Lack of commitment from students?

[ScubaFreak]

I'm posting this because of a point brought up in a similar thread.

I have noticed in the recent months, that students seem to be taking Scuba courses less and less seriously. I can pretty much guarantee, if I run an OW course with 5 people, 3 won't have their Knowledge reviews done when requested, and 3 (not necessarily the same 3) will have to back out of doing the OW dives because it doesn't suit them, but then give out when they're told there will be an extra fee involved in getting them certified as it will probably end up being one to one tuition.

Is it just me? Or are students starting to expect "show up and get certified?"

SF

 

[WellBelowH2O]

I'm posting this because of a point brought up in a similar thread.

I have noticed in the recent months, that students seem to be taking Scuba courses less and less seriously. I can pretty much guarantee, if I run an OW course with 5 people, 3 won't have their Knowledge reviews done when requested, and 3 (not necessarily the same 3) will have to back out of doing the OW dives because it doesn't suit them, but then give out when they're told there will be an extra fee involved in getting them certified as it will probably end up being one to one tuition.

Is it just me? Or are students starting to expect "show up and get certified?"

SF

My guess is that anytime something becomes (or starts becoming) more and more mainstream and affordable (at least lesson-wise) you'll start attracting a different type of person. The more you have to invest in something, the more dedicated and serious you typically are. To get certified and have it only cost you $250-$350 (which includes lessons and basic equiment like fins, mask, snorkel & booties) it isn't prohibitively expensive to weed out the more "casual" participants. You'll still have those that truly have a desire to learn the materials so they become a safe, knowledgeable divers, but you start mixing in those that see the classwork as a "chore" that they have to endure simply to get their c-card.

 

[triton94949]

...

Is it just me? Or are students starting to expect "show up and get certified?"

SF

It may even be worse than you think. The attitude seems to be "pay and get certified."

It requires a tremendous effort by the instructor to stimulate interest and motivation in the students to learn the skills properly and thoroughly. The general attitude seems to be, "Gee I paid, so I should deserve to get this."

Begin your classes with all the safety videos and medical reviews.

Emphasize the required swimming skills.

Emphasize the need for a strong understanding of the concepts and then teach them and use repetition and review.

Introduce each of the water skills in an organized fashion, and proceed to the next one when the last has been learned.

Use motivation during the remedial process as well. "This skill is needed because ... so lets try it again when you are ready."

Then throughout, stick to your guns. Some people may complain to the course director/owner. Normally a good course director will recognize when the student is just making excuses. Hopefully you will be associated with a good course director. Good ones seem to be about 50% of the total C/D population.

 

[FreeFloat]

There was a phrase by the author of another thread........ this person was complaining about the length of time his AOW course was taking. While I won't comment on that here, there was a phrase he said:

Its just ashame that Folks like myself that FORK over hard earned money for classes should get what we pay for PERIOD .......

As well, there are numerous shops who have glitzy ads and banners proudly proclaiming, "SCUBA TRAINING $199 - Certification Guaranteed!"

I believe all this leads to a perception that if a student pays for scuba "training", they can and should walk away with a C card and the ability to dive. I'm certain that shops have encountered busy worknig folks who, in preparation for a vacation somewhere warm, figure they can just squeeze in a quick little scuba course and go on vacation and dive. It's almost seen as a passport these days - pay your money, sign some papers, and walk away with the document.

 

[Tavi]

My current class is a pleasure to work with. They show up early or on time. They have their homework complete, Their workbooks filled out. and they pay attention, and are eager to learn. Since they've done the homework, class becomes a review rather than teaching everything from scratch.

No, all of my classes haven't been this great, But this one is a lot of fun!!

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

I'm posting this because of a point brought up in a similar thread.

I have noticed in the recent months, that students seem to be taking Scuba courses less and less seriously. I can pretty much guarantee, if I run an OW course with 5 people, 3 won't have their Knowledge reviews done when requested, and 3 (not necessarily the same 3) will have to back out of doing the OW dives because it doesn't suit them, but then give out when they're told there will be an extra fee involved in getting them certified as it will probably end up being one to one tuition.

Is it just me? Or are students starting to expect "show up and get certified?"

SF

Perhaps I've been lucky, but in my experience it's been the rare student who doesn't show an interest in putting effort into learning. Perhaps the trick is setting the expectation at the beginning of the class. On only two occasions have I been involved in classes where a student or two had to be "talked to" after a class session regarding their effort. In both cases it was made clear that if the student wanted a certification card, more effort would be required on their part. In both cases the students decided to put more effort into learning.

I think two things are required of the instructor ...

- Set the expectation at the very beginning of the class. Make it clear that the C-card is not guaranteed, and depends on the student making an honest effort to learn.

- Be willing to follow through with students who don't take the expectation seriously.

The rest is really up to the student ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[Web Monkey]

So what would you expect from someone who is willing to do their OW dives in 40 degree water

Terry

My current class is a pleasure to work with. They show up early or on time. They have their homework complete, Their workbooks filled out. and they pay attention, and are eager to learn. Since they've done the homework, class becomes a review rather than teaching everything from scratch.

No, all of my classes haven't been this great, But this one is a lot of fun!!

 

[scubamate]

So what would you expect from someone who is willing to do their OW dives in 40 degree water

Terry

A major case of shrinkage? :1poke:

On a serious note, I'd think that person was eager to learn.

 

[ScubaFreak]

I suppose I should have mentioned that not all my classes have been like that, just an increasing % of the last few

Scubafreak

 

[Firebrand]

My dad was an instructor, and instead of passing students with just the minimum score required, he would have the students score at least a 90% on the final test to make sure the students reviewed their material, and didn't show up expecting a certification. He did this because he wanted his students to take is seriously, and he didn't want his name on a dead diver's C-Card.