NPDN-PPCDL and MFIT Workshop Policies

The NPDN Workshop Policies were developed for the USDA Plant Pathogen Confirmatory Diagnostics Laboratory (PPCDL) Workshops and the Morphological Fungal Identification Techniques (MFIT) Workshops by the Planning Team Members from both Workshops and the NPDN Professional Development Committee.

PLEASE READ ALL THE POLICIES BEFORE REGISTERING FOR ANY WORKSHOPS.

#1: Registration Process Policy

The Workshop Registration Process Policy covers how applicants register for workshops and includes associated policy rules. The Workshop Planning Team members develop the registration process annually with guidance from the NPDN Professional Development Committee and input from NPDN Leadership.

Applicants interested in attending a workshop complete the Registration Request Form (RRF) for the type of workshop they are interested in, such as the PPCDL Workshops or the MFIT Workshops. The RRF is made available using the most common contact methods, such as the member’s listserv, newsletters and the NPDN Portal. The open period for RRF submission must be clearly displayed on the NPDN Portal Workshop pages.

The RRF must include a process for collecting the general reasons why an applicant is requesting registration and if they have any priority reasons such as obtaining certification for a specific pathogen or technique. The RRF must ask if the submitters supervisor has been consulted and use a method for collecting only one RRF from each laboratory, so an overall lab plan is received.

After the registration period closes, the RRF submissions are organized, reviewed and reported to the Workshop Planning Team Members for input and selection, primarily of those applicants with high priority placement needs. If workshop spaces remain available after the planning team selections, a sub-group of the NPDN Professional Development Committee members will be tasked with the final review and selection of workshop participants. All those involved with selections must be aware of other workshop policies that affect the selection process, such as workshop policy #2, Registration Distribution Policy.

#2: Registration Distribution Policy

The Registration Distribution Policy addresses the fair distribution of available workshop spaces to diagnosticians, laboratory staff, federal and state regulatory staff, and other appropriate individuals. When multiple workshop topics are offered in a time period, each laboratory may request to register one (1) person for an in-person workshop and one (1) person for a virtual workshop as their first-choice requests. Each space may be filled by one person or shared by two individuals from the same laboratory. In years when multiple virtual options are available, members from a laboratory may choose to make their first-choice options all virtual, sharing two virtual workshops in place of an in-person option.

Individuals and members of multiple-person laboratories hoping to attend more than the first-choice options, may request additional spaces by requesting to be placed on the waitlists for a specific topic. After the workshop registration deadline is reached, available spaces will be filled first by those on waitlist with appropriate priority needs, then in the order requests were received.

Exceptions-Back-to-Back Workshops-If a participant requests to attend back-to-back workshops and has the appropriate attendance needs, they will be allowed to do so. This is allowed because it is a cost-effective method for gaining two areas of knowledge in one trip. Back-to-back is defined as two workshops in the same week or consecutive dates.  

#3: Attendance Policy

Participants must be present for the entire workshop. Participants must be present on every scheduled day of the workshop and must complete all assigned homework, tests and activities during the period indicated by the instructor to receive a certificate of course completion. Hopeful participants will not request registration at workshops unless you are available for all sessions.

Make-up sessions may be allowed by some instructors. The purpose of the make-up sessions is for unexpected periods of absence. The instructor decides if they allow make-up time and how and when it will be done.

#4: No-Show Policy

Participants that register for a workshop and do not attend that workshop AND do not inform the workshop coordinators and instructor(s) that something occurred that caused them to miss the workshop, will be placed on a No-Show List for subsequent workshops.

If placed on a No-Show List, the individual will not be allowed to register for future workshops until after others have had the opportunity to register. If there are open spaces after all others have had the opportunity to sign-up, those on the No-Show List will be informed that they are now allowed to register for any open spaces.

#5: PPCDL Best Laboratory Practices Requirement

All those wanting to attend any PPCDL Workshop, whether in-person, virtual, or online; must first complete the PPCDL Best Laboratory Practices (BLP) Workshop. The BLP Workshop may be offered as a live session and beginning in January 2024, is available on the NPDN’s Learning Management System as an online course. The BLP Workshop completion is a one-time requirement, but the course may be re-taken at any time.

#6: Travel Expense Coverage

The NPDN pursues funding through the PPA-7721 program to cover travel expense reimbursements for the PPCDL and MFIT Workshops. The reimbursed amount is decided by NPDN Leadership with input from the funding ADODR and other PPCDL and NIS Leadership. The decided upon reimbursement amount will be included in correspondence with participants.

Regardless of what is deemed allowable through the NPDN resources, individuals must follow their home institution’s rules for expense reimbursements. The project uses the most up-to-date GSA per diem level to determine amounts for meals. However, if an institution has a designated per diem rate, we do not and cannot override their policies.