Types of Questions:

Questions about NMsphere Educational Programs

Q: What kind of programs are offered by NMsphere?
A: Currently, we offer classroom training, drills, and exercises pertaining to public health emergency preparedness and response. Beginning in the near future, we will offer a wider variety of emergency response education topics and more training delivery methods. Forthcoming courses include Bioterrorism topics, training for responders regarding serving the disabled community, and NIMS/NRP topics. Delivery methods include Web-based training (WBT), live videoconference training, recorded training events, and more available over the Internet.

Q: What does your training cost?
A: The majority of our training is offered free of charge.

Q: My agency doesn’t have much of a travel budget; can I participate in training without having to travel across New Mexico?
A: Yes. Many classes are scheduled to take place around the state. You can search the activities list for classes in your area. Videoconference classes may be available near you, as well. In addition, upcoming Web-based classes can be taken at your own pace and at your own location.

Q: There’s no way my boss will give me time away from the office to go to training, are there still some training options for me?
A: You still have some training options. Some courses that are currently available in classroom format will soon be available in Web-based (WBT) format. These courses can be taken from any Internet-connected computer, at any time you choose. Because they are self-paced, you can participate in these trainings here and there, whenever you’ve got a spare half-hour or so.

Questions about the NMsphere Learning Management System (LMS)

Q: What is a Learning Management System or LMS?
A: An LMS is a specialized database that allows you to manage your training. You set up an “account” in the system, and it creates your private Home Page. From your home page you can search the course catalog, schedule classroom training, take Web-based training, and keep track of all of your training activities. The LMS also allows you to create, document, and track a training plan and even recommends training that can support your response role(s).

Q: Why would I want to use the NMsphere Learning Management System?
A: Think of the NMsphere LMS as a centralized location where you can keep all your training information, and access it via the Internet whenever you want. It’s a remarkable tool that allows you to plan, schedule, and keep track of the training activities in which you participate. You can print reports of your activities, if you need them for your job or volunteer roles. What could be more convenient?

Q: When will I be able to access the Learning Management System?
A: The LMS is under development right now. We will have it tested and ready for you to use by year end. Check back in the News section of this Web site for progress reports.

Q: How do I get to the Learning Management System?
A: Click on the Log On link in the menu on the left side of this page or in the menu at the top of the page. This will take you to a Log On screen. If you’ve already got an account set up, enter your User Name and Password to access your Home Page. If you haven’t got an account yet, the system will take you through the simple set up process. Your password-protected account keeps your training information secure and private. Hint: you can add the Log On screen to your bookmarks or favorites to bypass this Web site and go directly to the LMS

Q: When I set up my account in the LMS, I’m asked to provide user profile information. What do you do with this information?
A: We store your contact information in case we need to contact you regarding your training. We store information regarding your response roles, discipline, and workplace in order to suggest training that may be of particular interest to you. We do not share this information with any commercial or private entities outside of the Department of Health.

Q: The User Profile requires an email address; what if I don’t have one?
A: The LMS uses email as its primary means of communication with system users. For your convenience, we’ll send you reminders a few days before your classes, notices when you complete courses, and messages regarding your wait-list status when necessary. You can set up email, at no cost, through companies like Yahoo or HotMail, and use this for your LMS account.

Questions about enrollment/scheduling

Q: How do I find a class in my area?
A: Go to the Activities List, and sort the list by city or county. You can also sort the list using other criteria, like topic, title, and date. You will have more options once the LMS comes online.

Q: How do I enroll in a class?
A: Currently, you enroll by calling/emailing the Contact Person listed in the Activities List. This will be automated in the Learning Management System, which should be available in late 2006.

Q: How do I drop a class?
A: Currently, you must make any changes by calling/emailing the Contact Person listed in the Activities List. This will be automated in the Learning Management System, which should be available in late 2006.

Q: If the class I want is full, how can I get on a waiting list?
A: Please call/email the Contact Person listed on the Activities List to find out whether a wait list is available for the class of your choice. Once the LMS comes online, waiting lists and the communication surrounding them will be enabled by the system.

Q: How do I enroll in a Web-based Training course?
A: At the moment, there is no Web-based Training (WBT) available from NMsphere. The initial roll-out of the LMS will be followed very quickly by our first WBT, a self-paced version of our “Answering the Call” curriculum. When it becomes available, you won’t need to enroll in WBT; you’ll simply launch it and start learning. It will automatically be added to your personal course list.

