The National Institute of Corrections is funding the research proposal, led by Dr. Nicola Ritter, instructional assistant professor in the Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences, to study the impact of microlearning resources in the field of correctional work.
These resources will target those areas that the industry sees as the most impactful to the safety and security of the corrections officer, the offender, and the public in general. The underlying premise of this project is the idea that professional performance of correctional duties promotes public safety and increases the likelihood of everyone returning home safely. These microlearning resources will be made available to NIC’s constituents and may be used to supplement existing training or as a stand-alone curriculum.
Dr. Nicola Ritter, principal investigator and director of the Center for Educational Technologies has 15 years of experience developing technology-enhanced learning resources. Under her leadership, a team of 7 highly experienced faculty educators and multi-media production staff will develop the microlearning resources. The award-winning team at Center for Educational Technologies are highly experienced in providing educational video development services, with most of the team having advanced degrees in their area of specialty service. Texas A&M University has created over 1,000 videos using a variety of teaching strategies including storytelling, case scenarios, and animations.
Co-investigator, Dr. Carlee Purdum, research assistant professor in the Texas A&M Landscape Architecture & Urban Planning Department and the Hazard Reduction and Recovery Center at Texas A&M, specializes in emergency planning and policies in correctional settings. She will work closely with the NIC working group and staff at the Center for Educational Technologies to design and develop the microlearning resources. She has six years of experience studying emergency operations planning and emergency management as it relates to prisons and incarcerated populations in the U.S. She has also published several academic research works on the subject.
A working group of six correctional professionals from across the United States will lend their expertise in creating these resources. Once completed the resources will remain available on the National Institute of Corrections training website.
About Research at the Center for Educational Technologies: At the forefront of education, the CET’s mission is to advance education by developing, implementing and evaluating innovative educational tools and resources. Research conducted at the CET represented annual expenditures of more than $1 million in fiscal year 2020. The CET continues to serve our state, nation, and world through various research, teaching, and entrepreneurial endeavors – all of which are centered on providing engaging and rigorous online learning resources.