National Weather Service Training Center (Kansas City)

Welcome Students!

This page is designed to provide onsite, online, and blended learning students with information on how to register, attend, and successfully complete NWSTC courses. Remember our goal is to help you successful provide weather, water, and climate data, forecasts and warnings for the protection of life and property and enhancement of the national economy. Please tell us how we can improve.

NWSTC Policies & Procedures

 

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INSTRUCTIONS

 

Click the tabs below to review our student policies and procedures.

 

If you have any specific questions, please contact our student coordinator, Kristine Berry, via email or at 816-994-3006.

 

 

 

Please note some quick links for travel and more have been provided on the bottom of this page.

REGISTERING FOR DISTANCE LEARNING COURSES

 

Many of the online courses and prerequisites are designed to be self-paced. This allows you to move through the content at your own pace.

 

In order to receive credit for these types of courses, you must register yourself and complete the course assessment in the Commerce Learning Center (CLC). Often times, you can complete these steps after working through the course materials online.

 

Look for specific course instructions at the beginning of each course for more information.

REGISTERING FOR INSTRUCTOR-LED SESSIONS

 

Some courses, such as Management and Supervision - MGT05, may have online components that are monitored, facilitated, and/or anticipated to be completed as a class unit such as a webinar.

 

Often times, these require the instructor to add each student.  (In other words, you might not be able to self-enroll.)

 

Read each course description and course instructions in the Training Portal carefully.

 

Contact course instructors if you have any questions regarding enrollment.

REGISTERING FOR RESIDENCE CLASSES

 

Regional Training Focal Points provide student information(name, address, telephone number) a minimum of 60 calendar days before the course is scheduled to be presented. This gives the Training Center staff time to provide prospective students with traininginformation and pre-course materials. Any pre-course testing and associated student changes should be completed during this time.

 

Course slots which have not been filled 5 weeks before a course is scheduled will be made available for open substitution from any Region.

 

The course roster is finalized 4 weeks prior to the start of the course and no further substitutions are allowed. At this time course/lodging information packets are e-mailed to registered students.

 

Regions may swap (but not add) students up to 1 week prior to class if the new student has met all prerequisite requirements. Student slots which are canceled after this date will not be filled.

SCHEDULING/REGISTRATION FOR LEARNING PLANS

 

You may have been informed that you must complete a particular learning plan. Learning plans are custom collections of courses, instructor facilitated sessions, and other learning objects, aggregated to meet your particular development needs.

 

A supervisor, trainer, or someone with trainer level access to the LMS must enroll you in these packages.

 

You cannot self-enroll in a Learning Plan.

PREREQUISITES

 

Many onsite courses now require self-study prerequisites, completed Learning Plans, and/or pre-course testing. All prerequisite items must be completed prior to traveling to the Training Center.

Learning Plans

 

You may have been informed that you must complete a particular learning plan. Learning plans are custom collections of courses, instructor facilitated sessions, and other learning objects, aggregated to meet your particular development needs.

 

A supervisor, trainer, or someone with trainer level access to the LMS must enroll you in these packages. You cannot self-enroll in a learning plan.

 

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All prerequisite tests must be completed with a passing grade of 70% or greater at least 30 days before the on-site session. An individual who fails any remote test will be allowed to retake a second test over the material. If the student fails the second test they may be required to wait 3 months before being allowed to retest over the same material/course.

 

When less than 30 days remain prior to the onsite session, slots vacated by students failing to complete the self-study prerequisites and/or pre-course testing requirements will not be refilled and substitutions will not be allowed.

 

Some instructors may require a more recent review of prerequisite material prior to attending an onsite session. Contact instructors for specific course requirements.

 

It is incumbent upon a student's supervisor to ensure all course prerequisites have been completed.

IN-CLASS EXAMS

 

Course examinations (if any) must be completed with a passing grade of 70% or greater for course certification.

DELAYED COURSE CERTIFICATE

 

If a student fails to complete a NWSTC residence course (i.e. does not receive a passing grade on course exams and/or labs - typically 70%), then…

- (non-engineering students) – You must contact the regional SSD Chief for more information on how to receive a delayed certificate.

- (engineering students) – You MIC/HIC must submit a request for a delayed certificate in writing to the regional EPM (Electronics Program Manager) indicating that all applicable requirements have been met.

 

Approved requests for delayed certificates will be forwarded to the NWS Chief Learning Officer for retesting considerations. In some cases, students are retested with similar materials. In other cases, the examination requirement may be waived.

 

 

For DOD and FAA students, please contact our Student Coordinator, Kristine Berry, for information on signing up for a course.

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