels in the chain of command;

Standardize certain aspects of training; and

Provide a mechanism for rapid curriculum updates (which is very difficult with

CD-ROM-based computer-based training [CBT]).

Various established and developing Internet technologies provide the flexibility to train

transit staff located in different places and working at different times. However, the transit

industry is being held back at least in part because it lacks a knowledge base that transit

agencies can easily access to identify WBT approaches, requirements, and resources. As a

result, TRB designed this project to explore the potential of WBT to provide cost-effective,

high-quality training to the transit industry. As the research progressed, the project team

came to consider whether individual transit agencies should develop their own WBT

resources or whether the industry should consider centralizing WBT resources. Issues

about competency testing and certification were also part of the research because these

issues were identified as particularly important to the transit industry. However, as

explained later in the report, not all WBT topics could be researched within the confines of

this Task 6.

2 “Business to Business; Employee Training, Without the No-Doz,” by Susan Stellin for The New York Times, April 18, 2001.

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