What you should expect on your IDC and IE

[Diving Dubai]

This is a multi part post for those wishing to take the IDC (Instructor Development course) and IE (Instructor Evaluation).

I am not a dive center or resort touting for business, this is purely based on my (recent) experience. Obviously, the course you take will depend on your previous experience and available time. I hope that it gives an insight into the requirements and process. As well as helping others to prepare themselves

1. IDC Preperation​

This course prepares you with the knowledge and skills for the IE. It doesn’t teach you how to instruct, it teaches you how to work with the PADI system, use their materials and processes. How to undertake a course and control students safely underwater.

What do I mean by not teaching you how to teach? If you get a problem student who can’t grasp an exercise or skill, your IDC training won’t give you different methods to teach them. For this you’ll need to learn off other Instructors and develop your own knowledge and experience.

The Elements you will learn
The Instructor Manual, and Guide to Teaching for your standards Exam
Presenting Knowledge reviews
Confined water lessons
Open Water lessons
DSD
Because as an OWSI you’ll be able to teach OW, AOW, Rescue and Dive Master so you go over these courses. While the primary focus is OW skills both confined and Open, you can get practical’s from others (lift bag is a classic)

You also have to be an EFR instructor prior to IE .

Dive Theory isn’t included. You are expected to revise all this prior to the course. You’ll be examined in the following subjects:

Physics
Physiology
Dive Tables (RDP and eRDMml)
Equipment
General

You have to pass with a score of 75% in each section.

Within the Crewpack you do get a dive Knowledge workbook. Go through it, find out what you don’t know and used the Encyclopedia of Diving Knowledge as well as online resources to assist you.

You can also go through you DM knowledge reviews as a start.

Get this done before you start IDC, as you have no chance during it.
You will get a mock exam during IDC to test your knowledge, but little time to revise.
The biggest sticking point for most is Physics and the RDP/eRDPml
And yes you need to complete the PADI eLearning for IDC in advance too.

I chose to take the AI (Assistant Instructor) and OWSI as a combined back to back course . Including my EFR the whole course was 12 days. Obviously other dive centres will have different structures and timings (and costs too)

The one advantage for the AI is that you go through all of the Open water course, Standards, Knowledge reviews etc. So you get practice before hand. This made my OWSI easier as we were practicing and refining what you had learnt.

What you’ll need.
1. The IDC Crewpack which comes with the course
2. Instructor manual (from DM course)

The following aren't included but you’ll need:

1. Your own dive equipment including 2 surface signalling devices (whistle and smb), cutting tool dsmb and reel (for open water) and compass. An electronic one on yoru PDC is okay, but it’s much easier to teach and demonstrate with a wrist mount or one on a retractor.

Sure you can borrow, but at this level you should have your own gear

2. Tables, RDP and eRDPml
3. Latest copies of course manuals OW – DM. We got offered a package price to get the E versions which will be continually updated
4. You’ll need to download (for free) all the Project Aware course materials from Project aware.org

Your dive centre may give you some or all to borrow – but make sure you have access to it for the IE.

Learn the tables and eRDPml back to front. If you have only ever used a PDC, unlucky! The new IDC may change this but as it stands you do need to pass this section of the exam

Further Tips

Get the Instructor Manual as an electronic version (Guide to teaching too) and install then on your laptop or tablet (phone if you have good eyes). You’ll be constantly searching these docs, and in the exams being able to search for words and phrases will make your life easier
A supply of pens paper and pencils – HB for writing on slates and an eraser, highlighters, a calculator etc

An Aqua pencil (www.xit404.com) or Amazon – these are brilliant. Our CD had one, it only took us one use to realsie how good they were and we got our own delivered

Yes at $25 each for a starter kit inc a blank slate they’re not cheap but you’ll find them invaluable. I use the blank slate for writing extra notes for briefings and for problems and solutions underwater. I have the slate and pencil on a double ender so I can attach it to which ever slate set I’m using.

A 3M Scotch-Brite Easy Eraser Pad ($3 from Ace) will clean your slates in a jiffy

I preferred to use a Large slate (8” x 11”) to prepare my briefs and write notes so it’s easier to read. Your choice.

