STED Committee Teleconference
Conference Call Agenda and Notes
May 26, 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:	May 26, 2011
Conference Time:	1:00-3:00 pm ET
Bridge Call-in #:	703-648-4848
# of Ports/Lines:	??
Conference Code #:	33040#

Attendees List: Present for the meeting are in bold.

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

Agenda And Discussion Notes

STED Web Page: http://water.usgs.gov/usgs/STED/index.html
Agenda : http://nwis.usgs.gov/rltaylor/STED/20110526notes.htm

Committee Business Items

• Review minutes of January 2011 meeting -Bil
• It's all good.
• External communication reports -Bil

STED Web page

• Francesca, there is still a lot of ignorance that the page exists.
• Bill will attempt to spread the word as much as possible at the Eastern Region data conference.

Priority Action Items

• Committee membership - Bil, Steve B.
• Francesca has been talking to Terry Shertz about a replacement they have not decided on one yet but the search is on. Terry has a few ideas.
• Bill got the word out that STED needs to fill positions in Tampa
• Steve Blanchard's position still no possibilities.
• Do not have anyone to fill the IT position. Bill has a few possiblities.
• Hydrologic Technician. Bill is working hard to find a replacement.
• Jim Kolva has expressed some interest in replacing Mike Nolan as the OSW representative.
• Joyce has an idea for a hydro tech and will send the name to Bill.
• Question: Is STED concerned that we are becomming heavy in the Western Region? Consensus - If we can get people from the western region it would be best but we will take any good volunteers.
• Current members, Bill is rotating off and STED needs a chair. Please think about becoming the STED chair.

Discussion Items

• Training Needs Survey - Alan
• Alan's goal - Get from Sted which courses are the best candidates, from the training needs survey, to create as TEL courses.
• The two courses Alan and TJ have put forth are
• Empowering Authors (Beth Vairin)
• Bill feels this might be a good course to start with.AI - Bill will write an email to Beth to let her know STED is encouraging that "Empowering" become a TEL course.
• USGS-WRD Report Planning, Writing, Policy,and Peer Review (Keith Lucey)
  • Keith is very interested in creating a TEL course, but there is interest at the USGS level, to create a course like this for all of USGS. Keith is waiting to see what is decided about the scope.
  • Peter will continue to check in with Keith to get updates on this issue.
• Franceska - Suggests Rich Alexander's Statistics course. Rich believes there is a good opportunity to convert part of this to a TEL courese and make it a blended course.
• Alan - NTC approached Rich about making the statistics course a streaming course and NTC can get Rich money to update the class for a streaming.
• AI - Alan will contact Rich about making the Stats course a blended course vs. a steamed course.
• Tony - Be careful with streaming courses, they do not work in his Center. If the streamed file can be obtained and run locally it will work.
• Statistical Techniques for for Trend and Load Estimation (Dave Lorenz)
• Dave is willing to take this class on the road and may be amenible to other avenues for the course. AI - Alan will contact Dave.
• Tony is there a policy that the regional specialists coordinate training available in a region, to make training more efficient? AI - Bill will put this on next months agenda
• Will ADCP streamflow measurements (Kevin Oberg) work as TEL courses
  • Bill - The equipment changes rapidly so the hands on portion would not work.
  • Steve - The theroy portion of ADCP coures might work as a TEL course. AI - Alan will contact Kevin about creating an ADCP Primer for TEL. Kevin is difficult to get a hold of. If Alan has not contacted him by the data conference, Bill will talk to him there. Steve will talk with Molly Wood who can help us contact Kevin.
• AI-Alan, send the training needs survey results to subject matter experts.

Regional Co-op status - Joyce

• All hires listed in March have been hired and the feedback has all been good.
• Joyce will attempt to meet with the new hires that attend the national data conference.

• Water quality principles - Franceska
• Roger and Franceska have almost finished repsonding to comments from students and instructors
• Updating live portions of the course
• Updating how mentors are chosen and how they work with students
• Plan is to have the course on DOI Learn by August.
• Bill - Is the a lesson's learned document about creating a large, complicated TEL course?
• Franceska yes we had lessons learned when the course was completed.
• The information was sent to Alan.
• This will be updated with information from the beta testing.

• STED Focus and development of Priority Action Items - Bill
• Web pages
• Keep it updated
• Market and promote the pages
  • Joyce this is very important because it is not useful unless people know about. Include a paragraph in the training planning email that goes out every year. Steve - Perhaps an email from Bill Werkhyser at the time of the training planning email will work. AI - Bill and Joyce, will work on this at the the data conference.
  • Ask Science Centers if we can get the STED link on the district home page training area. AI - Bill will bring this up with Bill W. as well.
  • Mike add "teasers" of courses on the web page.
  • Alan - Provide free coffee cups, pens, etc. with STED and the web site.
  • Steve - Free thumb drives that take people directly to the web site when plugged in.
  • Bill - Create a UPC symbol to put on pamphlets, posters, that will take people to the STED site using smart phone scanner apps.
  • Input to Alan and the NTC when needed.

Wrap-up

• Review assignments, establish next meeting date (05/26/11)
• Next conference call: The next scheduled call will be July 28, 2011. Scheduled for 1:00-3:00 Eastern Time. Reston phone bridge 703-648-4848. The conference code will be announced with the agenda.

STED Committee Activities – 2011

Current Activities

1. Continue to develop, populate, maintain, and promote the STED web page as the primary source of STED communication to WRD personnel .
2. Continue to promote Technology Enabled Learning and establish an electronic learning repository for WRD personnel featuring links to a wide variety of instructional and informational material.
3. Promote the development of "Essential and Recommended" training programs for all disciplines, including Information Technology, for use by all scientific and technical WRD employees.
4. Consider the advantages of a regionally based cooperative education program with selected colleges and universities as a means to promote training of potential future scientific and technical WRD employees.

Future Activities

1. Continue to develop, populate, maintain, and promote the STED web page as the primary source of STED communication to WRD personnel .
2. Continue to promote Technology Enabled Learning and establish an electronic learning repository for WRD personnel featuring links to a wide variety of instructional and informational material.
3. Investigate opportunities for a WRD advanced scientific education program to meet USGS mission goals and encourage career development.