The 5 week Westinghouse Online Nuclear Instrumentation Course will allow the successful student to understand how the Nuclear Instrumentation System should operate under normal conditions. The student will also learn how to use schematic drawings to trace signals and find test points, and identify basic system problems. Upon course completion, students will be prepared to assist in troubleshooting activities on site or to attend future face-to-face training sessions.    

incorporates a progressive, student-centered, interactive learning approach designed to increase the effectiveness of the learning experience compared with that of traditional classroom lecture oriented training. By blending a variety of instructional methods and delivery options, Westinghouse is able to more actively engage the students in the learning process and more effectively facilitate a positive change in performance. In this program, students become active participants in their learning process. They are at the center of the action, not passive observers.

The Online Nuclear Instrumentation Course consists of technical content in the form of interactive, animated PowerPoint presentations, as well as threaded discussions in which students discuss technical aspects of the Nuclear Instrumentation System, maintenance issues, Operating Experience Reports, and plant specific information. Numerous student learning assessments are conducted within the online course.   

Students are able to use the course content to suit their specific needs. Students with little or no Nuclear Instrumentation System experience will need to thoroughly study all of the content, while other more experienced students can review objectives and test out of particular sections of material.  Additionally, more experienced students can use the course material as a stepping stone to more advanced study by examining related schematic drawings, reviewing plant documents, and posing higher level questions to fellow students and to the instructor. After completing the online training course, the students will have an understanding of the Nuclear Instrumentation System to the block diagram level. Knowing the function of all of the boards in the system and the signals that pass between them, students can productively assist in troubleshooting activities on site or attend future face-to-face training sessions.   

This blended distance learning approach provides a better learning environment for the student than traditional face-to-face courses. Students are able to access the course information in smaller increments and when their schedule allows, rather than being constrained to 8-hour training days. As discussed earlier, students must also be more actively engaged in the content instead of listening passively to a lecture. The threaded discussions require more critical thought from the students, and eliminate unequal class participation, since all students are required to contribute to the discussion. Students can also adjust the pace of the content to suit their individual learning needs, and can review material as desired. This environment enables students to more actively process course content, and results in a more meaningful learning experience and higher information retention. The end result is a positive change in performance.   

Online Training Syllabus  
The Online Nuclear Instrumentation System course is conducted over a 5-week period. During this 5-week period, students will have access to all of the material for the course. There are 9 units of material. Students will typically complete two units per week, with the exception of Week 3, during which only one unit will be completed. Students are expected to commit approximately 4 hours per week to their study of the Nuclear Instrumentation System.   

Students may access course documents at any time and may work ahead on exams if they desire. However, threaded discussion topics will only be open for the weeks that they are scheduled. This will help to keep everyone together as a learning community while still give students the flexibility to adjust the pace of learning to fit their own individual learning styles.  

After the completion of the five-week Online Nuclear Instrumentation (NIS) Course, Westinghouse will conduct a 5-day face-to-face NIS trouble shooting course.  The face-to-face segments will be conducted in the Westinghouse NIS Mobile Instrumentation Training Unit. (MITU). The MITU contains a fully operational NIS system including SourceRange, Intermediate Range, Power Range and Auxiliary drawers.   

Using the foundational concepts learned during the online course and during previous NIS courses, a qualified Westinghouse NIS instructor will guide the students through a series of hands-on learning opportunities and troubleshooting exercises.   

During the face-to-face segment, students will work with NIS schematics and NIS hardware to find test points, measure voltages, and trace signals through the system. Students will also learn systematic techniques for troubleshooting the NIS system.