Be a Course Instructor: Difference between revisions

==Why become an instructor?==

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!

Makerspaces with knowledgeable makers have tools use tools properly. Tools will break less, are maintained better and may even be actively improved by those that want more out of them.

Protospace attracts a bunch of neat people. Running courses is a great way to meet many of them. This makes coming to space more fun and friendly.

Better yet, you're immediately in their good graces by helping clear them on a tool and making their projects a reality. The effects of [https://conceptually.org/concepts/6-principles-of-influence/ reciprocity] are real - maybe they can do something to help you that you don't know about until you meet them.

Tools that no one uses can't justify the space they take up. Those tools end up falling into disrepair and end up being sold or junked.

By having a reliable and robust group of trainers and knowledge sharing, we can justify getting cool new tools because the training infrastructure is in place to teach members how to use it. Members who use tools will demand they stay around and in good working order.

Teaching well requires a strong grasp of the subject. Forcing yourself to teach forces you to understand the subject better - simplifying your own understanding, articulating it to the less experienced, concocting new ways to describe ideas are all ways that deepen and broaden your understanding of a subject.

Every now and again, someone you trained will continue down the path you set them on and teach you something you didn't know. This has happened numerous times at Protospace already!

Member training is an essential element to acquire new members and keep Protospace running as churn inevitably happens. Historically, training has fallen to a small group. That group is quite passionate about Protospace, which is why they do so much training. But those members have fun ideas for Protospace too. If they are stuck training courses, they have no energy doing another improvement - maybe they want to build or improve a tool we already have, contribute and setup a new tool or build an improvement to the space.

The more members that take on training, the lower the opportunity cost is for all members.

Nothing keeps down imposter syndrome like empowering a bunch of people to use a tool they never thought they could before. Not just anyone is capable of using said tool, let alone showing others how to.

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.

Existing course materials are available [https://wiki.protospace.ca/Be_a_Course_Instructor#Where_can_I_access_course_materials.3F here]. Existing course materials could extend to many things - a youtube video that's particularly good, an article, an animated gif that explains how something works or even a book.

Using existing materials saves you from having to cover ground others already have. Instead, you can use your energy to answer questions, connect concepts, put your own spin on things or do hands-on practical demonstrations.

Shadowing = Attending a course and seeing how it functions. You don't pay for these courses and you don't get certified from them.

It also is a great way to make classes less tiring - having two people to field questions or explain concepts means twice as many chances to take a breather or drink your water.

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

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, stick with it and encourage other members to fill in the gaps.

Good teachers inspire others to learn. Link people to training materials. You are a volunteer and classes at Protospace are for the self-motivated.

Try to speak to those motivations that while you [https://wiki.protospace.ca/Be_a_Course_Instructor#Where_can_I_access_course_materials.3F direct them to training resources]. Check in and ask if they have questions.

Many courses - or parts of them - can be done remotely. This reduces logistical burden from getting everyone in the space spot.

If you feel comfortable running an online session, feel free to do so. Google Meet or Discord are probably the best free tools for video conferencing. A Zoom subscription would work too.

As the instructor, you dictate how your class is run. If you are limited on time, declare your hard stop before class starts and maintain a pace to get there. Don't be shy about cutting off questions if you have to go, even if you're planning to stick around at Protospace and work on a project. You are a volunteer and being deliberate around how much of that time is going to teaching is the best thing you can do to prevent burnout '''and''' teach a class, both of which helps Protospace tremendously.