SAMHSA: New Opportunity - Apply for the Performance Partnership Pilot Today

Thanks for posting this.

One of the interesting aspects to explore would be how silo's can be broken down in substantive ways initially and moving forward. With advances in technology and improved means of supporting adult/professional learning (andragogy), one avenue for any applicant to consider is how an online learning management system (LMS) could be a vital aspect to a successful grant application. While there are a number of "free/open source" course writing tools out there, caution should be exercised (!) if a grant applicant opts to include what appear to be "free" asynchronous learning options to create pathways of sustainability. While using an LMS would be an advantage, developing one would require devoting substantial in-grant resources to make functionality of such asynchronous tools a reality.

Instead, applicants might consider how partnering with an established business with an established learning management system that would allow valuable grant dollars to be maximized. The advantages could include: efficient delivery of content online, efficient cycle-times for modifying content if/as grant implementation yields important findings that warrant future iterations of content, interactive and multi-modal delivery of content (video, articles, links to resources, quizzing, etc), back-end IT and "grant participant" learning support system, and qualitative surveying of grant participants during the grant period, etc. Perhaps most importantly, grant participants could engage in designing a metric for effectiveness which could be included in the learning management system throughout the grant period and beyond.

An additional factor to consider is how using an already established LMS might lend itself to replication of the major findings as other communities look to replicate the success(es) of the present grant implementation. If the ultimate goal is both contextualization and generalization - it will require 21st century tools designed in advance to do exactly that. 

If you or one of your colleagues is interested in getting a free consultation as to how a learning management system might help set your grant application apart from other applications - and create long-term conditions for success for a community as well as any others that attempt to replicate evidence-based practices  - please don't hesitate to contact me directly.

steve@cecreditsonline.org

Thank You for posting this Tina.....