Why I love PADI, NOT!

[ljpm]

I had to sign my son up for his open water course (The SSI shop in the area only has access to a pool from 9:30-11:30 pm, to late for an 11 yo). Seems PADI had downgraded their iLearning to make it more difficult to navigate.
Apparently now when you log into your eLearning it starts you at the beginning of the course no matter how far you have previously proceeded. Additionally, there is no way of determining from the web page what subsections have been completed. I contacted PADI and this is their response.

"
This is the best the system can offer.
The program has been amended over the last 12 months and this is now the only way to fast forward to where you want to resume.
Maybe he can make a note somewhere of what page he gets to before he logs out, if he cannot remember where he was?
I am sorry there is no other option I can think of."


Did no one at PADI think it was important to start the eLearning where the student left off!

 

[Resqdivemedic]

Technology can be a real pain in the butt. This is one of the reasons why the shop I DM at does traditional sit down classes with the videos. I have been teaching for many years and I find students learn better in the classroom. I think the online stuff should only be a supplement to the classroom.

 

[_Ralph]

Just finished up an eLearning course myself ....

Always knew my place in the course, and after a section, you have to acknowledge it for it to remember you've finished a whole section (only way you can get to a new section).

Maybe a cookie setting in the browser as well?

Granted, it's stuck in the 90's as far as navigation and layout (and screen resolution) but it does work ..


_R

 

[ScubaWithTurk]

I did the Nitrox class via eLearning and it also remembered my place as long as I finished that section.

 

[CaptainCalamari]

I completed my OW in December and 4 weeks ago for nitrox and had no issues with navigation, remembering where I was or showing progress/completion

I would suggest it is something in your browser that you may have set to block ads, protect/hide privacy or stop cookies.

 

[Diver0001]

Technology can be a real pain in the butt. This is one of the reasons why the shop I DM at does traditional sit down classes with the videos. I have been teaching for many years and I find students learn better in the classroom. I think the online stuff should only be a supplement to the classroom.

I have exactly the opposite opinion, at least with respect to scuba lessons.

If you can get over the fact that PADI hired some really extreme bunglers to build some of their online stuff, I love it when students use it.

I always give the quizzes on paper because it only takes a few minutes but that's just to see if there is anything I should be focusing on.

That said, when students do e-learning two things happen
a) it frees up a LOT of time that i can use to deep out the material
and
b) the quality of the theory I can offer in my OW course goes WAY up.

Like you we don't use e-learning in lieu of doing theory lessons. We still do theory lessons but they cover a lot more ground. The biggest waste of time EVER for an instructor is to have to stand in front of a group and basically read the book to them (ie the traditional approach). If students prepare via e-learning then all of that wasted time becomes productive time.

R..

 

[CryHavoc]

SSI'S e-learning always takes me to the last page I viewed. However, the writing and Grammer needs improvement.

 

[The Chairman]

Security and privacy settings can really screw with programs like this. If your browser tosses your cookies at the end of the session, then their program has no idea where you are at when you return. It's not really PADI's fault in that regard. Switch to a virgin browser and see if it continues.

 

[ljpm]

Thanks for the advice guys. I tried the web page with multiple computers, both Mac and PC, multiple browsers, with cleaned cache, history on and off, adblock on and off. The program still starts at the beginning of each section rather than where he last finished. He is now keeping track of what subsection he is on. I agree with Ralph, their program reminds me of something my wife made using 1990's Dreamweaver type programs. And its not well executed either.

How hard is it to have the website remember where the student last finished? How hard is it to extend the initial menu, which contains the 5 sections, to include subsections? I thought the on-line would be a great way to monitor my son's progress. I could just login occasionally and see how he is progressing. Not so easy.

I've heard PADI has once again been sold. Maybe the new owners will improve things.

 

[The Chairman]

How hard is it to have the website remember where the student last finished?

It's downright impossible if you have privacy settings set to prevent that or keep changing browsers. Did you sign in, work a bit and then sign out and then sign back in on the same browser? Simply bopping from browser to browser will only confuse the situation. Not enabling cookies or having them deleted on exit, will screw things up as well.

There are some e-learning progs that don't require cookies, but apparently, this is not one of them. You can't please everyone all the time.