In 2022, the International Municipal Signal Association (IMSA) contracted Change by Design to design and develop legally defensible exams for five public safety worker disciplines, plus new standard operating procedures (SOPs) in the form of process workflows and detailed design documents (DDDs). Following the successful roll-out of the deliverables to the IMSA certification teaching community early this year, discussions were held about additional challenges they faced. As a result of the dialogue, we are pleased to share that IMSA has hired Change by Design for two additional projects for 2023.

Why does the International Municipal Signal Association (IMSA) provide certifications to members?

IMSA is the globally recognized leader in public safety certifications for technicians and staff that keep our roadways functioning properly. IMSA has 9,800 members who represent more than 2600 municipalities and over 750 manufacturers and service providers. The IMSA members perform important task area disciplines including installing and maintaining traffic signals, establishing roadway lighting, and even fiber optic installation and maintenance. Therefore, it is imperative that these members maintain accurate skills and effective working knowledge, which is proven in the annual continuing education coursework that supports their certifications.

Change by Design Expanding The New IMSA Course-building Framework

IMSA instructors have celebrated the three-pronged approach to modular course-building that Change by Design built to spec, including:

  • Legally Defensible Exams

  • SOP/Process Workflows

  • Detailed Design Documents

And based on the proven utility for the first five initial disciplines, IMSA requested expansion of the solution into five new disciplines, including:

  1. Traffic Signal Inspector

  2. Traffic Signal Sr. Field Level 3

  3. Traffic Signal Construction Level 2

  4. Traffic Center Systems Specialist (TCSS)

  5. Signs and Pavement Marketing Technician Level 2

The expanded learning scope is scheduled for delivery to IMSA from our instructional designers by the end of Q2.

Leveraging Change by Design’s Learning & Development Expertise To Augment IMSA Instructor Course-building

Each year, IMSA instructors face large groups of learners in a seminar setting. This less-intimate training environment can be daunting and stymie effective learning, unless the instructors have a strong, evidence-based tool-set for delivering impactful learning experiences. They have to focus on keeping distraction low and engagement high by following well-thought out sequencing of focused information. But turning around custom trainings in short order can be daunting for some teams.

Fortunately, Change by Design has a rapid course-building process that is well-suited to bridge the capacity gap in the near term. Content is already drafted and Change by Design delivered an effective learning framework, so now it’s simply a matter of authoring to delivery medium. The client requested modules be published in PowerPoint, so the Change by Design team is taking the approved template they developed and then extrapolating it into 37+ hours of instructor-support training over six weeks.

Change by Design is proud of the relationship with IMSA and the opportunity to further their mission. If you currently face learning and development team capacity challenges requiring temporary augmentation, please contact Change by Design. Simply call 850.445.6303 or email us to discuss your certification objectives, timeline and other related considerations.

Written by Sue Ebbers, Ph.D. and published in 2023.

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