Mark all your slates with a permanent marker, if you can get SS split rings (large key rings) to join them all the better.

Make sure you have another good bag as all this doesnt fit into the rucksac

Remember STUDY DIVE THEORY!!

 

[Diving Dubai]

The Course​

The requirements (which you must achieve before you can progress to IE are as follows:

1. 18 years old
2. Recommended 50 hours over minimum of 5 days (normally this course is over a minimum of 7 days)
3. Attend 15 curriculum sessions after the Orientation
4. Conduct a minimum of 4 Confined Water (CW) presentations
5. Conduct a minimum of 3 Knowledge Development presentations
6. Conduct a minimum of 2 Open Water (OP) presentation integrating 2 skills
7. At least two presentations must meet the minimum scores outlined below
8. Achieve a minimum score of 3.4. in a Confined Water Presentation (CW)
9. Achieve a minimum score of 3.5 Knowledge Development Presentation (KD)
10. Achieve a minimum score of 3.4 Open Water Presentation (OW) on each of the two skills
11. Participate in the DSD, Adventure Diver and Rescue Diver course workshops
12. Participate in 3 Open Water training sessions
13. Pass the 5 dive theory exams (physics, physiology, RDP, Skills and Environment and Equipment with a score of 75% or higher
14. Pass the Standards Exam (open book) with a score of 75% or higher
15. Earn 82 points overall with no score lower than 3.0 on the 24 Skill Evaluation Circuit
16. 800m swim with snorkle mask and fins (not timed)

Be prepared for hard work and long hours.
When you’re not in a presentation then you’ll be in the pool, or preparing a presentation or a brief. We started at 8am each morning, and never left the centre before 6:30. Often later. Most evenings I had presentations or briefs to write and prepare for the next day. So, prepare yourself and families for some long days.

It’s better to be on a course with other candidates as you learn by their mistakes and can help each other.

If it’s been a while since you completed your DM course, get back into the water again and get the 24 skills polished to perfection – Not only do you need these to be top class for demonstrating, you need to know them like the back of your hand for briefing the skills, teaching them and spotting problems.
Get your weighting sorted and learn to do this in a shallow pool (4-5’) If you have integrated weights remember to wear a weight belt especially for the equipment don and doff. It’s better to have some weight on you and the equipment. If it’s all on your equipment you’ll float off when you take your gear off and vis versa.

Also you’ll need to right amount of weight to keep you neutral while demoing skills with the reg out – you’ll figure out how big a breath you need and how to control your exhale to keep you in one place as well has having enough air to complete the skill.

The more you can do to prepare, the better. There is enough to take in without having to correct stuff you should already have squared away.

We had an interesting pool session where we had to learn (or improve) our back kicks, helicopter turns and swimming backwards facing students. We also had to carry out skills while horizontal – just to improve us. And finally, equipment on and off at the surface while hardly moving keeping eyes on the students at all times.

As mentioned before, you’ll spend a lot of time using the standards in the instructor manual with each class room segment. During this time, you’ll figure out where to hunt for the required info, invaluable for your standards exam which although open book, is against the clock
You’ll learn how the give a knowledge development presentation and all the parts to include to get the marks as well as brief for each water skill and debriefs afterwards

The scores above are constructed thus:
Each presentation consists of 5 areas (all marked out of 5) whatever score you achieve is referred to the table where you get the actual score. *Staff instructors feel free to correct any inaccuracies)

You are going to learn how to get your notes and ideas down quickly. At first you get time to prepare, but this shrinks as you get nearer to IE.

For CW and OW skills, if you miss a problem which causes a skill not to meet the performance standards or is deemed to be dangerous you get a 1 for that section which makes the whole score a 1.
So, you’re going to learn how to brief a skill, how to demonstrate it correctly whilst keeping control of your “students” with the help of a “DM” (you all get to be a student and DM)
You are going to have highs and lows, at times self-doubt as to whether you can cut it or even whether you can do it. Any thought of IDC being a walk in the park vanishes. Your dive count counts for nothing. Every day is a school day!!

