STED Committee Teleconference - Special call to disscuss the OED Training Needs Survey
Conference Call Agenda and Notes
April 28, 2011
(1:00-3:00 pm Eastern Time)

Notes recorded by Lynn Taylor

Dial-in Logistics   Purpose    Agenda    Attendees    Discussion Notes

Dial-In Logistics

Conference Date:	April 28, 2011
Conference Time:	1:00-3:00 pm ET
Bridge Call-in #:	703-648-4848
# of Ports/Lines:	??
Conference Code #:	69180#

Purpose

Disscuss the OED Training Needs Survey and provide feedback to OED.

Attendees List: Present for the meeting are in bold.

Invited:
Bill Hazell, Steve Lipscomb, Joyce Williamson, Anthony Paulson, Peter Griffiths, David Pollock,
Mike Nolan, Franceska Wilde, Lynn Taylor, Alan Ward, Steve Blanchard, Mike Ierardi,

Guest: Melanie Hood, TJ Lane,

Agenda And Discussion Notes

STED Web Page: http://water.usgs.gov/usgs/STED/index.html
Agenda: http://nwis.usgs.gov/rltaylor/STED/04282011notes.htm

Discussion Items

Training Needs Survey - Alan - From the last meeting

• STED started in 1999. OED representative has been on STED since 2002. The OED rep. has provided input on TEL courses. Water continues to support the software for TEL courses. OED puts people through a certification course for TEL development. Last year OED was able to fund 6 TEL courses with Human Resources Initiative funds. Alan has 800 completions for TEL courses to date. There has been no charge for water courses yet, but when the Water Quality course comes out there will be charge so we can start building a fund for future and reworking old courses in the future
• Water training needs assessment (29% responded from 39 of the 48 WSCs)- Very helpful for supplying instructors and Subject Matter Experts, SMEs, information about the needs and the willingness to pay for courses both at the NTC and locally. Includes where the needs are and the supervisors identifiying the needs. If OED can respond to the current survey by adding more courses at NTC, regionally/locally, and with added TEL courese, Alan feels they will get an even better response next year.
• AI - STED members provide Alan with comments and possible SMEs regarding the results of the water training needs assessment.

What will be done now

• Supervisors were able to provide two pieces of information. People they are willing to send to NTC. People they want to train locally/regionally
• OED is using this information to decide what courses should be at NTC and which should be local/regional
• OED contacted instructors of courses where there is a need.
• There have been responses all over the map from yes I will do another class to sorry I do not have time.
• Options for high demand courses
1. Would instructors be willing to create an online course (TEL). These new TEL courses may less static than the current TEL courses
2. Reach more people by streaming courses given at the NTC.
3. Host courses regionally in places the survey indicated people are clustered
4. Instructors that need to update their courses for TEL or streaming can get money from NTC (from tuitions) for the work on the course.

• Can OED provide a breakdown between data supervisors and studies supervisors that responded to the survey?
• OED did not collect this information in that way. The next survey will probably include this information.
• Would someone send the list of TEL courses to Tony.
• From TJ - All TEL courses are in the DOI learn catalog

• Video streaming does not work in his center. Not enough bandwidth.
• TEL courses where does the actual data reside?

• From TJ - some TEL courses are served from OED and some are served from DOI learn. Flash is used so courses are downloaded to a users machine in chunks. So bandwidth used is greatly decreased.
• Mike I. other avenues, like WebEx are being considered to decrease the load on band width.
• There are USGS production centers that can create DVDs this may be another way to desiminate courses. There would not be the interaction that streaming is trying to foster.

• Alan - there is improvement reducing bandwith with some new delivery systems.
• Alan would like to utilize STED and its contacts to push the information from the survey out to people.
  • Would like STED to help encourage instructors to change course direction where the survey indicates this might be more efficient.
  • Would like STED to provide feedback on which courses should be delivered via which vehicle, course at NTC, course local/regional, stream course from NTC, and TEL courses.
  • Suggestion utilize the regional specialists for help with the above issues.

What OED is doing and planning short term.

• More courses are being set up for the NTC based on the survey.
• When there are 5 or more requests in a WSC, NTC is planning on suggesting they host courses locally. Tony's suggestion to get regional specialists involved when this is done will be done.
• Alan would everyone to look at the survey results by state so STED can provide guidance/suggestions on courses that can be based locally/regionally
  • Tony - OED should improve communication to neighboring states when local courses are given.
    • Example there are classes in Oregon he remembers seeing but he does not think WA staff know about it.
    • Alan - STED can help out tremendously here because OED does not always know about locally provided training.
    • Mike I - Locally provided courses can be put on the STED web page to increase communitcation.

• Alan - any other suggestions of courses that should be pushed as local/regional courses - No response.
• Alan - how many on the phone have taken an online course - No one.
• Alan - Are there one or two high demand courses that would fit as TEL courses?
• TJ - Do any of the above courses jump out at STED as possible TEL courses.?

• Question Tony - Can hydbrid courses be created? TJ, yes this is called blended learning.
• Tony suggests the statistics course would be a good blended course. TJ has talked with Rich and he would like to make the precourse into a TEL.
• Rick Wagner is interested in making the continuous monitor class a blended course.
• Peter works with Keith Lucy and will talk to him and encourge him to create blended course.

Next conference call: The next scheduled call will be May 26, 2011, Scheduled for 1:00-3:00 Eastern Time. Reston phone bridge 703-648-4848. The conference code will be announced with the agenda.