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Volpe Journal Summer 2000

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Transportation Learning:
The Next Horizon

Learn[ing]: to gain knowledge, comprehension, or mastery through experience or study.

From The American Heritage Dictionary
of the English Language

Dedicated to the
Volpe Library Staff
for all their friendly, professional,
ongoing support

Introduction

The concept of learning as an activity for growth and development continues to expand in exceptional ways as we enter the 21st Century. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the relationship between learning and the policy area of transportation. The traditional view of transportation learning had a narrow focus that investigated a better way to get people and goods from one place to another. From an academic perspective, this was done mainly by engineers. During the past 20 years, the field expanded to examine impacts that went beyond the formal transportation network. The broader perspective led to the inclusion of experts in areas such as the environment, finance, and public policy. People now ask questions like: what are the "costs" beyond the financial implications, and who will be affected (and how) by the decisions we make now and in the future? This article explores the opportunities and potential whereby learning initiatives can impact the field of transportation, specifically through intervention at the federal level.

Types of Learning Opportunities

Today we live in a "smart" environment. For example, "smart" car computers help us when we get lost, and "smart" roads monitor travel conditions as well as adjust for inclement weather. These examples show that as we move into the new century, transportation policy is no longer seen as an entity unto itself. It is now building a synergy with other policy areas such as communication and technology. A major component that binds this together is the ability of the learning process to innovate and adapt.

There are several components that define "learning." When individuals think of traditional learning, they think of traditional education, but that is only part of the overall equation. Some individuals are interested in a formal degree program while others have their needs met by an individual course or class. For those needing specific skills or knowledge, there are training and certificate programs tailored to their needs. Education can also come about through licensing programs (e.g., new training and evaluation) or rehabilitation programs (e.g., learning from past deficiencies).

Transportation education opportunities traditionally centered around two groups:

1. The young student who prepared for a career as a professional transportation administrator through a college program; or
2. The older, experienced operator who needed to update skills through a vocational or technical training program.

Today there are additional participants in the system. Educators realize that interest in transportation issues and careers does not begin (or end) at the college level. The best time to begin and to stimulate the learning process is at the elementary and secondary levels. This can be an opportune time to show children the power and influence of transportation in their everyday lives. It opens doors for those who might not have thought about a transportation-related career or who do not have an interest in transportation, as well as its relationship to other policy areas.

At the other end of the age spectrum, another growth area is in the field of life-long learning. This might involve the existing professional who wants to enhance his or her skills. Or it might involve the individual citizen who is interested in general information about topics like safety, security, innovation, and technology. There is tremendous potential for this audience as more people use technology to gain knowledge and answer questions.

Education is only one aspect of the learning process. Research is a second important component. The broadest area is in basic research. The public sector usually takes the lead in this area because the process is long-term and might not always have a clear goal; therefore, private industry might not wish to become involved. Applied research has a clearer focus toward a specific end while developmental research has the most defined goal because its purpose revolves around the planning and implementation of a specific product or service. Research also has a direct impact on education since it is a training ground for the next generation of university transportation scholars.

While education and research are obvious learning outcomes, the topics of technology transfer and learning dissemination are a third important part of any successful learning situation. Traditional methods (e.g., library resources) are now being supplemented by internet-based applications, satellite broadcasts, audio-visual adaptations, and digital/CD ROM recordings. These mediums offer many opportunities that transcend traditional geographic, financial, and pedagogical learning boundaries and limitations.

Influences Shaping the Future Learning Environment

For those involved in learning at the forefront of the 21st Century, the question is not if or when change will come about, but how learning specialists will keep up with the fast paced set of changing circumstances. In order to find the answers, it is important to look at the major influences that are shaping the future of transportation learning endeavors.

Technology (led by enhanced communication) plays a revolutionary role in how learning is planned and delivered. Just as innovations in transportation technology acted as an "engine of growth" during the Industrial Revolution, their successors are also important economic and environmental drivers in the technology revolution going on now in the 21st Century. This technology revolution has a major impact on transportation education. Within the teaching environment, the use of computers as a learning tool is revolutionizing how students solve existing theoretical and practical problems, as well as how they plan future transportation solutions. Within the research environment, research methodologies and outcomes are bringing about continuous change. For example, this involves not only tabulating and evaluating complex quantitative problems, but also sharing information on transportation initiatives through Web site addresses and communication links.

