RV Technical Institute Makes Strides In Curriculum Development

The RV Technical Institute was created to address the need to recruit and train as many RV technicians as possible. Achieving this goal is predicated on developing a thorough suite of curriculum and training materials to deliver both theoretical, but especially, hands-on training to new recruits, as well as existing RV technicians.

To meet the urgent need of producing an updated comprehensive curriculum and to build upon the work of previous industry focus groups, the RV Technical Institute held a marathon curriculum design session from October 12 through October 19. They completed the first draft of the all-new Level One technician training which is focused on Pre-Delivery Inspection (PDI). RV Technical Institute Education Manager Tammy Holland led the Elkhart-based curriculum team which was supported by curriculum development expert Dr. Kitty Manley from NOCTI and included a team of subject matter expert technician trainers.

“The group was so incredibly energized throughout the completion of Level One content that we also went ahead and designed the hands-on Level One labs and rubrics that will be used to score hands-on performance,” said Holland.

The new curriculum will now go through a process of design, editing and validation by the subject matter experts in its next phase and is on schedule to have Level One ready for RV Technical Institute Trainer Mike Anderson to pilot test the first week of December through January 2019. Data will be gathered from the session and used to assist in finalizing the first National Curriculum for RV Technical Institute Level One technicians. Once completed, the new curriculum will be distributed nationwide.

“This is the first time in my long tenure dealing with RV tech training that we were able to have our industry experts spend so much time with professional curriculum developers,” said RV Industry Association Vice President of Standards and Education Bruce Hopkins. “To come up with all the tools needed to deliver the type of training that will really move the needle forward in teaching technicians how to diagnose and repair it right is exciting to see and be a part of.”

Bruce and the team have worked alongside other subject matter experts including Randy Davis of Keystone RV, Gary Bunzer of Bunzer Consulting, Chet Dillenbeck of LCI and RV Technical Institute Trainer Mike Anderson who have all been vital in the progression of this program, especially in its curriculum development sessions.

“These experts are extremely focused and have a deep passion for this field,” said Holland. “They not only know what technicians need to know to be the best in what they do, they also have a strong passion of teaching and equipping them with the tools and knowledge to be successful.”