On-line Gamma-Ray Spectrometry Courses - Nuclear Training Services Ltd.

On-Line Nuclear Training is based upon the successful and respected attendance courses regularly run in Warrington by Nuclear Training Services Ltd. Participation in the courses is by subscription. This allows the course material to be downloaded in stages from the Internet. Students can work on the material as and when they are able, at their own pace. The courses have an element of assessment associated with them.

The first course, the Practical Gamma-Ray Spectrometry, went live in November 2000. We have now added an Introduction to Radioactivity course and an Introductory Gamma Spectrometry course.

At Nuclear Training Services Ltd. we've always been aware that in many organisations there are people who would benefit from attending our training courses but, for many reasons, never do. Often cost is a problem; not specifically the course cost but the cost of travel and accommodation and, perhaps most importantly, the cost to the organisation having the individual away from the job. We hope that making the courses available via the Internet will make them more accessible to all who would benefit from them.

The course material will be in the form of downloadable modules. Some of these will be information modules, others will be practical exercises. For example, Practical Gamma Spectrometry course about 40% of the total modules are practical, many to be performed using the NTS Virtual Gamma Spectrometer, itself downloadable from the Internet. This format means that all of the material can be studied at work, or at home, at any time of day or night and in any location world-wide.

Does the on-line course have advantages?

Primarily the online course has a lower overall cost than the normal attendance course because no travel and accommodation costs are involved. The course can be undertaken without time away from the place of work.

For the student, the course is more relaxed because it can be worked through in convenient digestible 'bites' (in course-speak - modules) over a period of time. The modules can be studied in quiet moments wherever convenient - at work, at home, day or night. In addition, some issues will be covered in greater depth than is appropriate for a face-to-face course, and there will be an element of assessment within the course. Assessment has advantages for both student and employer in confirming that the course has been taken seriously and understanding has been achieved - in effect giving more meaning to the Completion Certificate, which every participant will receive on completing the course.

Are there disadvantages?

Of course! On-line participants will not benefit from face-to-face discussion and may not receive as much 'home spun wisdom' as the face-to-face course participants. (Perhaps a few of the many that have attended the latter may regard that as another advantage!) There are undoubtedly advantages in getting away from the day-to-day environment and immersing oneself in the subject without the routine distractions of work. For those who prefer the face-to-face approach we will continue to run the normal attendance courses.

Organisation of the Course

In return for the subscription fee each participant will be allocated a User ID and a password to the first level of the course. Each level will give access to a number of modules, some providing information, others practical exercises. Each module will have an On-line Assessment Form (OAF) associated with it which must be completed by the participant. The questions on this assessment will vary in depth, some merely checking that the module has been read, others allowing understanding of the material to be appraised. Some assessments may be computer marked, others will be checked by a tutor. The number of modules within a level will vary; from six to, perhaps, nine.

Feedback from computer marked OAFs will be immediate, feedback on tutor marked questions will be delayed.

Only those OAFs submitted with a valid User ID will be taken accepted and, although there is nothing to stop students submitting OAFs more than once, only the first submission will be taken into account. An on-line student feedback form will be available for students who wish to query the marking of their OAF.

The online assessments are simply to check that the participant has actually studied the module and achieved a basic understanding. They will have simple, straightforward questions. To avoid giving participants repeated deadlines, a period of six months will be allowed from registration for completion of the whole course. Students can pace themselves within that overall time scale. At the higher levels the OAFs will expect students to use the knowledge they have gained to provide more considered answers.

Within a level, modules can be completed in any order but all must be completed before access to the next level is granted. This will be done by widening the scope of the password. There will be no pass mark to achieve before access is granted, but the marks gained in the various modules will be totalled and an overall percentage correct mark will be printed discreetly on the Completion Certificate.

Passwords will be valid for six months from the date of registration but may be extended on request.

The Practical Gamma Spectrometry course will involve a number of practical exercises. Many of these will be done using the NTS Virtual Gamma Spectrometer. This will allow virtual samples to be counted in real-time with realistic count rates and valid statistics within the measured spectra. Other exercises will involve retrieving nuclear data on-line.

What resources will participants need?

The only particular resource needed by participants is a computer and easy access to the Internet. The computer need not be of any particularly high specification, however, low specification computers may limit the count-rate capability of the virtual spectrometer. (NB: we have become aware that problems may be experienced using the virtual gamma spectrometer under Windows XP. We are currently looking into this and have alternatives available.)

Except for sending the Completion Certificate, which will be mailed, all communication with students will be by email. If students do not have a suitable email address, or wish to have a separate email address for the purposes of the course, NTS can provide one for them. We can also, on request, provide a local call rate Internet access number.

All the course materials assume that users have versions 4 or higher of Netscape Navigator or Microsoft Internet ExplorerÔ installed on their computer. The modules will be accessible by other browsers but may not display pages as intended.

We recommend that students download the course modules and its associated OAF and work on them off-line, reconnecting to fill in and transmit the OAF. It is useful to be able to print out some material and participants will need access to a printer for some exercises.

Most information resources for the course will be available for download on the online.nucleartraining web site.

For some of the exercises will students will need a calculator. The WindowsÔ Calculator will do fine if a 'real' one isn't available. Some students may prefer to set calculations up on a spreadsheet. For some exercises spreadsheets will be made available to the participants.

Many of the practical exercises will involve use of the NTS Virtual Gamma Spectrometer. Participant will download a copy of this program and will be emailed their registration code to allow use for a period of six months. (Participants can, of course, buy an open copy of the software if they wish. (See the Nuclear Training Services Ltd. web site for details.) We regret that this software is only available for the PC.

Users of other types of computer who wish to register for the course should contact us, particularly if they have access to a 'real' gamma spectrometer. We may be able to provide alternative exercises for them.

Previous experience:

We do not expect participants to have any particular previous experience or academic qualifications. We do, however, assume that they will have a degree of scientific familiarity. In particular, participants will be expected to be able to use calculators and simple spreadsheets and be comfortable with the use of computers and the Internet.

Support for students:

Students will have access to support via on-line response forms and email. This might be used to ask questions, make comments, point out errors in the course material, request help or clarification.

During periods when there are many participants working through the course at one time we will arrange live on-line discussion sessions on an IRC (Internet Relay Chat) channel. We will arrange a regular time when anyone taking the course can log on and discuss the course with other participants and tutors.

The Book!

Not suprisingly, much of the course material is covered in Practical Gamma-Ray Spectrometry by Gordon Gilmore, the course tutor, and John Hemingway, published in 1995 by John Wiley and Sons. Participants on the course will be able to purchase this at a 10% discount. (See the NTS Site for details and order form.)

Course Content:

Note that the Introductory courses are modules taken from those referred to above. There is currently no option equivalent to the normal Two Day Practical course.

How much will it cost?

For UK and EU participants, VAT at 17.5% will be added. Passwords will not be released until payment is made or an official order received. If organisations wish to have a number of persons undertaking the course we would be happy to disuss special subscription terms.

Nuclear Training Services Ltd.

On-Line Gamma-Ray Spectrometry Training

Launched on 5th November 2000 - Bonfire Night!