The experience of developing and implementing the Space Education Support System at Aerospace has taught valuable lessons that may well apply to any corporately sponsored in-house space educational program. Here are some of the more important lessons.
Base it on real needs. Ensure that all learning objectives, themes, and content are clearly expressed and well aligned with the real day-to-day needs of employees as well as with the overall strategic mission and direction of the corporation. Avoid stuffing the curriculum with overly theoretical or esoteric material that is peripheral to practical job requirements.
Make it personal. Provide multiple learning paths aligned with different types of job assignments and career paths. Be sure to include options for technical specialists wishing to broaden their systems perspective and skills for handling complex, multidisciplinary systems issues. This helps develop a more flexible workforce capable of adapting to changing business requirements.
Provide course materials that are relevant, accurate, current, and interesting. Employ a variety of techniques that cater to diverse learning styles—examples, case studies, news, history, data trends, videotapes, etc.
Provide incentives. Official certification in systems architecting and engineering has proven to be a strong motivator for participation and provides graduates with a sense of accomplishing something that the corporation values. The staff certification also enhances the corporation's reputation with customers, potential new hires, and the broader space community.
Explain the program value to its sponsor. Avoid overly complicated quantitative formulas for value metrics and get to the essence of what would be important to those who are funding the program.
Use simplified versions of corporately approved processes to design course elements. If none exists, put together a cross-organizational team to develop one for tutorial purposes and to suggest potential applications beyond the classroom.
Use relevant case studies. Make sure that at least some of the case studies reflect actual job responsibilities and require students to apply the full range of newly acquired skills. Generic case studies to illustrate specific points are fine, but don't stop there. Keep the case studies current and meaningful.
Don't forsake the classroom for the computer. Look for opportunities to achieve the best of both worlds. The networking aspect of classroom participation is too valuable to dismiss, while self-paced computer-based modules can be effective in preparing for and reinforcing the classroom experience.
Choose the right person to head the course design team. Look for people who are credible. Don't expect people with strong training knowledge but no technical background to fulfill this function naturally.
Involve corporate customers. When customers attend classes, they gain a better understanding of the corporation's capabilities and create opportunities for new business. In addition, by sharing with instructors and other students their top priorities, customers can provide some of the most valuable feedback on whether courses are addressing their most critical needs.
Involve senior management. Personal involvement with students and instructors will give senior management the best sense of program effectiveness and value.
Don't put all the corporation's educational eggs in one basket. Ensure that funding for in-house training is balanced by funding to support conference attendance, participation in university programs, and participation in external seminars.