A Different Kind of Learning Experience

This course may be a bit different than other training courses you may have taken. As the name of the course implies, this course stresses interactive learning - that is, learning by doing. You (and your team) will play a key role in realistic scenarios that require you to actively analyze information, make decisions, and draft documents (also called 'deliverables'). Your primary form of feedback will come from expert mentors who will review your deliverables and provide you with detailed comments and suggestions. The experts are there to act as coaches and mentors whose job it is to help you learn as you create the highest quality deliverables you can - not to act as lecturers.

The more you put into this course, the more you will get out of it. To get the most out of this course, take advantage of the availability of the expert mentors by working hard on your deliverables - the more you put into the deliverables, the more the mentors will have to respond to. Don't worry about making mistakes - in fact, in this course mistakes are viewed as opportunities for feedback and learning. Someone who can get through this course without making any mistakes probably didn't need to take the course in the first place!

Some Tips for Success

Here are a few tips to help you to succeed in this course:

Manage Your Time
Because this is a very short course, how you manage your time will be essential to your success. You shouldn’t feel like you need to rush, but keep in mind that you will only have about 20-30 minutes to complete each task. So budget your time accordingly. Remember, working under time pressure is a realistic part of responding to an air toxic release.

Ask Questions
Your Mentor is there to help you and is an expert on the subject matter. While you should try to find your answers if possible, don't hesitate to ask him/her questions as they arise, especially if you get stuck.

Use Your Resources
Much of your success in the scenarios will depend on how well you use the resources available to you. They provide an invaluable source of information about the scenario. Familiarity with them will vastly improve your ability to make effective decisions. If you have time, you should also feel free to do your own research on the Internet.

Be Open to Feedback
It’s imperative that you approach this course with an open mind. Feedback from teammates, classmates, and/or your mentor should be perceived not as criticism, but as opportunities to learn, improve, and grow.

Manage Your Team
Because time is tight, it’s imperative that everyone on the team has a role with clearly defined responsibilities. Since you won't initially know the full extent of your team's capabilities, negotiate the initial scope of work for each member carefully (i.e., what concrete piece(s) of the task he or she is responsible for). If problems emerge, surface them as soon as possible so that you can negotiate them within your team and complete your task on schedule.

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