Other Training Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
Planning to Attend a CLU-IN Internet Seminar
- Q: How do CLU-IN internet seminars work?
- A: CLU-IN internet seminars are free, web-based slide presentations with a companion audio portion. Most seminars last approximately two hours and include presentations that cover information specific to environmental technologies and innovative approaches. Question-and-answer periods allow for participant interaction with the instructors. At the end of the presentation, participants are guided to links for related documents and other resources available online.
People are welcome to participate from their own office or a location of their choice to enjoy the convenience of CLU-IN internet seminars. We encourage group participation. One person can register at a location and then invite others to participate together. Group participation in a conference room can be a great way to generate discussion within your organization, perhaps even making the event part of a brown bag lunch.
There is no cost for you to participate, but you do need to register.
You have two options when registering to access the audio portion of the training—phone line or streaming audio simulcast. Both options provide you with a website address to access the seminar materials. The only difference is how you receive the audio for the seminar. With the phone line, you will call into a conference call system to hear the instructors and participate in the question-and-answer periods. When you call in at the scheduled class time, we ask you to mute the phone line to help prevent background noise. With the streaming audio simulcast, you will hear the audio portion of the training through your internet connection. Once you register, you will be provided with the details you will need to participate. - Q: How much does a live seminar and/or archived seminar cost?
- A: CLU-IN internet seminars are sponsored by EPA with no cost for the participant. There is no cost to participate whether it is a live seminar or accessing an archive of a previously offered seminar. For live seminars you can register online. You can access the archives from a previous seminar by going to our Archived Internet Seminars & Podcasts. From both the archives and the live seminars you can download the presentation. Once you register you will be provided with participation details. You can save the confirmation screen which provides seminar details and you will also receive an email confirmation.
Registering for a CLU-IN Internet Seminar
- Q: How do I register?
- A: All registrations are completed online through our Upcoming Live Web Events. Scroll down to find the seminar(s) you are interested in, click the "Register" link, and follow the registration process from there. Once you register, you will receive an email confirmation with all the details you will need to participate. You can also save the confirmation screen which provides seminar details. Please note that times for CLU-IN internet seminars are listed in the Eastern Time Zone. If you are within the United States, your registration confirmation will include the seminar start and end times for your local time zone. For international registrants, UTC start and end times are provided with your registration confirmation.
- Q: What if I go to register and all registration space is filled?
- A: When registration is full, you can add your name to the waiting list. When a registrant cancels, the next person on the waiting list receives the registration slot.
- Q: How do I participate with a large group?
- A: Only one registration is necessary for a group of people in the same location. We suggest you set-up a conference room and project the presentation slides on a screen via access through the website.
Participating with a group can be very beneficial. You can have additional discussion after the seminar to help implement information learned in the class. Participating together also make it easier for participants as they do not have to register individually. You could also use this as an opportunity for documenting continuing education by having a sign-in sheet and then distribute it after the class to attendees (depending your continuing education requirements). For more information on continuing education, please see our CEU Credits and PDHs section below. - Q: The seminar times do not fit my schedule. Can you reschedule?
- A: We attempt to accommodate as many time zones as possible to allow most people from across the U.S. to participate during normal working hours. In addition, we have participants all over the world so they often participate at times well beyond or before their work hours. If these times don't work for you, you can access archived CLU-IN internet seminars by going to our Archived Internet Seminars & Podcasts. Archives are available to you at your convenience day and night.
- Q: When registering, there is a phone option and a simulcast option, which should I choose?
- A: You are welcome to select the phone line or simulcast options. Both options provide you with a website address to access the training materials. The only difference is how you receive the audio for the training class. Below are items to consider when making your selection:
- In order to participate using the simulcast option, you need Adobe Flash Player, a sound card and speakers installed on your computer and an internet connection for the duration of the seminar. The registration page lets you to check that your computer is ready to participate and provides sample audio clips.
- Some organizations have firewalls that prevent streaming audio participation. The registration page allows you to select sample audio clips to see if you organization allows streaming audio participation.
- Background noise from the phone participants can be disruptive to the seminar. We ask phone participants to mute their phone line and avoid putting the call on hold during the seminar. As the simulcast audience is not on the phone, they do not contribute background noise.
- For the simulcast, internet congestion at any point between CLU-IN and the user can cause their audio to be interrupted resulting in the audio cutting in and out during the presentation.
- If the volume is limited on your speaker phone, you may prefer the simulcast option. Using a computer, depending on your computer's ability, may allow you to increase the volume more than the speaker phone.
