Web-based training course for evaluating radiological dose assessment in NRC's license termination process

As part of the requirement for terminating the licenses of nuclear power plants or other nuclear facilities, license termination plans or decommissioning plans are submitted by the licensee to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for review and approval. Decommissioning plans generally refer to the decommissioning of nonreactor facilities, while license termination plans specifically refer to the decommissioning of nuclear reactor facilities. To provide a uniform and consistent review of dose modeling aspects of these plans and to address NRC-wide knowledge management issues, the NRC, in 2006, commissioned Argonne National Laboratory to develop a Web-based training course on reviewing radiological dose assessments for license termination. The course, which had first been developed in 2005 to target specific aspects of the review processes for license termination plans and decommissioning plans, evolved from a live classroom course into a Web-based training course in 2006. The objective of the Web-based training course is to train NRC staff members (who have various relevant job functions and are located at headquarters, regional offices, and site locations) to conduct an effective review of dose modeling in accordance with the latest NRC guidance, including NUREG-1757, Volumes 1 and 2. The exact size of the staff population who will receive the training has not yet been accurately determined but will depend on various factors such as the decommissioning activities at the NRC. This Web-based training course is designed to give NRC staff members modern, flexible access to training. To this end, the course is divided into 16 modules: 9 core modules that deal with basic topics, and 7 advanced modules that deal with complex issues or job-specific topics. The core and advanced modules are tailored to various NRC staff members with different job functions. The Web-based system uses the commercially available software Articulate, which incorporates audio, video, and animation in slide presentations and has glossary, document search, and Internet connectivity features. The training course has been implemented on an NRC system that allows staff members to register, select courses, track records, and self-administer quizzes.