By the End of IDC you’ll be prepared for what lies ahead. the IE....

 

[Bubble Junky]

Nice post with some very useful tips, but there are a few inaccuracies in there...

"And yes you need to complete the PADI eLearning for IDC in advance too." - You do not need to do the eLearning before the IDC

And the requirements you have put at the beginning of the second post look like they are the pre-2010 'OWSI Program' requirements - not full IDC requirements. Nowadays, for example, the skill circuit is 24 skills (as you mention later), and the full IDC requires four CW presentations, three KD presentations, and two OW presentations. There are no Knowledge Reviews any more, and there is no need to be certified as an Assistant Instructor for the full IDC - DM is enough...

 

[Diving Dubai]

The Instructor Evaluation (I.E.)​

The Evaluation is conducted over 2 days. For us with one Examiner and 8 candidates, we started at 7am on the first day and the last candidate left the pool around 5:30pm
Day 2 we started at 8am and were all done by 1:30pm
When you arrive at the Evaluation, you’ll be greeted by a welcome slide that has “PLEASE RELAX” written in bold.

PADI Instructor Examinations are conducted by a PADI Instructor Examiner from PADI Regional office. These friendly and encouraging Examiners will be evaluating your teaching presentations in classroom, confined water and open water settings, dive theory knowledge, understanding of the PADI System attitude and professionalism.

Your examiner will guide you through the schedule for the next two days. Your Course director is only there for logistics, teas and coffee’s and can’t help. You’re on your own
The examiner does try to be light hearted, and to crack the tension in the room, but you’re a tough crowd and just want to get on with it. They are not there to fail you but to evaluate you to standards.
You are the only person who can cause yourself to fail

Remember this is a Pass/Fail Evaluation.
During the orientation, you will get a piece of paper – in our case once we were seated (wherever we wanted too the papers were handed out. So, depending on where you sat depended of what was on that sheet of paper. It contains the following:
Knowledge presentation subject, with a second subject as your makeup if you fail the first
CW teaching skill with a second skill as your makeup if you fail the first.
Two OW skills to teach. NO MAKE UP!

Written exams:
Typically these go first, they alternate the exams to prevent cheating, so if you get Dive theory the person sitting next to you gets standards

Dive theory exam: (5 sections) – Physics, Physiology, RDP, Equipment, and Skill & Environment. 12 questions on each section. You will need to complete these exam closed-book 90 minutes. Passing score is 75% on each section.
If you fail one section you can re take it, if you fail more than one you can continue with the IE but must re sit the exam at the next IE before you can be qualified

System, Standards, and Procedures exam – 50 questions open book exam. You can use your PADI Instructor manual and PADI's Guide to Teaching manual to find your answers (if you really need to). You have 90 minutes to complete it. Passing score is 75%.


If you fail this, no make up. You can continue with the practicals but need to go to another IE to re take that exam.

You get 180 mins for both exams, one you finish one you can move to the next.
In our case we were told to go away for 5 mins once we’d handed our papers in and then came back to each find out if we passed or failed.

The questions are different from those you’ll have seen during your IDC (or worded differently) Be careful to read the question fully as sometime that can make a difference.
Read what the question actually says, rather than what you assume it to say!

As soon as you finish the exams you start preparing your Knowledge Development Presentation:
Prepare and present one prescriptive teaching in a classroom environment from as assigned missed question. Passing score is 3.5.

We had about 30-45mins before we started giving our presentations. You give it to the examiner, if you can get other candidates in there with you it helps for you to bounce off them.


As soon as you finish your presentation it's off to get yoru gear setup and prepare your brief and head for:
Teaching in confined water:

Prepare and teach one skill in confined water environment. Passing score is 3.4.

Demonstrate 5 skills from Open Water Diver course chosen by the PADI Examiner. Passing score is 17 points in total and all skills must be to a 3 or higher.

Our skills were chosen by us… by that there were 5 envelopes our group had to pick one and they had the 5 skills for everyone at the evaluation. Yes, they are different we checked but they all contain the CESA.

