What 'Online Content Only' Courses Would You Like To See?

[Panama Jones]

After reading through numerous threads in the Basic Diving area, I thought I'd come back to this post. Some people talked about risk management, another about gas management. I think that a course that include many of the things in this thread rolled into one larger course called "Dive Planning" would be great. It appears from many threads that dive planning is a weakness in new divers, The course could go beyond what was learned in OW and include

Gas mgmt.
Risk mgmt.
Better buddying (my word)
Expanded underwater communication
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BTW- I really learn well in eCourses- Like them better than traditional and I'm older than dirt.

 

[drrich2]

I'm surprised we haven't got into discussing whether the eLearning only courses would quality for PADI's Master Scuba Diver rating, toward the required 5 specialties. People already gripe about including underwater naturalist and others that aren't 'dive skill' intensive. Imagine someone posting on ScubaBoard about getting the MSD using 5 specialities where none required even getting wet.

I should beware what I wish for.

Richard.

 

[Lorenzoid]

After reading through numerous threads in the Basic Diving area, I thought I'd come back to this post. Some people talked about risk management, another about gas management. I think that a course that include many of the things in this thread rolled into one larger course called "Dive Planning" would be great. It appears from many threads that dive planning is a weakness in new divers, The course could go beyond what was learned in OW and include

Gas mgmt.
Risk mgmt.
Better buddying (my word)
Expanded underwater communication
add
add
add


BTW- I really learn well in eCourses- Like them better than traditional and I'm older than dirt.

An interesting thought. A dive agency would have to toe a carefully drawn line to avoid setting themselves up for legal liability by way of some clever attorney managing to use the offering of a subsequent course in a sequence as evidence that a previous course in the sequence is dangerously deficient.

 

[Doomnova]

About the only one I would think that I would like to see is one dealing with dive planning since its a whole kettle of fish woefully skipped over in mine and most other OW classes. Going all the way from planning to dive a site you know to diving a new site. planning for buddies of varying skill levels (I dive with people from fresh out of OW to Course Director, but thankfully my planning is pretty simple and can be changed on the fly). As some of the principle points.

 

[tracydr]

Gas management would be ideal for this. A good online course would give students a bunch of scenarios to work through, and give them much more practice with the calculations than they get in a simple lecture.

You could do a basic "Introduction to Decompression Concepts" course, too.

I think a class using Deco for Divers as a text and another using " The Six Skills" would be very useful courses. I believe both of these books could use a workbook to go with them as they are dense in essential content and would be very good to use as online texts.

 

[Malpaso]

I am not a fan of any "online content only" course, in diving or in any filed. Having taught at the University level for many years, I am convinced that the interaction between student and teacher and student and student is essential to the learning process, particularly when dealing with skills acquisition and knowledge application. You can learn data from a book or a computer on line, sure. But application of the data? Maybe, but unlikely. Easy does not always mean better, or even adequate. Instant education is not real in any field. It is, in my opinion, dangerous when applied to an activity like scuba. I am definitely "old school" about this. I would not only not add online content only courses, I would eliminate the online stuff that exists. That's probably why I'll never be in charge.
DivemasterDennnis

I agree with this most whole heartedly. I also taught Masters level courses, and quit when they went to an on line program. While I had a standard course outline and syllabus, I would tweak my teaching after the first class or two when I found out who was in my class, their background and level of experience. If I had a 30 year big city fire captain and a 6 month small town EMT-B, I taught to both of them, not a shotgun approach somewhere in the middle that neither of them benefited from. Additionally, each of those students, during open classroom discussion, could provide insight that the other may not have, or for that matter, that I may not specifically have. Personal interaction, IMHO, is the key to learning.

To put this in perspective here, what if both I and TSandM sign up fore the same online course, under our real names. The instructor has no concept, other than possibly a simple questionnaire, what our backgrounds and experience are. He has no idea that she is exponentially more advanced than I am. The potential is too great that she would be bored and I would be in over my head. However, that information could be gleaned by the instructor from face to face activity in a short matter of time. Then everyone wins.

Now do I think there is benefit to having on line availability of course content, general information, outside links, etc.? Absolutely. But by itself, an on line program is selling the individual and the community in general short. Everyone learns differently. Some need to see, some need to hear, some need hands on. On line is one dimensional. Personal contact is multidimensional.

 

[luscioman]

How to properly maintain, clean and store your dive gear.