Online So Under Used eLearning

Strategies for Successful Special Needs Support Our Strategies for Successful Special Needs Support course is designed for teachers and assistants who work with children with special needs. It provides a body of knowledge about types of special needs as well as techniques that can be used to support learning. The most frequently found needs are covered. The course has been developed in collaboration with National Inspections and has been  more...

Teaching Assistant Diploma Course Description This Teaching Assistant Diploma has been developed to enable those working, or hoping to work, in the role of a teaching assistanta ™, to acquire and develop a level of understanding and skills that will help them to do this effectively. The Teaching Assistant Diploma consists of a number of modules, each of which relate to a particular aspect that is important and  more...

The Play of Analysis Author: Ann Langley Analysis is pervasive. Managers read and write lots of reports and do quite a bit of number-crunching. Yet we all know of situations where decisions were wrong because they just weren't well thought out ("extinction by instinct") and we know of others that were analyzed interminably without getting anywhere ("paralysis by analysis"). Paradoxically, we sometimes seem to  more...

High Impact Management Skills Cources With Free Workshop Sage "High Impact Management Skills Courses" have been designed to meet the needs of today's business manager targeting everyday business issues. Using content provided by HARVARD BUSINESS PUBLISHING and used in MBA and Executive Education courses at Harvard Business School and other leading business schools, as well as Fortune 2, 000 companies, our online courses provide the fundamental  more...

Crawlspace Construction of Buildings Located in Special Flood Hazard Areas This one-hour course is based on the FEMA construction guidelines for crawlspace foundations used for residential buildings, which are located in Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHAs). Crawlspace foundations are commonly used to elevate the lowest floors of residential buildings located in Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHAs) above the Base Flood Elevation (BFE). This course provides guidance on  more...

Design and Construction Guidance for Breakaway Walls This (one-hour) course is based on the FEMA construction guidelines for ? breakaway? walls used below Elevated Coastal Buildings. In Coastal High Hazard Areas (Zones V, VE, and V1-30), the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) regulations require that communities participating in the program adopt floodplain management ordinances or laws requiring that all new and substantially improved  more...

Vapor Barriers Under Concrete Slabs - How to Select and Locate Overview A vapor barrier is one of the most critical building components used to prevent indoor air quality issues and minimize moisture-related concrete slab and flooring system failures. Proper selection of a vapor barrier based upon the criteria of low permeance, high tensile strength, high puncture resistance, and chemical resistance will ensure that the vapor barrier not only performs as an  more...

Ensuring That Structures Built on Fill Are Reasonably Safe From Flooding This (two-hour) course is based on the FEMA construction guidelines for ensuring that structures built on fill are reasonably safe from flooding. FEMA identifies and maps flood hazard areas nationwide by conducting flood hazard studies and publishing Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs). These flood hazard areas, referred to as Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHAs), are based on a flood having a  more...

An Introduction to Passive Solar Buildings Attention New York Engineers: This course cannot be taken to fulfill your continuing education requirements for the state of New York since the course does not fall under the category of "Areas of Practice" or "Laws / Rules." For more information, check the New York State Board Requirements. Overview Passive solar energy is one of the most efficient forms of energy in the world. Not only  more...

Presentation Skills for Engineers Overview This course enhances the engineer's ability to deliver more effective presentations. With better presentation skills, the engineer is more able to accurately transfer technical knowledge to the listening audience. The engineer will learn the ten questions to be answered before developing the presentation, general ideas on presentation organization, points for improving delivery  more...

PC Fundamentals for Design Professionals Overview The goal of this 1-hour online course is to provide a basic understanding of what's inside the Personal Computer that you use every day. Much of this knowledge will even apply to much larger computers. The content is geared for design professionals, but is understandable and usable by anyone. After completing this course, you should have a better understanding of your Personal  more...

Managing Teams in the Workplace Overview Research studies suggest that employees who indicated better interpersonal relationships with supervisors and co-workers report higher levels of job satisfaction (Valerius L., Shinew, K. & Waut, J. (1996). Job satisfaction and interpersonal relationships often develop as a result of teamwork within organizations. Hence, contemporary organizations have placed an increasing emphasis  more...

Energy Management Mistakes in Industrial and Commercial Facilities Overview In every industry, from retail outlets to manufacturing plants, energy costs are a large part of each facility's operating expenses. With energy costs continuing to rise, it is imperative that businesses learn to manage their energy consumption. What does this mean? What is energy management and what are some of the common mistakes that I, as an engineer or manager, should be  more...

