Dive Theory Elearning Questions

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I naturally have ADD and struggle through tests. I am more hands on.

Does coffee help? Or is yours mild enough to not get paradoxic reaction? (I failed every math test I ever taken, the best I ever got was a C in high school. And I got through most others by having good short-term memory and cramming.)
 
Does coffee help? Or is yours mild enough to not get paradoxic reaction? (I failed every math test I ever taken, the best I ever got was a C in high school. And I got through most others by having good short-term memory and cramming.)

I think you nailed it lol
 
As you will see, you're incorrect. Sometimes it helps to have actual knowledge before replying rather than a guess :wink:

wait, so only the quizzes can be retaken and not the exam at the end of each section?
 
I can second this whole heartily. One of my friends just loves to remind me that I was dismissive of the DM course (that she was thinking of doing), and at the time I had't bothered with. I held the view, like so many that it was an easy course and you would learn nothing as a diver, as it was aimed more at those wishing to become instructors.

How wrong I was.

Bear in mind also that I already held a Dive Leader qual - the BSAC equivalent, and I was certified for Adv deco and could hold stops in trim with a good degree of accuracy (less than 1@ total vertical movement on a blue water stop.

While some of the sections were a breeze, others weren't. On theory I re learnt all my tables and learnt from scratch the ERDPml (which wasn't around when I took OW), not just so I could use them but so I could explain and teach.

My swim tests (800m and 400M) were difficult, I hate swimming - it wasn't' a physical limitation just a mental one. I learnt to get on and deal with it.

The biggest learning came from the skills demonstrations. Not only re learning skills I'd long ago forgotten, but from being able to carry them out slowly and clearly while neutral. I came down to earth with a bump and bruise my personal ego when I found that holding a stop in blue water is a breeze compare with being seemingly motionless in a shallow pool, where if your breathing wasn't' precise you were either on the surface or the pool bottom.

I became a more considerate, patient and tolerant diver (according to my wife) certainly had to take more care, not just to be sen as a role model, but because as a DM or Instructor, no-one buddy checks you, and we're all human and fallible, and often distracted helping others

I discovered the challenge of guiding less experienced divers, where you need to keep them together, not go too fast nor slow, monitor their gas - and keep that picture in your head, gain more situational awareness, e more aware of changing conditions (with with experienced divers is easy you can just push through current etc, not so with novice, where you're trying to get the most dive time from their gas consumption.

But as @HantsDiver stated, it's all about the people that mentor you and challenge you. A DM course shouldn't be a race to complete ASAP, rather a journey to experience and learn as much as you can from.

That friend above? She took her DM (in Mozambique) had a fab time, but the biggest compliment is that she always requests to be my CA when shes' around and I'm teaching. Apparently I challenge her, mentor her and help her develop professionally while she decides if she wants to become an instructor and tech diver

Who would have thought that 2 years ago? Not me

This post is probably the best advertising for what a DM course is.
I have seen many divers arriving enrolling in a course without even knowing what it was about, apart from just being "the next logical step", luckily, most of them enjoyed the challenges and left happy. But in reality, what they were after initially was probably something more in the lines of a Master Scuba Diver certification, and even though they are not mutually exclusive, one doesn't replace the other.
Globally as instructors and instructor trainers, it is indeed our responsibility to make the DM course the greatest course we can. Anybody can pass an IDC/IE, but only the ones with good/strong DM background (and I don't necessary mean years of experience, some fresh DMs properly taught have a better approach than some old monkeys) will make good instructors. Anybody can get a technical diving card of one agency or another (not the discussion here), but once again having done a solid DM course will indeed make your life a lit easier on said course. This is the level of trust we give to every instructor by allowing them to teach DM courses, it is everybody's job to not screw up at this point.

Does the DM need to be hard? definitely not, I like to describe it as a way to take the diver from where he is, to where he should be, to give him / her the bigger picture by giving them each missing piece of the puzzle. It's the job of the instructor and the tools he has (in the case of this thread, the e-learning) to find out what the missing pieces are.

Sorry went a bit off-topic here, but @Diving Dubai got me inspired there :)
Also, part of 2018 "resolutions" is for me to be a lot more active on SB, so get used to my french ranting around :)
 
Wow my respect for Padi DM’s just went through the roof.