Questions about NMsphere and your computer

Q: My computer’s fairly old; can I still use the NMsphere Learning Management System and Web-based courses?
A: NMsphere is designed to use the Internet for scheduling and presenting training. So your computer must be Internet connected to get the full advantage of NMsphere. However, you don’t need to have the newest, fastest computer available to access NMsphere’s LMS and training. If you’re not sure whether your computer has the right capabilities, check our Technical Requirements.

Q: Can I use the NMsphere courses and LMS with my Internet browser?
A: We test NMsphere with Internet Explorer 5.5 through 6 and higher,
and Other browsers we plan to test are Netscape Navigator 6.2, Netscape 7.2 (Mozilla), and Firefox 1.01 . Some of NMsphere’s Web applications may not function correctly with other browsers, such as AOL. The most recent version of Internet Explorer is available on the Web for download at no cost. We suggest you download it if you are experiencing difficulties with your current browser.

Q: I have my pop-up blocker enabled; will NMsphere’s LMS and courses still work for me?
A: In a word, no. Both the Learning Management System and many of our Web-based Training (WBT) courses use Pop-up technology to provide messages and warnings to you as you use them. Depending upon your operating system, you may be able to set the blocker to always allow pop ups from our site. Consult your browser’s help system or contact your IT department if you do not know how to change your pop-up settings.

Q: Sometimes Web-based training courses get really slow, what’s going on?
A: Occasionally, you may see this problem with older WBT courses. If your WBT course begins to take longer to load each page, you’ll need to clear your temporary Internet file cache. To do this in Internet Explorer, select “Internet Options” from the “Tools” Menu. In the middle of the page under the “General” tab, click “Delete Files.” Check the “Delete all offline content” box, and click OK. If you haven’t cleared your cache for awhile, this may take a few minutes to complete. If you don’t use Internet Explorer, consult your browser’s help system.

Q: I get messages that say images or content is blocked when I use the LMS or courses. What can I do?
A: If you are using a computer at your place of business, your organization’s IT department may have set your security extremely high. This policy may cause some NMsphere content to be blocked. Explain the situation to your IT department. They may be able to make a specific exception for NMsphere. Remember, you can log on to NMsphere from any Web-connected computer. You may need to access it from home or another computer if your IT department can’t help you.

Questions about specialized government jargon

Q: What is the National Response Plan (NRP)?
A: The Homeland Security Act of 2002 and Homeland Security Presidential Directive-5 in 2003 (HSPD-5) set forth the mission and vision for a new national approach to domestic incident management. They mandated the creation of a National Response Plan (NRP) to establish a comprehensive, national, all-discipline, all-hazards approach to domestic incident management across a spectrum of activities including prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery actions. You can obtain the NRP at the following website: http://www.dhs.gov/dhspublic/interapp/editorial/editorial_0566.xml

Q: What is the National Incident Management System (NIMS)?
A: NIMS describes how the NRP will be implemented. It provides interoperability and compatibility among Federal, State, local, and tribal capabilities. You can find detailed information on NIMS at the following site: http://www.fema.gov/emergency/nims/index.shtm

Q: What is an Incident Command Post (ICP)?
A: An ICP is the field location at which the primary tactical-level, on-scene incident command functions are performed. The ICP may be collocated with the incident base or other incident facilities and is normally identified by a green rotating or flashing light.

Q: What is the Incident Command System (ICS)?
A: ICS is a standardized emergency management system that is a combination of facilities, equipment, personnel, procedures and communications operating within a common organizational structure and terminology. You can find basic information on ICS at the following site: http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/IS/is100.asp

Q: What is an Emergency Operations Center (EOC)?
A: An EOC is the physical location at which the coordination of information and resources to support domestic incident management activities normally takes place. There are local EOCs, county EOCs and only one State EOC in New Mexico.

Q: What is a Point of Dispensing site (POD)?
A: During a large-scale public health emergency, there may be the need to distribute medication or vaccinations to large groups of people. Point of Dispensing sites (POD) would be set-up and the public would go to these locations to receive the needed medication/vaccination.

Q: What is an After Action Report (AAR)?
A: The AAR is the tool used to provide feedback to participating agencies/jurisdictions on their performance during an exercise. It summarizes what happened, analyzes performance of the tasks and objectives, and includes recommendations for improvements.