Contract Writing for Engineers Overview As a professional engineer, you will likely be called upon to write (or at least review) contracts at some point in your career. If you intend to bid on a project, purchase equipment or hire a sub-contractor, a contract will be required. Except for the simplest of transactions, almost all agreements to provide a product or a service for commercial, industrial, or government work will  more...

PC Networking for Design Professionals Overview Networking our computers has become a necessity for professionals in the design and construction fields... even in the smallest of offices. This 2-hour online course introduces you to today's most commonly used networking technologies. It will help you to become familiar with networking lingo so that you can speak the same language as your favorite IT person, familiarize you with  more...

Technical Writing for Engineers Overview Effective communication skills are essential to your professional development. This course provides engineers with the tools necessary to write effective specifications, reports, letters, contracts and other documentation required in an engineer's professional practice. Patent writing, video-script writing and copyrighting are also covered. The student must take a multiple-choice  more...

Potable Water - Disinfection Overview Disinfection is used to kill or inactivate disease-causing organisms in a potable water supply. The EPA Surface Water Treatment Rule (SWTR) requires systems using public water supplies from either surface water or groundwater under the direct influence of surface water to disinfect the water. There are a number of different disinfection options available to the design engineer. The  more...

Potable Water - Filtration Overview For as long as humans have walked the earth, they have quested for pure drinking water. Sanskrit writings dating back to 2000 B.C. describe how to purify water by boiling it over a fire or filtering it through sand and gravel. The first municipal water plant was installed in Scotland in 1804. Slow sand filtration was first used for municipal water plants in the U.S. in 1872. There  more...

Roadway Shoulder Rumble Strips Practices and Policies Overview The use of shoulder rumble strips (SRS) have been attributed to lower run-off-road crashes due to fatigue and driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. This course will cover the practices of SRS and how its practice alerts the driver to steer the vehicle off of the shoulder. The League of American Bicyclists (LAB) has expressed concerns about their safety with the use of  more...

Reducing Lead Hazards During Construction Overview Employers must be aware of workplace hazards facing their workers and must take appropriate action to minimize or eliminate exposure to these hazards. The interim OSHA standard aims to reduce the exposure to lead for construction workers. The most significant way to achieve this was by lowering the permissible exposure limit (PEL) of lead from 200 micrograms per cubic meter of air as  more...

Steel Erection Safety Requirements Overview Steel erection can be dangerous business. The close proximity of workers to heavy equipment, overhead lifts and potentially unstable structures, combined with working at heights pose significant risks to workers that must be managed by the project. In July, 2004*, OSHA issued the latest revision of 29CFR1960.750 Subpart R "Steel Erection". This subpart sets forth  more...

Construction of Residential Buildings in Coastal Areas Overview Construction of residential buildings in coastal zones presents challenges to the builder not usually found in more inland locations. For all coastal residential buildings, these challenges may include the following: Various connection details require additional inspections Careful surveying is required to place the building within property line setbacks and above the Design  more...

Sanitary and Industrial Wastewater Collection - Gravity Systems Overview Wastewater is a part of everyday life. Every living creature and every industry on earth creates waste in some form or another. Wastewater acts as a medium to direct waste to various treatment plants by means of sanitary sewer lines. Some sewer lines use a combination of gravity flow and flow induced by pumping systems. This 4 PDH course is Part I of a two-part series. This course will  more...

Sanitary and Industrial Wastewater Collection - Pumping Systems Overview Wastewater is a part of everyday life. Every living creature and every industry on earth creates waste in some form or another. Wastewater acts as a medium to direct waste to various treatment plants by means of sanitary sewer lines. Oftentimes topography and economics does not allow sewer lines to flow by gravity. In those cases a pumping system will be required. This 4 hour course is  more...

Design of Hydroelectric Power Plant Structures Overview This course presents fundamental principles underlying the design and construction of hydroelectric power plant structures. It is realized that departures from these standards may be necessary in some cases in order to meet the special requirements and conditions of the work under consideration, or to comply with additional codes which may be in effect. This course presents a  more...

Introduction to the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System NPDES Construction Site General Permit This four hour online course introduces the reader to the NPDES construction general permit (CGP). This course is intended for practicing engineers, contractors, developers, regulators, and all other personnel involved with construction sites. Environmental Effects of Construction Construction inevitably causes some degree of disturbance and compaction of the soil, the loss of vegetation  more...

Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plans SWPPP for NPDES Construction Sites This five hour online course introduces the reader to the development of construction site Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plans (SWPPP). A SWPPP is required for coverage under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Construction Site General Permit. This course is intended for practicing engineers, contractors, developers, regulators, and all other personnel involved with  more...

Filter Backwash Recycling Rule - Practical Guidance Overview The Filter Backwash Recycling Rule (FBRR) under the Safe Drinking Water Act establishes regulatory provisions governing the way that certain recycle streams are handled within the treatment processes of conventional and direct filtration water treatment systems. The FBRR also establishes reporting and recordkeeping requirements for recycle practices that will allow States and EPA to  more...

Continuous Emission Monitoring EPA has developed a plain-English guide as a ? road map? to help interested parties navigate through the complex Part 75 Continuous Emission Monitoring (CEM) rule. This course will use this guide to study the CEM monitoring requirements for monitoring stack gas emissions. This will be useful to people responsible for complying with the rule, regulatory agencies assessing compliance with the rule,  more...

Introduction to Solid State Semiconductors Solid state is an electrical term that refers to electronic circuitry that is built entirely out of semiconductors. A semiconductor is a solid whose electrical conductivity is somewhat between good conductors and insulators. Why are semiconductors so special? Almost all electronics that we have today are built around semiconductors. These are special because we can very easily control how  more...

Alternative Wastewater Collection Systems - Low Pressure and Small Diameter Gravity Sewers Overview This course includes guidance and considerations on the selection of alternative wastewater collection systems for suburban, rural and semi-rural settings and development areas where the use of conventional gravity sewers could prove to be prohibitively expensive. In the course material, the reader will review several of the most common types of alternative collection systems,  more...

Thermal Treatment of Wastes Overview Incineration can be an effective technology for the clean, efficient disposal of wastes. Related processes such as gasification, pyrolysis, plasma-arc and starved-air combustion have been proposed as alternatives to incineration whereas in most cases these processes are incineration process under a different name. This course defines incineration and these other thermal treatment  more...

Control of Hazardous Energy - Lockout Tagout Overview Workers can be seriously injured or killed if machinery they service or maintain unexpectedly energizes, starts up or releases stored energy. Employers are required to develop and implement lockout/tagout procedures to protect workers who can be injured servicing or maintaining machinery. In this course, the student will review OSHA 3120, "Control of Hazardous Energy  more...

Engineering Economics - Fundamentals Overview The "dollars and cents" business side of Engineering often doesn't receive the emphasis that employers would like. While engineers typically work towards a goal of finding the most efficient solution to a problem, in the business world, "efficiency" often means the least-cost solution. Engineering Economics provides the tools for determining the most  more...

Engineering Economics - Project Analysis Overview The "dollars and cents" business side of Engineering often doesn't receive the emphasis in college that employers would like. While engineers typically work towards a goal of finding the most efficient solution to a problem, in the business world, "efficiency" often means the least-cost solution. Engineering Economics provides the tools for determining the most  more...

Pipe Flow Measurement Overview The term pipe flow is being used here to refer to any closed conduit flow under pressure. The closed conduit is often circular, but also may be square or rectangular (such as a heating duct) or any other shape. The other major category of flow is open channel flow, which is any flowing liquid, which has a free surface open to atmospheric pressure. Measurement of the flow rate of a  more...

Professional Ethics for Texas Engineers Overview Under the Texas Engineering Practice Act, each engineer licensed in the state must spend at least one professional development hour each year reviewing professional ethics and the roles and responsibilities for Engineers. In this course the student will study portions of Chapter 137, "Compliance and Professionalism" and Chapter 139, "Enforcement" of the Texas  more...

Introduction to the U S Patent System Overview This course will provide the student with a general introduction to the various types of U.S. patents that are available. The student will also learn the parts of a patent application, what can get an inventor in trouble, patent professionals that can help with drafting, filing and prosecuting a patent application, how to find out how much getting a patent will cost, and what kind of  more...

How to Prepare Patent Drawings Overview At some point in your career, you may be required to produce patent drawings. If so, you may be surprised to learn that engineering drawings are not acceptable as patent drawings. The rules for patent drawings are very specific and are fairly detailed. But, once you have learned the basics, you will be able to produce patent drawings of all types. In this course, you will learn how to  more...

Copyright of Engineering Drawings Plans and Designs Overview You've no doubt seen them many times. Those little © symbols at the bottom of the page in books, magazines and even on websites. But, have you ever thought about whether your engineering drawings can be copyrighted? What about your designs? If so, do you have to do anything to obtain a copyright? And just what kind of protection can you get by obtaining a copyright? Can  more...

