A Toolbox "Train the Trainer" Workshop for the C-Accel Program

Michigan State University, East Lansing MI

Investigators

Abstract

In this project, the Toolbox Dialogue Initiative (TDI) proposes to develop a "Train-the-Trainers" (T3) Program that will enable it to extend its successful Toolbox dialogue method, making it available to interested parties without requiring the extensive, face-to-face involvement of TDI. The centerpiece of the T3 Program will be a T3 workshop curriculum delivered at the first team leader meeting conducted by the U.S. National Science Foundation Convergence Accelerator (C Accel) Program. The TDI T3 Program will include three main elements: 1) an interactive 3-hour workshop designed to train team leaders to implement the dialogue-based Toolbox process for enhancing team communication and collaboration with their full teams, 2) didactic resources, such as videos and webinars, that support those interested in designing and facilitating Toolbox dialogue sessions, and 3) individualized and community mentoring that will provide ongoing support for teams in adapting these materials to meet their specific needs. The T3 workshops will indirectly contribute to the broader impacts of the C-Accel Program as a whole. The C-Accel Program has the potential for broader impact in many domains, but this impact depends upon team members being able to identify and resolve differences in a transdisciplinary context along an accelerated timeline. The TDI T3 workshop for C-Accel will advance knowledge along two fronts. First, it will provide C-Accel team leaders with the knowledge and skills to enhance the communicative and collaborative capacity of their teams. Second, the TDI team will produce resources and provide consulting and mentorship designed to enhance the ability of C-Accel team leaders to deliver Toolbox workshops on their own. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.