Globalization is also important in transportation since problems and solutions now cross geographic and political borders. At the same time, it has and will continue to impact the changing academic environment. In a direct sense, globalization supports the internationalization of resources, not only in the individual classroom, but also in the research facility that extends out to the workforce environment. The outcome shares learning innovations as well as the latest research and development (R&D) endeavors that go beyond the academic setting. Global transportation education efforts support industrialization, the movement of goods and people, enhanced resources, better communication, and improvements in the quality of life for all countries. Because globalization enhances competition, educational stakeholders can show leadership through innovative research projects as well as by utilizing technology and communication to share resources and knowledge.

A third major influence is the growing diversity within the transportation community. In order for transportation learning initiatives to be relevant to society's needs, they must take into account the changing demographics in the workplace. For example, the traditional scope of the field's jobs and careers is broadening to include women and minorities, not only in key management and leadership positions, but also in non-traditional technical slots. Education is a key component to keep the workforce current with the ever-changing technology associated with transportation. At the same time, the American transportation education network also has broadened beyond the United States to become a world-class model. Therefore, demographics also encompass an international component that prepares practitioners, researchers, and managers from all over the world. This addresses concerns within their own countries as well as interdependent transportation issues within a regional or global context.

Programs developed at the higher education level can impact not only on the college and graduate level, but also the secondary and elementary levels as well as to non-traditional "students." For example, colleges and universities are creating opportunities to challenge young students' interest in computers and high technology. At the other end of the spectrum, the needs of the older, established practitioners in the field highlight an additional potential within the transportation learning system. These are the individuals who need to update their knowledge and skills in face of massive technological and policy changes. At the same time, they may be responsible for developing and implementing new solutions to existing and envisioned problems.

Opportunities for Leadership at the Federal Level

The prospects are exciting for the federal government--and organizations like the Volpe Center--to build a leadership role within this new, revolutionary set of circumstances. While numerous options exist, policy planners within the US Department of Transportation (along with their counterparts in other federal agencies and at other levels of government) might want to prioritize their efforts in three ways:

1. Continue to build and integrate learning efforts within (and beyond) the Department through new innovations that stimulate interest in transportation careers. For example, in order to make the field of transportation competitive and exciting to young college graduates, a year-long post-graduate fellowship program might be set up. It could combine assignments and exchanges with several federal laboratories and/or educational facilities. The capstone would be an assignment (i.e., a hands-on, tangible product) possibly with a state, local, or international entity that propels the student forward into a transportation career and highlights the potential and excitement of transportation to other students. A variation on this idea would be to set up an external fellowship(s) with private industry, nonprofits, community-based organizations, and/or foundations.

2. Develop technology-based information networks. The National Research Council, in its recently released report entitled "Making I.T. Better: Expanding Information Technology Research to Meet Society's Needs," highlights the need to devote more financial resources to creating and enhancing large-scale information systems. (For more information, see: http://www.chronicle.com/chronicle/v46/4638guide.htm.) The need for a central repository involving transportation information is crucial and will benefit at least three groups. First, the research community will be able to share its research and ideas, as well as learn from others. Next, the practitioner community is a major client base that needs to keep up with changes in the field. Finally, the general public will have the opportunity to be kept aware of innovations in the field.

In order to meet society's needs, coordinated linkages might include research (both proposed and in process); insights into local, regional, national, or international transportation initiatives; and access to learning opportunities. The US Department of Transportation has initiated several efforts in this area (e.g., the Garrett A. Morgan Technology and Transportation Futures Program Web site and the University Transportation Centers' Web site). The next steps might involve a consolidation of these efforts with other federal agencies (such as the US Departments of Defense, Commerce, Energy; and the US Environmental Protection Agency) that are active participants in gathering information and completing research. States and localities are another resource on topics such as local conditions and operations. Universities beyond those with specific transportation programs can provide an additional potential resource.