That is the end of the first day

Overnight relax chill and prepare your brief for the two Open water skills - walk yrouself through Rescue 7 too

Day 2
Conducting open water training:

Prepare and conduct two skills in an open water environment. Passing score is 3.4 average.
If you fail here, there is no makeup, and you need to complete the full IE again

Demonstrate rescue exercise number 7 in water too deep to stand in (Unresponsive Diver on the Surface using either mouth to mouth or mouth to pocket mask).
Your general diving skills, attitude and professionalism as a dive professional will also be taken into account during the entire PADI IE program.

At the end of the OW and rescue element you’ll get a chance to dry off and chance and compose your thoughts. Then one at a time you’ll give your final OW debrief. Hopefully you’ll get the handshake with a debrief, and a huge sense of relief and satisfaction.

Finally, it’s the certificate (hopefully your Shop will give you a teeshirt or a PADI hat saying instructor or somethig similar), some photos and a huge celebration because you deserve it

On my IE the CD had to keep all the other instructors updated on Whatsapp. Everyone is rooting for you because everyone has been there.

Good luck and enjoy..

 

[Diving Dubai]

Nice post with some very useful tips, but there are a few inaccuracies in there...

"And yes you need to complete the PADI eLearning for IDC in advance too." - You do not need to do the eLearning before the IDC

And the requirements you have put at the beginning of the second post look like they are the pre-2010 'OWSI Program' requirements - not full IDC requirements. Nowadays, for example, the skill circuit is 24 skills (as you mention later), and the full IDC requires four CW presentations, three KD presentations, and two OW presentations. There are no Knowledge Reviews any more, and there is no need to be certified as an Assistant Instructor for the full IDC - DM is enough...

Thanks for the corrections, I admit to grapping some info off the web to assist me, I'll correct that now.

 

[Diving Dubai]

"And yes you need to complete the PADI eLearning for IDC in advance too." - You do not need to do the eLearning before the IDC

I take your pointon this and agree, however there woul dbe no way I'd have had enough energy to sit in front of a computer doing elearning during IDC. You CD's work us hard enough as it is... I recomend peopel get this out of the way before the madness starts

 

[Bubble Junky]

I take your pointon this and agree, however there woul dbe no way I'd have had enough energy to sit in front of a computer doing elearning during IDC. You CD's work us hard enough as it is... I recomend peopel get this out of the way before the madness starts

You don't have to do eLearning at all... You can do those presentations live with a CD, which are more 'entertaining' and a CD can answer any questions you may have, and give more examples - the internet can't... It's much better to do these presentation with a CD and get real world application rather than generic online info, especially if you plan to teach in the area you are doing your IDC.

 

[Bubble Junky]

Day 2
Conducting open water training:

Prepare and conduct two skills in an open water environment. Passing score is 3.4 average.
If you fail here, there is no makeup, and you need to complete the full IE again

You only need to repeat the OW section if you are unsuccessful, not a full IE again.

 

[Bubble Junky]

You get 180 mins for both exams, one you finish one you can move to the next.

Just to clarify - it's two lots of 90 mins (if the exams are not available in your language, you get a time extension too). 90 mins for theory Exams, and a separate 90 mins for Standards. You can't carry unused time from one section over to the other section...

 

[Diving Dubai]

Just to clarify - it's two lots of 90 mins (if the exams are not available in your language, you get a time extension too). 90 mins for theory Exams, and a separate 90 mins for Standards. You can't carry unused time from one section over to the other section...

That's an important point. We had one person fail on his exams. He was South American so Native Spanish and while he can speak and read English well (much better than my Spanish) struggled with the nuances of teh questions which were probably lost in his translation. He ran out of time on his Dive Theory and missed standards by 1% because of nerves

I don't believe he got a time extension because he didn't declare it. I don't know why he didn't choose to take the papers in Spanish. I presume he could..

During the presentations and briefs another candidate's English was poor so one of the CD's acted as a translator for the Examiner - the other candidates in his group were Arabic so could understand him very well