Be a Course Instructor

Protospace thrives on members stepping up and being instructors.

Protospace can always use more instructors. Especially courses that gatekeep access to tools and the space:

New Members Orientation

Laser I: Basic Cutting and Engraving

Laser II: Trotec Course

Woodworking Tools 1: Intro to Saws

Basic CNC Wood Router

Woodworking Tools 2: Jointer, Thickness Planer, Drum Sander

Metal: Metal Cutting & Manual Lathe

Tormach: CAM and Tormach Intro

TODO: programatically generate list above from Spaceport

What do YOU get out of running classes?

Your Makerspace stays financially solvent

Members who use tools stick around longer. Members stick around = more recurring revenue

Students often pay money to access training. Protospace uses that money for tool repairs and even new tools. You made that happen!

Your Makerspace community becomes more helpful to you

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Serendipity and a stronger community

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Teaching makes you more knowledgeable

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Opportunity costs

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Ego boost

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Create a Class

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Create or Update a Course

A course

Common Challenges and FAQs

Where can I access course materials?

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OK, I'm interested in running a class - how do I get started?

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Running classes take a lot of time

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Life is hectic and I don't think I have time for this

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Teaching is its own skill

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Public speaking makes me nervous

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What if a student is more knowledgeable than me?

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I don't feel qualified to run a class

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I don't want to deal with disruptive jerks that may be in my class

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This subject is too complicated to cover in one class

Reframe what you're teaching: You’re not here to train people to master a tool, you’re here to teach them how to safely operate a tool. You aren’t teaching them to cook, you’re teaching them how to operate the stove. It’s up to them to practice and experiment safely, and get better as they go. you're not trying to teach mastery here.

Students bailing or no-showing are a buzzkill

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I get rusty not having done a course for awhile

Do it regularly - even once every 2-3 months is great.

Students are missing prerequisite information

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Make it easy to run classes

Protospace is not-for-profit and relies on volunteers to operate. ANYTHING that reduces the barrier-to-entry and ongoing-costs for instructors should be prioritized over running classes. When we take care of instructors, classes and courses will follow.

Shadowing and Co-instructors

Invite people to shadow or co-instruct.

Prioritize your comfort

Take breaks - 5 minute break for every 55 minutes is a good recommendation.

Drink water.

Don't do so many courses you burn out. Pick your cadence and stick to it. If you're willing to run one course a month, that's great! If you're willing to run once a quarter - that's also great! Beggars can't be choosers, and Protospace is the beggar here - pick what works for you and stick with it.

Encourage students to self-study

Link people to training materials. You're a volunteer, classes at protospace are for the self-motivated.

Do classes online

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Run classes on your schedule

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How can Protospace support its instructors better?

If you have a way to improve the instructor experience, please shout about it on [forum.protospace.ca/ the forum]

Some ideas that have been suggested and/or require development

- Volunteer Only Special Events a paid-for-by-Protospace subsidized-by-training-fees night to a comedy club, laser tag, arcade, movie, nerf battle etc

- Collecting a fraction of course fees - Suggested by Mike M

- a "Train the trainer" type of course to help