Managing by Network

FAQ

• 1. Is this course right for me?

  • Do you spend at least 25% of your time working with partners, permittees, or community stakeholders?
  • Does your position description include multi-agency collaboration, partnerships, community collaboration, and/or tribal consultation are invited to apply?
  • Do you work with at least 5 formal or informal partnerships, facilitate public meetings, or interact with advisory committees or community collaboratives?
  • Do you serve in a critical support role, such as G & A, public affairs, information collections, or law enforcement associated with partnerships and stakeholder engagement?
  • Are you willing to dedicate at least 2 hours a week for six months to improving your practice?

  If you answered yes to one or more of these questions, this training is a good fit for your professional development. 

  Is this course right for you?

  1. Do you spend at least 25% of your time working with partners, permittees, or stakeholders?
  2. Does your position description include partnerships and community collaboration responsibilities?
  3. Do you work with at least 5 formal or informal partnerships, or facilitate public meetings, advisory committees, or community collaboratives?
  4. Do you serve in a critical support role, such as G & A, public affairs, information collections, or law enforcement associated with partnerships and stakeholder engagement?
  5. Are you willing to dedicate at least 2 hours a week for six months to improving your practice?

  If you answered yes to one or more of these questions, this training is a good fit for your professional development. Read more about the application process, course requirements, and logistics of this online course below.

   

• 2. What is the format of this course?

  The Managing by Network course is a series of 18 live webinars held from January to June.  Class sessions are held entirely online on a virtual learning platform; no travel is required. Each session includes:

  • 2 hours of live instruction, facilitated discussion, and interactive exercises. Some sessions also include guest speakers and case study presentations.
  • Optional pre-webinar assignments that take about 10-30 mins to complete.
  • Access to course materials, resources and links.

  Regular sessions are interspersed with Study Hall weeks. During this time, participants can enrich and apply their learning through optional activities such as networking sessions, homework, and self-study to make up missed sessions.

• 3. What are the expectations for participation?

  Course requirements:

  • Attend 10 or more live webinars to earn a certificate of course completion. Participants will not receive a certificate by completing self-study in place of attending 10 or more live webinars.
  • Complete an individual Training Needs Self-Assessment and Course Evaluation; each survey takes about 20-30 minutes. Self-Assessment results serve as a benchmark for course participants and enable us to tailor the course to meet the training needs of the incoming class.

  Voluntary learning and development activities:

  • Self-Study allows participants to catch up on missed sessions or take a deeper dive into course materials. Note that self-study does not take the place of the course requirement to attend 10 live webinars.
  • Pre-webinar materials provide a context for webinar discussion. Completing these assignments will enrich class discussions and peer-learning.
  • Homework exercises are additional opportunities to learn skills, assess gaps, and apply knowledge from the course.  
  • Networking sessions provide a forum for engaging with peers and instructors outside of class time and exploring topics of interest to you.

  Case Study Program:

  • Up to 12 participants will have the option to present a peer-to-peer Case Study in class.  Case study presenters share their aspirations and lessons learned about their work in partnerships and community collaboration.
  • Case Study presentations are voluntary and not required for course completion. Case Study presenters do qualify for an Honors certificate of completion.
  • Presentations promote peer-learning and networking, and are posted to the Academy's case stud y catalog of more than 200 presentations.

   

• 4. When does this class meet?

  Each of the 18 course sessions is offered four times as a live, 2-hour webinar.  Course participants are assigned to one of the four webinar cohorts (Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta) based on their day and time preference. Applicants indicate their first and second choice cohort on their MBN application.

  To support interaction and peer learning, each webinar will be hosted in a virtual classroom with 25-30 participants.

  We anticipate schedule conflicts and participants may use the “flex option” to attend any one of the four webinars in any given week, as best suits their schedule. The four cohort meeting times are as follows:

  • Wednesday, ALPHA cohort: 11AM Eastern, 10AM Central, 9AM Mountain, 8AM Pacific, 7AM Alaska, 6AM Hawaii
  • Wednesday, BETA cohort: 2PM Eastern, 1PM Central, 12PM Mountain, 11AM Pacific, 10AM Alaska, 9AM Hawaii
  • Thursday, GAMMA cohort: 11AM Eastern, 10AM Central, 9AM Mountain, 8AM Pacific, 7AM Alaska, 6AM Hawaii
  • Thursday, DELTA cohort: 2PM Eastern, 1PM Central, 12PM Mountain, 11AM Pacific, 10AM Alaska, 9AM Hawaii

  Because the Academy observes Daylight Saving Time, class times will change accordingly in March.

