Training Update
Free ITS Software Acquisition Course Available
The National Highway Institute (NHI)
901 N. Stuart Street, Suite 300
Arlington, VA 22203
www.nhi.fhwa.dot.gov
A brand-new, free Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) course is now available for groups ranging from 10 to 25 participants. NHI course #13619, ITS Software Acquisition, had its pilot run in Washington, D.C., in March and has been presented successfully in Albany, N.Y. and San Francisco.
This two-day course provides a general understanding of the many issues involved in the ITS software acquisition process. Upon completion of the course, students will understand:
- The difference between software acquisitions and other types of acquisitions.
- The themes/guiding principles on which to build a software acquisition.
- The difference between developing requirements and technical specifications.
- Intellectual property rights issues and how to resolve them.
- Managing ITS software acquisitions.
- The criteria for accepting a system.
- Software maintenance considerations.
The course is intended primarily for state and local personnel, such as project leaders, who will be involved in ITS projects that have a significant software component to them. FHWA Resource Center and Division personnel who are involved in coordinating these projects would also benefit. This course is the newest in a series of 14 ITS courses sponsored by NHI in cooperation with the ITS Joint Program Office. It is a companion to, but not a prerequisite for, the "Lessons in ITS Procurement" course, which will be available in fall or winter 1999.
This is a unique opportunity to obtain state-of-the-art training on this pivotal topic for free. The sponsoring agency needs only to provide the training facilities (or you can opt to come to the NHI training facilities at the FHWA Learning Center in Arlington, Va.); NHI will provide the instructor, the reference materials, and the student notebooks. For more information, call Tom Humphrey at (202) 366-2211 or Mary Susan Sparlin at (703) 235-0542. To request a course, please call NHI's course coordinator Lynn Cadarr at (703) 235-0528.
NHI's Instructor Development Course To Be Held in September
NHI's instructor development courses are proving to be so popular that classes fill up immediately. There are still several spaces available in the fall course, scheduled for September 28-30 at the NHI training facilities in Arlington, Va. This course is designed to prepare instructors for NHI certification, although it is not mandatory. It covers such topics as learning theory, personal training style, group development and behavior, and communication challenges. Participants are expected to make short five- to seven-minute presentations on a subject of their choice. To register or to get more information, please call Ilse van Goth at (703) 235-0529, or e-mail her at ilse.vangoth@fhwa.dot.gov.
Participants are responsible for their own travel arrangements, but they can reserve rooms at the Holiday Inn next door by calling (703) 243-9800.
Please consult the NHI Web site for other course schedules or call Course Coordinator Lynn Cadarr at (703) 235-0528.
Check every issue of Public Roads for the latest training and educational activities of NHI.