Offer Value-Added
Instruction (Continued…)
Added Information A number of AquaLung dealers I know use the time they save in the classroom by using computer-based instructional materials to include Suunto’s “Computers in the Classroom” presentation. This adds value to their courses by:
- Giving students actual hands-on experience with dive computers.
- Rewarding students with a coupon good for savings on the purchase of a new computer.
Is there anything similar you can do to add to the value of your courses? (Hint: You might want to check out the “Buoyancy Control Pyramid” handout discussed in this month’s Training column.)
Value-Added Opportunities I’m one of those divers who feels naked under water unless I have a still or video camera in my hand. For me, a camera is more than just a way to have fun; it’s an essential teaching and promotional tool.
Responsible Camera Use
This should be obvious, but it bears repeating: As an instructor, your primary responsibility is to students’ safety and well being. When you are the one primarily responsible for supervising students or assessing their mastery of skills, you can’t be looking through a camera viewfinder. This means there will be situations in which you will need to delegate photo/video duties to an assistant or simply put the camera aside. This having been said, a camera can still be an invaluable training and promotional tool, and it is difficult for me to imagine teaching without one.
This past year, I took time to accompany all of our store’s classes to the pool and quarry, with a digital still camera and video light in tow. As a consequence, each of our classes got their own page in our website’s “Gallery” section. The morning after class, students would get an e-mail with a link directing them to their pictures. Not only did this provide each student with a souvenir, they could forward this link to friends an say, “Hey, look at me!” Guess where students in the next course often came from?
I’ve also used video to shoot students during the developmental phases of everything from entry-level to cave diving courses. This has provided two benefits. First, by seeing themselves on video, students were often able to better understand the difficulties they were having with skills and correct them. Second, at the end of the course I was able to give every student an edited, souvenir video to share with family and friends. This both added value to the course and was a great recruitment tool.
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