  View the 2023 Schedule.

• 5. What are the rules of engagement for this class?

  • Webinars start on the hour.
  • Sign in 5-10 minutes early to troubleshoot any technical difficulties.
  • Sign in with your first and last name, followed by agency.
  • Mute yourself when not speaking to reduce background noise.
  • The chat box is a judgment free zone. Typos and misspellings are welcome.
  • Eliminate distractions where possible. Close your email and turn off notifications.
  • Send the webinar facilitator a private chat if you are in “listening mode” due to background noise or competing interests.

• 6. What if I have a schedule conflict?

  Participants should plan to attend live classes to get the most out of this training experience.

  • Each of the 18 Managing by Network Sessions is offered as a live, 2-hour webinar, at four different times to accommodate occasional schedule conflicts.

  • In the event you must miss class, participants can make up work by reviewing session materials at the Course Notebook and submitting a Self-Study record.

  • One webinar group of each session will be recorded for self-study review and will be posted at the course notebook with a password.

  • The review of live webinar recordings is exclusive to MBN registered course participants, instructional team members, and MBN Federal Coordinators. Passwords for these webinars may not be shared.

• 7. Is there homework?

  All participants have the option to complete voluntary activities for additional learning and development.

  • Pre-webinar materials provide a context for webinar discussion. Completing these assignments will enrich class discussions and peer-learning.
  • Homework exercises are additional opportunities to apply concepts and practices featured in class. 
  • Self-Study allows you to catch up on missed sessions or take a deeper dive into course materials. Completing self-study does not take the place of the course requirement to attend 10 live webinars. Self-study does count towards the 15+ webinar completion requirement for Honors.
  • Networking sessions provide a forum for engaging with peers and instructors outside of class time and exploring topics of interest to you, during Study Hall weeks.

• 8. Will I receive a certificate for this training?

  • Participants who attend 10 or more live Managing by Network webinars are awarded a certificate of completion as an official record of 38 hours of training in 22 partnership and community collaboration competencies defined by OPM.
  • Participants who present a Case Study are awarded a certificate with honors.
  • Participants who attend or complete 15 or more webinars (attend a minimum of 10 live and complete live or self-study up to 15) are awarded a certificate with honors.
  • Participants will not receive a certificate by completing self-study in place of attending 10 live webinars.
  • Agencies may have their own policies and procedures regarding attendance. Please review your attendance obligations with your assigned Managing by Network Training Coordinator. The acceptance of a scholarship obligates the recipient to fulfill the course requirements, on behalf of their work unit. In the event that a scholarship recipient needs to withdraw from the course, prior to completing certificate requirements, work unit reimbursement of the scholarship may apply, per agency policy.

• 9. Is supervisor approval required to attend this course?

  Yes, as applicable. If you are required to seek supervisory approval for training, please request completion of the  Supervisor Approval Form  as part of your application process. 

  The Supervisor Approval Form provides us with:

  • Written confirmation of approval from your Supervisor. 
  • Supervisor input on your training needs. Their responses, in addition to your own, inform our selection process and decisions on curriculum content for the year.
  • Contact information for course follow-up with your supervisor. 
  • Assurance that your supervisor is aware of your time commitment throughout this 6-month course.

  In completing the form, supervisors will approve or decline an applicant's participation.

  Applications are considered incomplete without supervisor approval when required; this will affect your eligibility for the course. 

• 10. May I receive continuing education credits for this course?

  Participants may receive 3 Continuing Education Units for Managing by Network.  A learner may use their record of learning to support their earning CEUs (1 CEU per 10 hours of instruction).

  Participants may receive 2 undergraduate college credits for Managing by Network, based on a rate of 15 instructional hours per credit. Undergraduate credits are certified by Shepherd University, WV.

  The USFWS National Conservation Training Center manages requests for any individual who wishes to receive these credits. Requests may be made up to 2 years from the completion of the course.

• 11: What is the tuition cost for this course?

  Tuition for 2023 is $2,000. Scholarships are available. Learn more about tuition.

  Contact us for more information.