- During question-and-answer periods, participants have the opportunity to ask questions and hear responses from the instructors. Since simulcast participants are not on the phone, they type in questions that are sent to the moderator who asks the questions aloud during the designated question-and-answer periods. Phone participants can ask their own question during the designated question-and-answer periods (and also have the option of typing in questions for the moderator to ask).
- Q: Will I be provided with a registration confirmation and instructions?
- A: After successfully completing the online registration process, you will see a confirmation screen which is in a printable format for your convenience. You can save the confirmation screen which provides class details. We will also send you an email confirmation immediately after you register. We also send reminders a couple days prior to the seminar. If you don't receive the information or have misplaced it, please contact us.
- Q: What if I require special accommodations to participate in the webinar?
- A: It is EPA's policy to make reasonable accommodation to persons with disabilities wishing to participate in the agency's programs and activities, pursuant to the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, 29 U.S.C. 791. Any request for accommodation should be made to Jean Balent at 703-603-9924 or balent.jean@epa.gov, preferably one week or more in advance of the seminar, so that EPA will have sufficient time to process the request. EPA would welcome specific recommendations from requestors specifying the nature or type of accommodation needed, such as closed captioning.
Cancelling Your Registration for a CLU-IN Internet Seminar
- Q: What happens if I register, but something comes up and that I can't attend?
- A: If you decide you are not able to participate after you have registered, please let us know as soon as possible. By canceling, you will open the space for someone else to attend. At the bottom of your confirmation email, there is a link that allows you to cancel your registration. If you are unable to cancel from the registration confirmation, please find the seminar you are registered for on Upcoming Live Web Events and select the link to "cancel online." If the seminar is archived, you can access the archived version within one to two weeks by going to our Archived Internet Seminars & Podcasts.
Before the CLU-IN Internet Seminar
- Q: Can I access the seminar materials prior to the seminar?
- A: Yes. Your registration confirmation includes the link to the seminar website. From the website near the bottom of the page, the "Download Seminar For Future Reference" link allows you to download the presentation (including notes pages with additional detail).
- Q: What happens if I register, but something comes up and that I can't attend?
- A: If you decide you are not able to participate after you have registered, please let us know as soon as possible. By canceling, you will open the space for someone else to attend. At the bottom of your confirmation email, there is a link that allows you to cancel your registration. If you are unable to cancel from the registration confirmation, please find the seminar you are registered for on Upcoming Live Web Events and select the link to "cancel online." If the seminar is archived, you can access the archived version within one to two weeks by going to our Archived Internet Seminars & Podcasts.
During the CLU-IN Internet Seminar
- Q: I can't find my registration confirmation. How can I join the seminar?
- A: After successfully completing the online registration process you saw a confirmation screen which is in a printable format for your convenience. We also sent you an email confirmation immediately after you registered. This email may have been automatically routed to your "junk mail" folder. If you cannot find the information, please contact us.
- Q: I tried to log on for the simulcast, but do not hear anything. What is wrong?
- A: The CLU-IN registration provides sample audio clips to test your system before registering. Your registration confirmation includes the information you need to participate. When you select "Go to Training," you will be prompted to provide your first and last name and the number of participants at your location. After you submit your information, the media player should automatically begin if you signed up for a simulcast port. CLU-IN provides music for about 30 minutes before the seminar and automatically switches over to the seminar at the start time.
When participants log on, but do not hear anything, you should first check that you have joined the seminar at the right time. Please note that times for CLU-IN internet seminars are listed in the Eastern Time Zone. If you are within the United States, your registration confirmation will include the seminar start and end times for your lcoal time zone. For international registrants, UTC start and end times are provided with your registration confirmation.
Next, check that your computer speakers are connected and turned on. Often, both the media player software and your computer speakers include volume controls. Be sure both are turned on and at the appropriate volume levels.
You can visit the Streaming Audio and Video Technical Assistance page to check your computer for readiness to participate in a simulcast. Limited assistance is also available as the class starts—please contact us. - Q: What if I hear an echo when I am listening to the simulcast?
- A: An echo when using the simulcast is often the result of having more than one copy of the media player browser window open. Close extra browser windows until the echo is gone.
- Q: How do I ask questions?
- A: CLU-IN Internet Seminars have designated question-and-answer periods. We ask that you hold your questions until the question-and-answer periods.
The phone line audience can ask their questions out loud when the moderator asks for questions during the designated question-and-answer period.
For the simulcast audience, there is a series of orange and blue buttons at the top of the screen when viewing the slides. The question mark button allows you to send in a question to the moderator. The moderator asks simulcast questions during the question-and-answer periods. - Q: What if my question is not answered during the training class?