Protecting Designs Under Patent Copyright and Trademarks Laws Overview A design patent protects the appearance of an object. It is directed at protecting surface ornamentation, configuration of parts, shape of the article or a combination of these elements. A utility patent, on the other hand, is obtained to protect the novel, non-obvious functional designs. This course will focus primarily on design patents. The student will learn how to identify  more...

Professional Ethics for Texas Engineers - Revised for 2008 Under the Texas Engineering Practice Act each engineer licensed in the state must spend at least one professional development hour each year reviewing professional ethics and the roles and responsibilities for Engineers. In this course the student will study pages 49-64 of the Texas Engineering Practice Act and Board Rules (December 2007 revision) and review some of the recent disciplinary  more...

Protecting Technology Overview Imagine you've invented a great new widget that increases the efficiency of your bicycle manufacturing plant by 25 . Now you're able to undersell the competition and still make a handsome profit. What should you do next? Should you keep the invention a secret within your company? But, how do you ensure that one of your workers doesn't sell your widget idea to a competitor.  more...

Improving the Efficiency of Duct Systems The duct system, used in air heating and air cooling your home, is a collection of tubes that distributes the heated or cooled air to the various rooms. This system can make a big difference in both the cost and the effectiveness of heating and cooling the home. The duct system can have an important effect on health of the occupants through the distribution of indoor air pollution. In this  more...

Boiler Fuel and Emissions Overview Fuel type and emissions control are two very important considerations in the design of a boiler. The type of fuel selected will not only impact emissions, but will also greatly influence the design of the boiler and the operating costs. This course covers key properties and design considerations for each of the major boiler fuels available, including coal, natural gas, oil, wood and  more...

HVAC - Boiler Systems Water is a useful and cheap medium for transferring heat to the process. Boilers are fuel-burning appliances that provide a means for generating hot water or steam under pressure, which is then usable for transferring heat to the process or used as a hydronic heating system for large buildings. There are virtually an infinite number of boiler designs, but generally they fit into one of the two  more...

HVAC Design for Pharmaceutical Facilities GMP s Pharmaceutical manufacturing is generally conducted in environments that are cleaner and are carefully controlled at a required temperature, humidity and pressure. The HVAC system assumes a large part of the responsibility in maintaining these clean environments. Design of pharmaceutical facilities is governed by Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP? s), which require companies to document how they  more...

HVAC Pumps Characteristics and Energy Efficiency Most HVAC systems are designed to handle the maximum potential temperature extremes, keeping the building cool on the hottest days and warm on the coldest days. As a result, the HVAC system only needs to work at full capacity on the ten or so hottest and coldest days of the year. On the other 345 days, the system could be operated at reduced capacity. HVAC pumps are generally designed for peak  more...

Fluid Power Part 2 - Hydraulic Power Units Fluid systems are utilized in many engineering systems like machine tools, heavy machinery, chemical processes, automotive equipment, aircraft, missiles, and space vehicles. All fluid systems involve the use of power unit comprising of pumps, valves, piping, tubing, and hoses used to convey fluid under pressure. This 6-hour course provides general information on the types and applications of  more...

Implementing Design-Build in the Public Sector Overview Public works project managers are under great pressure to award construction contracts using a loosely defined process called ?design-build.? There are benefits that can be realized using design-build as a construction delivery process, but there are serious drawbacks when this concept is manipulated into a construction procurement process. This course tells you how the benefits of a  more...

Financial Principles of Project Management Overview Contractors and consultants in all fields face a wide range of contract types and terms and conditions in proposal requests from both government and commercial clients. Winning the contract and delivering the required products and services while making a reasonable profit is becoming more and more difficult in the face of stiffer competition, more demanding clients, and more onerous  more...

Energy Sources - D O E Overview Energy is the vital force powering business, manufacturing, and the transportation of goods and services to serve the American and world economies. Energy supply and demand plays an increasingly vital role in our national security and the economic output of our nation. It is not surprising that the United States spends over 500 billion dollars annually on energy. In this course the  more...

Club Drugs Officers will learn about the indicators and visible effects of GHB, ketamine, Rohypnol, and Ecstasy. Club Drugs ( 8-hour course ) Instructed by Trinka Porrata A trendy name for a very serious problem that confronts today's youth and law enforcement. GHB, ketamine, Rohypnol, and Ecstasy are under the radar because society is not aware of the dangers they present. Can you identify which one of  more...