Old !! DM course finished today.... Just for fun I have just done the New exam

[Nightwitch]

and what a piece of p**s compared to the old one......

How on earth is a DM candidate on the new course expected to go on and complete the IDC and study for the exams?

Surely doing an IDC is all about learning to teach people and already having the knowledge, not spending time learning stuff you should have learnt in the DM course.

Is that more pressure than is needed??

 

[Ste Wart]

The IDC exams are actually dumbed down quite a bit. Plus the standards exam is open book. A semi-trained dyslexic monkey wouldn't have trouble with the IDC exams.

And you don't learn how to teach in the IDC. You just get shown how to use the PADI system. You learn to teach after the IDC.

I do feel sorry for my first few students....

 

[tstormdiver]

Personally, when I went through my Dive Control Specialist (SSI) course, we went through all the basic skills sets at the very beginning of the course. We were given a very thorough & even at times brutal evaluation of the core skills. I took those evaluation criticisms & worked hard on my weak points every chance I got & polished the good points until I had the overall demonstration quality skills my instructor was looking for. After passing my Dive Control Specialist course, I then spent the next year assisting various instructors' classes, learning new & better techniques & learning each instructor's teaching styles. When I went through my IDC, that experience made the transition much easier. During that time, I was also polishing my basic skill sets to get them to instructor quality level. I personally do not see much value in anyone rushing into an IDC immediately. I think there should be at least a yearlong practical experience time. Get familiar with 1 level & learn a little about the next, before going to the next level.

 

[TMHeimer]

On the I2I forum a couple of very experienced instructors are looking at comparing the 2 DM courses --what's good & bad about the old & new. I look forward to reading what they say. When taking the old course, I thought that there was a lot of academics that probably would never come into use when actually DMing. Ei.-raising motors from 100', etc. I think I used about 20% of the knowledge from my 2 music degrees when teaching Band all those years. I found ALL the DM academics interesting and aced the 8 tests after months of studying before the course started. Of course, I'm retired and looking for things to do... I also thought more attention to all the practical aspects would be a good idea. This is part of the new course. Not sure about the new required Search & Rescue dive (assume many did this during AOW anyway?). Or the now required Deep dive--Assume anyone aspiring to DM would've have at least done one deep dive--at least to 100'. But maybe this wasn't the case with some candidates?

 

[endurodog]

As I stated I just finished the new DM course and have not taken the old. Then new one I was able to finish in a couple of nights at the local shop and an hour of going over book work. Ok just joking there. The new course I took I feel I put a ton of effort into and got a lot out of. Took several months of what I thought was hard work.

TM that sounds like a great thread on looking at if the end of product is accomplishing what it's suppose too.

My question is why did the people in positions of power change it? Was it because the old test was over kill? Was it to get more people through the course? Is the quality of DM better, worse, the same? A harder written test doesn't make a course better or the end product better alone. Several things were changed in the DM course.

I'm in no position to answer these types of questions. Instructors that work with DM's would be one source to answer. I'm sure the old and new will turn out good and bad just like any program so we are going to be talking the percentage of good vs. bad DM's.

Instructors do you feel your turning out less qualified DM's under the new system as opposed to the old system??

Any change to anything in life is always met with these types of discussions. "When I was in school we walked up hill both ways in the snow, no damn school bus for us" arguements.

 

[Nightwitch]

Personally, when I went through my Dive Control Specialist (SSI) course, we went through all the basic skills sets at the very beginning of the course. We were given a very thorough & even at times brutal evaluation of the core skills. I took those evaluation criticisms & worked hard on my weak points every chance I got & polished the good points until I had the overall demonstration quality skills my instructor was looking for. After passing my Dive Control Specialist course, I then spent the next year assisting various instructors' classes, learning new & better techniques & learning each instructor's teaching styles. When I went through my IDC, that experience made the transition much easier. During that time, I was also polishing my basic skill sets to get them to instructor quality level. I personally do not see much value in anyone rushing into an IDC immediately. I think there should be at least a yearlong practical experience time. Get familiar with 1 level & learn a little about the next, before going to the next level.

I didn't say I was rushing into an IDC did I??

My DM internship has taken me 6 months as I have been lucky enough to work in a dive centre for all that time and have done pretty much what you stated already....my issue is really that I have come out with a qualification which is the same as the DM's on the new course when they have dumbed down the whole thing in my humble opinion

 

[tstormdiver]

I didn't say I was rushing into an IDC did I??

My DM internship has taken me 6 months as I have been lucky enough to work in a dive centre for all that time and have done pretty much what you stated already....my issue is really that I have come out with a qualification which is the same as the DM's on the new course when they have dumbed down the whole thing in my humble opinion

I in no way was trying to imply that in your case,... but have just seen many 0 to hero in 6 mos. instructors & can only shake my head. There is virtually no way anyone can have nearly enough experience to teach someone else going from never had a cylinder on their back to instructor. Sorry, if it came across like that, no offense was meant. I was mostly just saying that by working for a year in the Dive Control Specialist roll, really gave me the leg up to make the transition to Instructor much easier. I'm one of those types that things don't come easily to anyway & usually have to take the long road.

I agree, that things have been lowered to the lowest common denominator in a lot of cases. Yes, it gets a lot of people through, but generally does not do the diver justice. Unfortunately that is a part of today's "instant gratification" society. I was very fortunate in my training that my instructor demands a much higher standards of us, his Dive Cons & Instructors.

 

[Nightwitch]

I in no way was trying to imply that in your case,... but have just seen many 0 to hero in 6 mos. instructors & can only shake my head. There is virtually no way anyone can have nearly enough experience to teach someone else going from never had a cylinder on their back to instructor. Sorry, if it came across like that, no offense was meant. I was mostly just saying that by working for a year in the Dive Control Specialist roll, really gave me the leg up to make the transition to Instructor much easier. I'm one of those types that things don't come easily to anyway & usually have to take the long road.

I agree, that things have been lowered to the lowest common denominator in a lot of cases. Yes, it gets a lot of people through, but generally does not do the diver justice. Unfortunately that is a part of today's "instant gratification" society. I was very fortunate in my training that my instructor demands a much higher standards of us, his Dive Cons & Instructors.

Hi..sorry, no you didn't come across like that and I totally agree with you

My instructor has been very tough on me and although that is often hard to take it does make the whole thing a better course and more valuable..

I have met a few of the 0 to hero types and they are mostly not anyone I would want to dive with let alone teach me anything..

 

[tstormdiver]

All's good!:cool3: I forget sometimes,.... things don't always come out in writing like it does saying or thinking it!

 

[endurodog]

I agree, that things have been lowered to the lowest common denominator in a lot of cases. Yes, it gets a lot of people through, but generally does not do the diver justice. Unfortunately that is a part of today's "instant gratification" society. I was very fortunate in my training that my instructor demands a much higher standards of us, his Dive Cons & Instructors.

So Tammy are you saying that the new DM standards create a lower qualified DM? The written test is less questions but there are some other things added everything else I believe is the same.

Nitewitch is that what your saying is that because the test is easier that the new DM's are lesser DMs than before?

Seems that the hero to zero thing was going on long before the DM test was changed.