Sarcasm? If so, maybe you're misinterpreting how the PADI DM course is run. To say that no one "fails" the DM course might lead you to believe that no matter what a DM candidate does, they are given their certification. Nothing could be further from the truth.

The DM course includes a long list of performance requirements that the DM candidate must achieve. They must complete certain skills within a specified time limit; other skills must be performed to a level that is approved by the instructor. The book work must be completed, written exams passed, and wrong answers on the exams reviewed so that the DM candidate understands all of the material.

In other words, DM candidates are allowed to progress at their own pace until they are able to demonstrate proficiency in all aspects of the course. The concept of "failure" would suggest that there is a point at which candidates are no longer allowed to work at becoming DMs. In contrast, the "no one fails a DM course" simply separates candidates into two groups: those that have successfully completed the requirements, and those that have not completed the requirements... yet.

If you're interesting in understanding the requirements that DMs must satisfy, just ask. It might help with the "respect" issue.
 
I think you just take it over and over without having to pay. The goal is to get you to remember the information. Remember, they are essentially open book so take your time and search for the right answers. The quizzes can be redone but the failing the exam would mean you would have to pay again iirc

You might be thinking of the Instructor Examination, which is administered by a PADI rep and is the culmination of the course that certifies PADI instructors.

The DM course is essentially run just like other PADI courses, i.e. entirely by a PADI instructor out of the local dive shop.
 
Sarcasm? If so, maybe you're misinterpreting how the PADI DM course is run. To say that no one "fails" the DM course might lead you to believe that no matter what a DM candidate does, they are given their certification. Nothing could be further from the truth.

The DM course includes a long list of performance requirements that the DM candidate must achieve. They must complete certain skills within a specified time limit; other skills must be performed to a level that is approved by the instructor. The book work must be completed, written exams passed, and wrong answers on the exams reviewed so that the DM candidate understands all of the material.

In other words, DM candidates are allowed to progress at their own pace until they are able to demonstrate proficiency in all aspects of the course. The concept of "failure" would suggest that there is a point at which candidates are no longer allowed to work at becoming DMs. In contrast, the "no one fails a DM course" simply separates candidates into two groups: those that have successfully completed the requirements, and those that have not completed the requirements... yet.

If you're interesting in understanding the requirements that DMs must satisfy, just ask. It might help with the "respect" issue.
I think you don’t understand the meaning of “nobody fails” (sic).
 
I think you don’t understand the meaning of “nobody fails” (sic).

I think you're confusing "nobody fails" with "everybody succeeds." They are not the same. There is a middle ground, and that's what the DM course subscribes to.

Telling a student they "failed" implies the instructor has decided the student is done and can no longer attempt to succeed. There is no "failing" in the DM course... students are permitted to practice and train until they achieve success. Some never do... but they stop when they decide to, not because they are "failed" by the instructor.

Some people, apparently like yourself, have a problem with this kind of system. Perhaps this is because these people were raised in a more cut-throat, dog-eat-dog environment and led to believe that quality training can be successful if "only the strong survive", those perceived to be weak are permanently banished. These people have difficulty accepting that other methods might achieve better results.
 
I think that the PADI courses give the opportunity to take exams several times, the main thing before this is to prepare well, so as not to waste time later on this. You can try to work through all the questions and assignments on the site Assignment.EssayShark, to be ready for all kinds of questions. References to literature I saw above.
 
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Anyone passing the DM course has my utmost respect. That shared breathing, all gear swap stress test is awesome. Whether DMs make good instructors for OW might be another matter. I spent 22 years as an engineer in that time became an ASME IX coded welder, with MIG, TIG and MMA including materials like titanium. I then qualified as a teacher and spent 13 years teaching including welding and fabrication. Because I found welding so easy I all to frequently forgot how hard beginners found it especially as they were using unfamiliar shared equipment (same as trainee divers with hire gear). Some of my experienced colleagues had exactly the same issues. Some of the best teachers (but by no means the most competent engineers) were newcomers to teaching who had just completed their apprenticeships and struggling to learn was fresh in their mind.
 

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