- A: We try to include as many questions from as many different people as possible during the seminar, however, we often receive more questions than can adequately be answered during the designated question-and-answer periods. After the seminar, please feel free to contact the instructors directly with any unanswered questions. Contact information for the instructors is available on the website provided with your registration confirmation.
After the CLU-IN Internet Seminar
- Q: Will summaries of the Q&A sessions be available?
- A: We do not currently provide summaries of the Q&A sessions. However, audio from the seminar is included with the archived version available through our Archived Internet Seminars & Podcasts.
- Q: What are participants saying about their CLU-IN Internet Seminar experience?
- A: Please see our Internet Seminar Participant Comments.
CEU Credits and PDHs
- Q: Do you offer formal documentation for Continuing Education Unit (CEU) credits, Professional Development Hours (PDHs), or related credit?
- A: No, we do not offer formal documentation for CEU credits, PDHs, or related credits for our internet seminars. Your participation in our internet seminars is not tracked in a way that allows us to confirm that you were present for the entire event. However, we know that many participants are able to use our internet seminars to help meet their continuing education needs.
- Q: How can I document my participation in CLU-IN internet seminars for continuing education needs?
- A: Please check with your organization or appropriate licensing board for their requirements and if they will accept CLU-IN internet seminars. Based on feedback we've received from past participants, we suggest collecting the following:
- Registration confirmation. This includes the registrant's name, as well as the date, time, and duration of the seminar. This information is contained in a registration confirmation message shown immediately upon registering for a seminar (example) as well as in an email to the registrant.
- Seminar overview. This brief description is available on the seminar website linked from your registration confirmation.
- Seminar slides. We make the slides available for download in both Microsoft PowerPoint and Adobe Reader formats from the seminar website linked from your registration confirmation.
- Instructor names, affiliations, and biographies. This documents the instructors' work experience and education, and is available on the seminar website linked from your registration confirmation.
- Your participation records. We can provide a list of CLU-IN internet seminars that you registered and checked in for through My Participation Records.
- Feedback confirmation. We recently began providing optional feedback confirmation emails for participation in our seminars that includes your name, email address, IP address, the date and time feedback was received, and the title, date, time, and duration of the internet seminar. These feedback forms are available at the end of each seminar through a link on the last slide (example). The feedback form is also available on the seminar website linked from your registration confirmation. If you would like to receive a confirmation email, please check the box on the feedback form that says "Please send a copy of my feedback confirmation as a record of my participation to this address." If you are hosting a group of people to participate in a CLU-IN internet seminar, each person can submit their own feedback and receive a separate feedback confirmation email.
- Onsite documentation, if applicable. If you are hosting a group of people to participate in a CLU-IN internet seminar, please consider providing a sign-in sheet to document their participation at your location. This information may be helpful to document participation.
- Q: How do I receive credit for replaying archived seminars?
- A: Please check with your organization or appropriate licensing board
for their requirements and if they will accept archived CLU-IN internet
seminars. Based on feedback we've received from past participants, we
suggest collecting the following:
- Seminar overview. This brief description is available on the seminar homepage.
- Seminar slides. We typically make the slides available for download in both Microsoft PowerPoint and Adobe Reader formats from the seminar homepage and/or seminar links page.
- Instructor names, affiliations, and biographies. This documents the instructors' work experience and education, and is available on the seminar homepage.
- Feedback confirmation. We recently began providing optional feedback confirmation emails for participation in our seminars that includes your name, email address, IP address, the date and time feedback was received, and the title, date, time, and duration of the internet seminar. These feedback forms are available at the end of each seminar through a link on the last slide (example). The feedback form is also available on the seminar homepage. If you would like to receive a confirmation email, please check the box on the feedback form that says "Please send a copy of my feedback confirmation as a record of my participation to this address." If you are hosting a group of people to participate in a CLU-IN internet seminar, each person can submit their own feedback and receive a separate feedback confirmation email.
- Q: Can you provide confirmation that I participated in a CLU-IN internet seminar?
- A: No. We do not track your participation in our internet seminars in a way that allows us to confirm that you were present for the entire event. We suggest documenting your participation with the information listed under "How can I document my participation in CLU-IN internet seminars for continuing education needs?".
However, we can provide a list of CLU-IN internet seminars that you registered and checked in for through My Participation Records. - Q: Are there any state contacts that can help me with CEU credits, PDHs, or related credits?
- A: In some states, the Interstate Technology & Regulatory Council (ITRC) state Point of Contact (POC) has been instrumental in helping attain continuing education credit for CLU-IN internet seminars. Contact information for ITRC state POCs is available on the ITRC State Points of Contact page.