This practice is typically applied in K-12 settings, but adult workforce development programs stand to benefit from this approach. Things like critical and creative thinking are important in workforce development programs because the primary objective is to develop new, in-demand skills for employment readiness. Without this type of development, we aren’t truly setting up participants for success.

I’ve listed some thoughts and ideas below. Even though some of these methods aren’t necessarily groundbreaking, they should still be prioritized. By exploring both beneficial and not-so-beneficial tech use, we can begin to create more engaging, effective, and long-lasting workforce development programming.

Considering the goal of workforce development programs: to equip learners with in-demand industry skills for fair, livable employment and career advancement, active tech use in this context might include things like creating and analyzing business dashboards, developing digital portfolios showcasing skills and projects, presenting portfolios to industry professionals and potential employers, and participating in hackathons. If we used “creating and analyzing business dashboards” as an example, I’d set up something like this: after an initial learning phase, participants engage in a hands-on exercise addressing a manager-provided question using a given dataset. They collaborate in pairs to build dashboards and present their work to the class. Following this, data professionals discuss real-world data manipulation for problem-solving, followed by a homework assignment using publicly available datasets. What we didn’t include are things like reading case studies about how companies use dashboards without creating any, observing an instructor demonstrate dashboard creation without participant involvement, or memorizing dashboard best practices without applying them.

You’ll see that the beginnings of passive start in earnest; reading case studies, observing how to build, and memorizing best practices. While these passive methods aren't inherently flawed, until the knowledge is actually applied, it’ll remain in the passive bucket. Here are some other examples we should try to avoid as the primary format: long, non-interactive video lectures, text-heavy presentations without engagement , webinars without audience participation or interaction (I remember hearing a story about a meeting facilitator asking everyone to save comments until the end because the active chat was distracting for him 😯), assessments focused solely on multiple-choice questions, pre-recorded demonstrations without opportunities for practice Of course there will be constraints. The most obvious being instructors often struggle with limited time, resources, and energy, making it difficult to develop comprehensive active use programming. The potential of AI in this context is worth noting. I don’t see it as a perfect solution, but it could assist in developing active use content or indirectly support by alleviating instructors' administrative burdens (Sparks)

To wrap this up, when designing for workforce development programs, I’d ask myself: "Does this approach limit or lead students to self-directed, interest-driven learning?" If your proposed format consistently stops at "I do" without progressing to "you do," you should probably shift, and ensure that learners are well-prepared for the demands of the modern workforce.

Office of Educational Technology. "Digital Use Divide." U.S. Department of Education, 2021, tech.ed.gov/netp/digital-use-divide/. Accessed 13 July 2024.

Sparks, Sarah D. "Proof Points: Writing AI Feedback." The Hechinger Report, 12 July 2023, hechingerreport.org/proof-points-writing-ai-feedback/. Accessed 13 July 2024.