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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Who is the NTTR intended for?
The NTTR is for individuals who develop, evaluate, or deliver highway training. This includes training manager and leaders in highway agencies, Local and Tribal Technical Assistance Programs Centers, and industry associations. These individuals can use the NTTR to inform the development of new training resources, learn about training approaches unique to specific transportation disciplines, or identify peer experts who can offer direction in resource development. Training activities performed under the umbrella of the NTTR will lead to a higher level of training coordination and a decrease in redundant development efforts.
What are the benefits of the NTTR?
The NTTR is positioned to become a valuable training asset for the highway community. It provides the following benefits:
  • Adaptability – The application can change as the needs of the NTTR user community changes. The technology used by the NTTR is scalable and well-supported by a large base of database programmers.
  • Efficiency – The NTTR promotes information exchange about resources and leads to the efficient use, and re-use, of training resources.
  • Standardization – NTTR resources are described using the same data fields, making resources easier to resource tracking systems developed in Excel, Word, Access or other database types using the application’s XML upload feature.
  • Reliability – The NTTR is available around the clock on a secure and protected network.
How can I participate in the NTTR?
It’s easy. Register as a Resource Contributor and contribute resources. You can contribute resources on behalf of your organization (meaning anyone in your organization can edit and manage the resources) or you can enter resources that you manage alone. You can even upload resources on behalf of another organization. Upload resources one at a time or 1,000 at a time. The NTTR is flexible in how it accepts resources.
How is the NTTR organized?
Data in the NTTR are mapped to the one or more Technical Categories found in the Transportation Curriculum Technical Council (TCCC) Competency Matrices. The NTTR has tools that allow a user to map a map a resource down to the Skill Level Competency. As the NTTR is populated, training leaders will be able to identify resource gaps that need to be filled for various competencies.

The NTTR application consists of four components:
  • Resources. A resource consists of information (data) that describes training resources. Resources include blogs, CDs/DVDs, conferences, blended courses, classroom courses, web-based courses, documents, email lists, journals, presentations, software/web applications, textbooks, videos, webinars, websites, and workshops.
  • A public website for searching the NTTR database for resources.
  • An administrative tool for uploading and managing resources.
  • A relational database for storing resources and database business rules.
How is data quality ensured?
Resource Stewards control the quality and veracity of resource data submitted by Contributors by reviewing all resources before they added to the NTTR. Stewards are dedicated to providing a high-quality resource product.
What's the difference between a resource Contributor and a resource Steward?
A Resource Contributor contributes resources and a Resource Steward approves resources. Both roles are critical to the ongoing success and vitality of the NTTR. Stewards also approve have more administrative responsibilities than Stewards, such as approving new Contributors and mapping resources to the TCCC Matrices. Most Stewards are members of the TCCC Technical Committees.
How does the NTTR work?
In general, these are the steps involved in submitting resources to the NTTR:
  • Begin by registering as a Resource Contributor.
  • A Resource Steward will review your registration and notify you when you are approved as Contributor. (Note: the NTTR requires registration for security issues related to spam and other online threats.)
  • Next, login to http://www.nttr.dot.gov and submit your resources.
  • The Resource Steward reviews your resources and checks for errors. When your resources are approved, they appear in the database for all to view.
  • Over the life of a resource, Contributors and Stewards manage resources by updating information as needed, keeping resource information up to date and valid.
  • Weekly, the NTTR emails resource activity reports to Contributors and Stewards.
How do I enter resources into the NTTR?
A Contributor can submit resources using Resource Contribution web form. For larger contributions, Contributors are encouraged to submit resources using the NTTR’s XML upload feature, which provides a mechanism for uploading large number of resources (25, 100, or 1,000) at any one time. Technical support for resource uploads is available at 617-494-3848 or by emailing NTTRhelp@dot.gov.
Who sponsors the NTTR?
NTTR is supported through government and industry members of the Transportation Curriculum Coordination Council (TCCC). View a list of TCCC members.
Where can I find the NTTR?
The NTTR is available around the clock at www.nttr.dot.gov
Who should I contact if I have questions?
For questions about NTTR policy or objectives, contact:

Ben Gribbon, Federal Highway Administration
U.S. Department of Transportation
Benjamin.Gribbon@dot.gov
202-366-1809

Chris Newman, Federal Highway Administration
U.S. Department of Transportation
Christopher.Newman@dot.gov
202-366-2023

For technical questions, contact:

Gerry Flood, Volpe National Transportation Systems Center
U.S. Department of Transportation
Gerry.Flood@dot.gov
617-494-3848