Instructor Development Program
Instructor Development Program — a Matcom University professional development pathway.
Who it's for
Field personnel, supervisors, trainers, and subject-matter experts in public safety, emergency communications, emergency management, security, and leadership who teach or expect to teach colleagues. It also suits new field training staff who want a formal grounding in instructional method.
Program director: Walter Lee
What you'll be able to do
- Apply adult learning principles to plan instruction that respects the experience, motivation, and time constraints of public safety learners.
- Write measurable learning objectives that state an observable action, condition, and standard at an appropriate cognitive level.
- Describe the elements of the communication process and identify common barriers that affect public safety messages.
- Apply active listening and professional tone techniques to written call and radio scenarios.
Drawn from the learning objectives of the required courses.
Schedule
- 1. MU-IDS-101 Instructor Development Programabout 3 weeks · 16.5 h cumulative
- 2. MU-COM-101 Professional Communications for Public Safetyabout 3 weeks · 31.0 h cumulative
Estimated pace at about 6 study hours per week. Instructor-led cohorts set their own dates.
Upcoming cohorts
No cohorts are scheduled yet. Contact training@matcomops.org to ask about the next start date.
Curriculum
- Step 1 · MU-IDS-101Instructor Development Program16.5 h · 4 modules
The Instructor Development Program prepares public safety, emergency communications, emergency management, security, and leadership professionals to move from subject-matter expert to effective instructor. Participants learn how adults learn, how to write measurable learning objectives, and how to build lesson plans in which content, activities, and assessments align. They practice delivering instruction, facilitating discussion and scenarios, handling difficult classroom situations, and giving feedback that changes performance. The course also covers constructing fair assessments and evaluating instruction with learner data so training improves over time. Applied work runs throughout: learners draft a lesson plan, build an assessment tool, and complete an instructor-observed teach-back presentation. The course teaches general instructional methodology. It does not replace agency training policy or any state or discipline-specific instructor requirements, so participants should confirm local standards before instructing in their own organizations.
- Step 2 · MU-COM-101Professional Communications for Public Safety14.5 h · 4 modules
Professional Communications for Public Safety introduces the core communication skills that telecommunicators, dispatchers, first-line responders, and support staff use every shift. Learners examine how messages succeed or fail, then practice active listening, plain language, and concise radio and telephone message structure. The course moves into objective written documentation, showing how to separate observed facts from opinion and build clear, chronological narratives that withstand review. Learners then connect individual technique to the wider system through National Incident Management System communications principles, interoperability, and interagency information sharing. Final topics address maintaining clarity under stress and fatigue, protecting confidential information, and communicating ethically with colleagues and the public. Activities are scenario based and written, and learners are encouraged to compare course models with their own agency policies, which always govern local procedures, call-handling protocols, and approved terminology.
Optional electives
- MU-ECC-301Communications Training Officer (CTO) Program14.5 h · 4 modules
The Communications Training Officer (CTO) Program prepares experienced telecommunicators to train new hires on the operations floor. Participants learn how adults acquire complex skills under pressure and how to use that knowledge when coaching call-taking, radio dispatch, and multitasking. The course covers structured on-the-job training phases, from orientation through solo readiness, and shows how to set entry and exit criteria for each phase. Learners practice writing Daily Observation Reports in objective, behavior-based language and applying standardized evaluation guidelines consistently across trainees and shifts. Further topics include documentation that withstands review, feedback in real time and in debriefs, remediation plans and performance improvement plans, and recognizing when the evidence supports extending training or recommending release. Throughout, the course emphasizes fairness, confidentiality, and the CTO's place in the chain of command. Local agency policy, collective bargaining agreements, and human resources guidance govern all personnel decisions.
To graduate you must pass every required course (orientation, lessons, knowledge checks, assignments, practical sign-offs, practice exam, and a final exam at 80% or higher), meet the elective rule, and complete the capstone.