A potential model for the transportation community is currently being established through the efforts of one organization. The New York-based Sloan Foundation is creating an online catalogue as part of its Asynchronous Learning Network to help students locate opportunities from a wide array of distance learning programs. For further insight, see: http://www.netlearning.org. Eventually this may be expanded beyond Sloan-based projects to include partnerships "with trade publications, unions, and other industries."

3. Create a learning system based on variations of existing models. From a strategy perspective, federal transportation policy makers need an ongoing assessment of the framework and implementation mechanism in order to meet the needs of the 21st Century. Efforts undertaken in the policy area of agriculture--with its extensive network of education and research efforts--provide one possible benchmark. Learning support from the federal level is accomplished through four major mechanisms. The Land Grant College System supports a specialized, agricultural educational and research focus at the undergraduate and the graduate levels. The US Department of Agriculture Graduate School offers a wealth of programs for practitioners and the general public. The National Agriculture Library has a research-oriented focus for specialists and those needing general information. Finally, the Cooperative Extension Service offers practical insights and support at the local level in every county throughout the United States.

The federal commitment to transportation learning is not as thorough and integrated for several reasons. First, the establishment of the US Department of Transportation goes back to 1965 while its counterpart in agriculture goes back to 1862. Second, the American population, up until the labor transition from field to factory, had a vested interest in agriculture going back to before the founding of Republicblic when everyone's livelihood was almost always tied directly to the land.

At the federal transportation level, several components already exist. The Bureau of Transportation Statistics incorporates some facets of the National Agricultural Library in gathering and maintaining a national statistical base. The US Department of Transportation's University Transportation Centers Program incorporates some aspects of the Land Grant College System's goals through its research and higher education efforts. The Department's Garrett A. Morgan Program has similarities with the Cooperative Extension Service and serves as a resource base for a diverse set of learning alternatives.

While it is not realistic to think that the Department of Transportation will soon rival the Department of Agriculture's extensive efforts, it can create enhanced interest and support by:

1. Targeting and prioritizing learning resources;

2. Developing an overall framework; and

3. Planning partnerships with other federal, nonprofit, private, and academic resources.

Benefits Derived from a Learning Focus

The new horizons that are opening up for transportation learning offer numerous direct and indirect benefits. In a highly competitive academic environment, an enhanced transportation learning system must be successful in attracting the best and brightest students. These are individuals who not only bring creative thinking to transportation problems, but also challenge the status quo to move the system forward. At the same time, the opportunities offered by increased learning stimulate public interest and support.

From an internal federal perspective, a common interest in learning endeavors also creates opportunities to bring the modal operations within the US Department of Transportation closer together. One of US Department of Transportation Secretary Rodney E. Slater's goals--known as ONE DOT--has been to break down barriers and build up commonalities within the federal transportation administrative structures. Support for learning provides an excellent opportunity for his successor to continue a common theme to bring the diverse modal administrations together in working toward a common goal.

Conclusions

Organizations within the transportation enterprise such as the Volpe Center have a unique opportunity to show leadership and develop new horizons. The Center is located in one of the most important "greenhouses" in the world with its mix of academic and private sector innovation organizations. It has a diversity of transportation interests that encompass international, national, state, local, and municipal localities. It does work in policy as well as transportation logistics that cover public and private sector interests. The goal for organizations like the Volpe Center (and its counterparts within the federal system) should be to become venture capitalism centers for transportation learning. "Capitalism" in this sense is not in monetary terms, but in the wealth of ideas and shared resources.

In the 20th Century, new horizons within the transportation field resulted in a product or service that was bigger and/or faster, but the outcome--as shown by the environmental and urban planning consequences--was not always what had been initially envisioned. The challenge for 21st Century scholars and practitioners in the transportation field will be to continually rethink the learning process and systems. The results will bring about constructive alternatives that are not necessarily bigger and faster, but better in meeting society's needs. The outcome will not just stress learning, but also the "value of learning" as a venture capitalist tool to support a vibrant transportation community and its related policy concerns.

The results will bring about constructive alternatives that are not
necessarily bigger and faster, but better in meeting society's needs.

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