Joint ARL InfoComm-Training Meeting
		 Thursday Afternoon, 19 February 1998

ATTENDEES
SU:	Geoffrey Fox, David Bernholdt
NCSA:	Sandie Kappes, Lex Lane, Tom Prudhomme
ARL:	EJ Grabert, Derek Moses, Cheryl Bielema, Renee Williams

AGENDA
1) On-site support/outreach staffing for IC, databases, and training tech.
2) Deployment of training tools
3) Deployment of collaborative tools
4) Lines of reporting and responsibility, communication & meetings

1) On-site support/outreach staffing for IC, databases, and training tech.

GF (primarily) articulated the need for additional on-site staff to
handle support and outreach for InfoComm, databases, and training
technology.  DM is webmaster and will also handle Oracle installation
(imminent), besides being local PC guru and other tasks.  NPAC and
NCSA have 4-8 people in these roles.  Comparison also made with
regular CTAs and need for PET on-site support of those -- subject is
complex enough (and in this case changing rapidly) that outreach
solely through training is insufficient.

EJG: Some of DM's current tasks should be handled by User Services.
Known problems with User Services which are already planned to be
addressed very soon. (User Services problems have been through several
iterations with higher-level management alreay)

RW: User Services does handle software installs required for Trainings.

GF: How much of DM's work _can_ User Services take over, even if they
are working "right".  Will DM still be overloaded?

GF: Alternative (McDonalds) Solution: IC-Training technological needs
very similar at all MSRCs, but probably 3- or 4-fold replication is
not feasible.  Solution would be to have a distributed IC-Training
technology infrastructure, each site having expertise in a chosen
subset.  Get sites to come to this idea of their own accord by having
alll sites put together their _desired_ infrastructure, then they'll
realize no single site can support the whole thing and we can suggest
the distributed solution.

EJG: Mod Office likely to look at relationships between MSRCs and
cross-MSRC collaboration in Year 3, so this idea could be very
appropos.

GF: Need solution in place within 6 months.  Can't wait for Mod
Office.

GF: We can identify 3-6 events on proper timeline to test staffing levels

GF & TP: propose a cross-MSRC workshop to come up with a joint
infrastructure plan for collaboration & training technology. GF will
host (doesn't have to be at SU).  GF will work with ASC & Charlie
Bender to get their buyin.  Anticipate two days in March.  Roughly:
half-day tech. backround, half-day descriptions of tech ideas,
thrashing out...  GF & LL will scope meeting.  Should know whether or
not to proceed in abut a week.

ACTION ITEMS
* EJG look into User Services and larger issue of on-site IC support
* GF takes lead in proposing & organizing workshop

2) Deployment of training tools

White Sands/TECOM activity:  CB expects to travel to WSMR with ARL PET
(?) team to assess situation, formulate plan for training.  Delivery
expected starting summer, ~one class/month, four classes.  Should be
firmer by end of March.

HBCU activity: Clark-Atlanta Summer Institute (?) may be another early
opporunity to deploy distance training tools.

CB & RW: ARL has two classes per month.  All would like multimedia.

GF: Straight PowerPoint presentations can be handled easily now.  Use
Javascript in browser to capture timeline of foils changes, then
simply synch foils T=0 to video/audio T=0 and you're done.  Problem is
most trainings are not so simple -- harder to accomodate live demos,
etc.  May need to have a workshop to decide requirements.

ACTION ITEMS
* DEB to contact Clark-Atlanta for more info about Summer Inst. needs/desires
* CB to update us as WSMR activity progresses
* CB & RW need to identify teching technology requirements of upcoming
  trainings

3) Deployment of collaborative tools

Responsibilities
	Asynchronous	NCSA	Hypernews installed, need eval & testing
	Synchronous	SU	after Alliance98
	Support		ARL	???

GF:  Need to wait until we can support before trying to deploy

LL, SK, DM currently evaluating HyperNews

GF: Let asynch users drive synch deployment initially.  Find asynch
users who need synch capabilities too.  Also look for new users of
either/both asynch & synch tools.  Expand synch usage after
Alliance98.

4) Lines of reporting and responsibility, communication & meetings

GF: Wants things arranged so that if he doesn't hear anything,
everything is okay.

RW will setup email list for Training/IC discussions.  All agree to
report biweekly on activity/problems.

Near-term opportunities for this group to meet again:
	workshop proposed above
	Alliance98 (all but DEB, possibly DM already planning to attend)