The General Angst Over the PADI eLearning Program

[diver 85]

When I first heard about the PADI eLearning program last year, I expected that there would be considerable knashing of teeth and ringing of hands.....but I never expected that amount I currently see. Again, another demonstration of our industries lack of understanding about the internet, the online world, and the new dive consumer of the future.

I have had the great fortune to be on an inside track on eLearning as it has been developed. I can't imagine a more professional, well-developed approach to a teaching subject. From both the business side (purchasing eLearning, distribution of income, etc) and the consumer side (improvement in the teaching methods, recognition of how the consumer prefers to learn), this is a first class program. Clearly on the quality level with learn-online programs used by the major universities in the United States.

I would like to ask a simple question of both consumers and industry professionals.....What is it that REALLY concerns you about PADI eLearning?



Phil Ellis

Well............read what I just posted about under Accidents and Incidents.........

 

[SkullDeformity]

I'm glad PADI has found another way to certify divers with the least possible effort on their and the instructors part. What was so horrendously wrong with classroom learning that e-failing is the solution to? I will never take an online course for SCUBA, and I think like-minded people who want quality and demanding instruction agree with me.

 

[Mauifish]

Angst is a German word for fear, why are people trying to use it as a new word for anger?

 

[rakkis]

Will someone who has access to the standards please confirm this:

What does the student who did the e-learning option, by standards alone, have to do to complete the 'academic' portion of the class.

I am interested in what the standard specifically requires to be done, not what can be done or added at instructor discretion. IE, the absolute minimum

- Completion of the eLearning module (which itself includes the four quizzes and final)
- Completion of an 18 question Quick Review to be proctored and remediated by the instructor

 

[in_cavediver]

- Completion of the eLearning module (which itself includes the four quizzes and final)
- Completion of an 18 question Quick Review to be proctored and remediated by the instructor

Thanks-

That just confirmed one of my fears about this. PADI has come up with a means for the 'diver factories' who operate on minimun stanards to spend even less time with students before sending them out the door.

I know some instructors go over and above and all that, I have just witnessed to many of the bare minimum classes. With that, when I look at training agencies, I look at the minimum standards required.

Given the lack of a required formal classroom session (other than a quiz), I think this is a horrible idea.

 

[matts1w]

Thanks-

That just confirmed one of my fears about this. PADI has come up with a means for the 'diver factories' who operate on minimun stanards to spend even less time with students before sending them out the door.

I know some instructors go over and above and all that, I have just witnessed to many of the bare minimum classes. With that, when I look at training agencies, I look at the minimum standards required.

Given the lack of a required formal classroom session (other than a quiz), I think this is a horrible idea.

Seeing how one can earn a number of degrees from Indiana University, Purdue University, and Ball State University without ever entering a classroom, I would think this would the least of a Hoosier's worries.

Purdue offers online engineering classes. Isn't there is far more at risk there than an entry level scuba class?

People became upset when we gave up the horn book or filmstrips.

As a graduate student I could do all the reasearch in could ever need from my house. I never needed to visit a library or interact with books and librarians and the "old" (for lack of a better word) way of conducting research.

Times change as does the delivery of information.

 

[elmo6s]

Why not have everything taught online (i.e. knowledge reviews and reading) and then have the student take the tests under the supervision of an instructor? Seems to easy for someone to cheat at this point...

 

[Thalassamania]

Angst is a German word for fear, why are people trying to use it as a new word for anger?

Angst is a Dutch, German, and Scandinavian word for fear or anxiety. It is used in English to describe an intense feeling of emotional strife.

Seeing how one can earn a number of degrees from Indiana University, Purdue University, and Ball State University without ever entering a classroom, I would think this would the least of a Hoosier's worries.

Purdue offers online engineering classes. Isn't there is far more at risk there than an entry level scuba class?

People became upset when we gave up the horn book or filmstrips.

As a graduate student I could do all the reasearch in could ever need from my house. I never needed to visit a library or interact with books and librarians and the "old" (for lack of a better word) way of conducting research.

Times change as does the delivery of information.

As has been already noted the issue is not eLearning as yet one more medium for the transmission of information, it is the opening up of a new medium to an organization that has dedicated itself to the profitablity of depauperizing diver education. If Perdue, et.al. can do a good job with eLearing that's great, if PADI does a good job with eLeaning that'll be a miracle.

 

[GA Under Water]

If it is anything like the CD-ROM then I say go for it. The CD Rom is setup as a Web-page and runs as a Web-page. The reading is broken down to minimize the "short attention span" and Video clips almost every page. You can do the Knowledge Reviews in PDF format and take them in for grading at Pool time. Or maybe not, but even the Web-page can have examples of how and what to do inthe Closed and open portion of the dives, least the CD did. I think it is an excelent Idea and with the current CD-ROM set-up I think it would work much better than a Book and DVD.

 

[fisherdvm]

Why not have everything taught online (i.e. knowledge reviews and reading) and then have the student take the tests under the supervision of an instructor? Seems to easy for someone to cheat at this point...

You guys are too pessimistic. My son has a take home final exam for his SSI open water. All the self assessments are open book too. But it doesn't take an instructor very much time to realize that he had a good grasp of the theories. There would be no difference between his doing the homework on line vs reading from a book. Actually, he used the program that Scubatoy generously give free to Scubaboard members to drill on the dive tables.

There is no difference between e-learning and text book learning. The only disadvantage is that you don't have the book to refer to before a dive ... My guess is, that they still will recommend a basic book to go along with the e-course.