VISIT

During this quarter 53 VISIT teletraining sessions have been delivered.  There were 165 teletraining signups, 397 students participated. (D. Bikos and J. Braun)

Ongoing development of new VISIT teletraining sessions:

• A new VISIT teletraining session titled “Satellite Interpretation for various Coastal Effects” is nearly completed and will be tested and put on the calendar in January 2008.
• A new VISIT teletraining session titled “Severe weather forecasting - utilizing observational data to assess model trends and monitoring the changing mesoscale environment” is in development and will be completed during FY 2008.  The training will be accompanied by a post-session WES simulation exercise.  The Weather Event Simulation (WES) case is being developed by D. Bikos for the 28 March 2007 tornado outbreak that occurred in the Great Plains.  Collaboration with Jonathan Finch (NWSFO / Dodge City, KS) is ongoing to supply additional data and insight into the case.
• Preliminary work beginning on another new VISIT session concerning the seeder-feeder process.  This will be a collaborative venture between J. Braun and the Goodland, Kansas Science Officer, Al Pietrycha. 
• Preliminary work has begun in collaboration with NCEP/TPC on a new VISIT session on hurricane track and intensity forecast models.

In addition:
 

• Learning Management System (LMS)
• Testing Instructor Led Training (ILT) to eventually implement VISIT teletraining registration.
• Implementation of Development Plan for SHyMet
• Development of a VISIT certificate within the LMS available for printout upon course completion.  Certificates for ILT will be made available via the LMS or through the mail as being done currently.
• Ongoing research regarding Winter Weather (“Henry’s Rule”) for possible publication and future VISIT session.
• Ongoing research regarding “Quantitative Dvorak Principle Applied to EPAC Extratropical Cyclones” also for future paper/VISIT session consideration.
• Continuing to work with K. Micke on new web-page “blog” format for questions/answers to satellite related issues and trivia.
• All VISIT audio playback format training sessions are now available via a DVD through the mail.  This is in response to suggested improvements for the long time it takes to download a file at a NWS forecast office.
• A VISIT/SHyMet meeting was held in Madison, WI in November 2007.  Accomplishments of the meeting include:
• Outline for next SHyMet course offering developed (see SHyMet section below).
• Discussion on ILT implementation for VISIT teletraining.
• Collaboration with Jeff Craven (SOO at NWSFO Sullivan, WI) who attended the meeting.
• Collaboration with Bill Sjoberg (NOAA/NWSHQ/OST) representative of the NWS Satellite Requirements and Solution Steering Team (SRSST)
• Need for WES (task oriented job sheets in particular) cases to go along with training.  Modification of existing WES simulation by D. Bikos from a “full-blown” simulation to a task oriented job sheet approach as recommended by WDTB staff.

The following table shows a breakdown of the metrics for each VISIT teletraining session valid April 1999 – December 17, 2007.  For a complete list and description of each VISIT session see this web-page:   http://rammb.cira.colostate.edu/visit/ts.html

            VISIT Learning Management System (LMS) Metrics from January 2005 through December 17 2007:

Total Registered for VISIT Courses – 1514
 
Total Registered 1st Quarter 2008:  148
           
Total Completions 1st Quarter 2008:  45

Individual VISIT Course Metrics via the LMS:

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