Can Learning Over the
Internet Replace the Need
for Classroom Training?
That depends. It’s naive to think that a student who has completed all of his academic work on line can simply show up at one of your store’s pool sessions and be as ready to get in the water as students who have had the opportunity to meet with their instructor in an academic setting first. Why? There is a lot most of us cover in the classroom which has nothing to do with academic learning, per se. For example:
- Most instructors use classroom sessions to discuss course meeting dates, locations and times — and to answer any questions students may have regarding this information.
- Many instructors use the classroom to cover skills such as scuba unit assembly and disassembly, rather than waste expensive pool time to do so.
- The classroom provides a ready-made opportunity to promote your individual store’s continuing-education and travel programs, and the equipment you sell.
It should go without saying that trying to include students who have completed their academic training on line in the same classes with students who have used more traditional materials is not going to work — at least not unless you do some major restructuring of your training program. So how can you make on-line training work for you? Here are two examples:
Example One
- A student contacts you about learning to dive. He has a vacation booked that is less than ten days away and he wants to get certified at his destination. It is already too late for him to fit into one of your regular classroom/pool courses, nor is there sufficient time for him to complete that training on a private or semi-private basis.
- Rather than risk losing this customer’s business, you have him sign up for your training agency’s on-line course. You make a commission on this, as well as make money by selling the customer his mask, snorkel and fins. You contact a dive operator at his destination and arrange to have the dive operator complete the student’s confined- and open-water training — and earn a commission doing so. You may also get to rent the student the balance of the equipment he will take with him.
- At the destination, the student still won’t be ready to jump directly into the pool. The instructor at the resort will still have a few things to cover before he and the student can get in the water. However, because no lengthy academic presentations are involved, this discussion can take place at the edge of the pool, or in the resort operation’s dive store.
- Additionally, because they use the hotel pool at no charge, the resort operation can take all the time they need to make sure important information is covered at the pool’s edge — unlike you, who have to pay for your pool time by the hour.
- Obviously, had the opportunity presented itself, you would have preferred that the student do all of his academic and pool work with you. However, in this instance, that simply is not possible. Nevertheless, by having the option of referring this student to an on-line course, you at least have the opportunity to make some money from him.
- Had you not been able to offer this opportunity, the customer would have spent his money with a competing dive store, or done all of his training at the resort. Additionally, because you do not have to pay one of your own instructors to teach this student — or pay for pool time or suffer wear and tear on your rental equipment — you get to keep more of the money the student gives you.
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