eLearning
By James Stockdale
UK and Ireland Regional Go Pro Challenge Winner 2008
I was extremely sceptical of 'eLearning' at first! I felt terrible about the idea of losing the personal interaction with a student. I was very closed-minded. I felt robbed of "MY" students. But, as things have progressed, so too has my attitude to the course.
First I found that increasingly the idea of sitting in a classroom for 2 hours at a time doesn't appeal to every potential student. I’ve seen a huge increase in the number of younger divers - most of them computer savvy – and, for many of them, sitting at home doing theory in their own time with a cup of tea in their hand is far more alluring than the alternative.
There's also the advantage of them spending as much time as they want on an area that they are having difficulties with. There is nothing worse than when you have a student in a classroom, who finds it hard to grasp the idea of something - you are restricted by giving fair and equal attention to everyone as well as making sure everyone progresses at a similar pace. This is a perfect example of how eLearning removes time constraints. And if the student is still unable to understand through eLearning, they are more than welcome to contact me for some 1-to1 help in person.
I've started looking at the eLearning as an opportunity on my part to focus on the practical side of things more. We have a great time utilising every shred of time in the water, and we can talk to our hearts’ content afterwards. It's more than enough time for me to find out the students’ interests and diving ambitions. They also see how easy it is to get certified as a diver.
I expect to see eLearning become more and more popular and it'll be a positive step forward for the dive industry.
By James Stockdale
UK and Ireland Regional Go Pro Challenge Winner 2008
I was extremely sceptical of 'eLearning' at first! I felt terrible about the idea of losing the personal interaction with a student. I was very closed-minded. I felt robbed of "MY" students. But, as things have progressed, so too has my attitude to the course.
First I found that increasingly the idea of sitting in a classroom for 2 hours at a time doesn't appeal to every potential student. I’ve seen a huge increase in the number of younger divers - most of them computer savvy – and, for many of them, sitting at home doing theory in their own time with a cup of tea in their hand is far more alluring than the alternative.
There's also the advantage of them spending as much time as they want on an area that they are having difficulties with. There is nothing worse than when you have a student in a classroom, who finds it hard to grasp the idea of something - you are restricted by giving fair and equal attention to everyone as well as making sure everyone progresses at a similar pace. This is a perfect example of how eLearning removes time constraints. And if the student is still unable to understand through eLearning, they are more than welcome to contact me for some 1-to1 help in person.
I've started looking at the eLearning as an opportunity on my part to focus on the practical side of things more. We have a great time utilising every shred of time in the water, and we can talk to our hearts’ content afterwards. It's more than enough time for me to find out the students’ interests and diving ambitions. They also see how easy it is to get certified as a diver.
I expect to see eLearning become more and more popular and it'll be a positive step forward for the dive industry.
