Hi all,
We've been revamping our training/teaching process in hopes of
improving quality and speed, and it would be useful to know what other
institutions are doing to train their researchers. I expect others
would also be interested, so I'm conducting a survey and will post its
anonymized results.
Every institution has its own needs, so I expect there will be large
variation of responses, especially between the primarily small-
molecule and biomolecular facilities. If the questions here don't fit
in with your training/teaching scheme, or if you think answering these
questions will take too long, please just describe your training scheme.
Thanks for your help.
- Josh
QUESTIONS:
A) Mechanics
- What levels of training do you offer?
- After someone has expressed interest in entry-level training, how
long do they typically wait until they receive that training? If
training is offered on a regular schedule, how often is it offered?
- After researchers have attended training, how long does it typically
take until they have 24-hour access?
- How much time does your entry-level training take?
- How many people do you typically train in a year?
- Do you require users to pass a test to demonstrate competency before
allowing access? If so, does it have a written component, or just a
hands-on demonstration of skill?
- Do you have different levels of access? Are users with limited
training restricted to using certain spectrometers, and/or do you have
different classifications for 8-hour vs. 24-hour access?
- If you have a sample changer with simplified walkup automation
software, do you have a separate simplified training scheme? Do users
get trained on automation before/after/simultaneously with manual-
operation training?
- Do your researchers pay for training?
B) Coursework:
- Are your graduate students required to take a for-credit course to
gain access to the spectrometers? If so, how do undergrads, postdocs,
and other non-student researchers gain access?
- If you offer a graduate course, is it primarily lecture-based, lab-
based, or both?
- If you offer both ad hoc training and course-based training, what
are the key differences?
- Do you have undergraduate courses that give them hands-on access to
the spectrometers? Can they get unsupervised access after class hours?
- Who teaches the NMR course(s)/portion(s) of course(s)? A faculty
member, you or another member of the facility staff?
- Do you offer formal classroom training that is not a for-credit
course? E.g., a workshop?
- Do you use a specific textbook in the course? Which one?
- How much time do you spend in front of class, teaching in lab, and
preparing for class?
C) Content
- Does your training emphasize NMR principles or mechanics of operation?
- What hands-on competence must your users demonstrate before
operating spectrometers independently? Manually locking & shimming?
Gradient shimming? Application of window functions? Evaluating
linewidth? Acquisition of a 1D 1H spectrum? Successful solvent
suppression? Acquisition of an HSQC? Calibrating a 90°? Etc.
- What "theoretical" NMR knowledge must your users demonstrate before
they can operate spectrometers independently? What locking is for and
basically how it works? What shimming is? What a 90° pulse is? Basics
of the vector model for NMR? That different nuclei resonate at
different frequencies? How 2D NMR works? How to relate S/N to number
of scans/transients? How gradients work? What gradients do? Merits of
different solvent suppression techniques? What different 2D
experiments can tell them? Etc.
- How do you ensure your researchers know your institutional policies
for safe and orderly operation? E.g., do you have a "shop class" test
that asks them what they should do if they break a sample in the magnet?
D) Personnel
- Which staff member(s) perform(s) training?
- What roles do TA's play in your training scheme? Do they perform
entry-level training? More advanced training? Do they evaluate users
and grant them instrument access?
- What role, if any, is played by students' peers? Are senior students
expected to help new students get comfortable operating spectrometers?
Josh Kurutz, Ph.D.
Instructor and Senior Scientist for NMR
IMSERC, Chemistry Department
Northwestern University
2145 Sheridan Rd.
Evanston, IL 60208-3113
847-467-1949
www.chem.northwestern.edu/imserc
NMR Blog: www.imserc-nmr.org
Other: www.joshkurutz.com
Received on Wed Jan 12 2011 - 04:03:01 MST