Major Initiatives
The Academy Division sponsors technical assistance, training, and networks around three major initiatives:
Cognitive Behavioral Training
Cognitive Behavioral Training (CBT) is designed to address thinking patterns and assist people in behavior change. NIC's CBT initiative is comprised of Thinking for a Change.
Learning and Performance
The Learning and Performance Initiative represents NIC’s effort to help build staff training and development capacity in correctional agencies. Click here for resources for trainers and curriculum designers.
Leadership Development
The Academy's Leadership Development in Corrections Initiative provides opportunities for agencies to create visionary leaders who improve correctional practices and outcomes. We believe leadership development is a process that requires dedicated effort. It also requires programs that work best when they train leaders to align with agency operational and strategic needs.
Instructional Systems Development
The Instructional Systems Specialist Department of Educational Development is responsible for developing and identifying innovative solutions that enhance and advance NIC's training footprint on the Nation's criminal justice training. Its aim is to transcend logistic challenges, reduce training costs, for efficient cost-effective e-courses. The department incorporates various technologies and instructional expertise to accomplish these strategic goals by utilizing interactive web-based technologies (WBT). Working with National Programs Advisors (NPA's), Contractors, and SMEs the ISS department develops and manages functions and phases for the creation of e-courses. These courses serve and educate the local, state, and federal justice systems.
Initiatives in Action
Along with maintaining the integrity of 200+ e-courses, future as well as present developments focus on sustained reliable e-courses that keep up with current industry standards in support of NIC training demands. Courses are reviewed and designed with the following concepts in mind; resource efficiency, increased learner display, color theory, student centered, level 2 interactive, easy of maintenance, and compliancy with standards. The IS department is comprised of various specialties skills which include educational advisement, knowledge of instructional models & methodology, web design, e-Learning design & development, video production, and graphic design. Some applications include Adobe Suite, Lectora, Camtasia, and Snag-it just to name a few.
The Path Ahead
Future ambitions are to stay paces ahead, incorporating these specialties and concepts by revising current courses with updates and regular instructional reviews. Additionally, in conjunction with contracted e-courses the department is producing in-house e-courses. Some examples of NIC's initiative e-courses; Thinking for a Change (T4C) within its cognitive-based program, the VICTOR course with Veteran focused initiatives, NALOXONE Application addressing safeguards for a crisis, these are just some current and future projects NIC is excited about.
