DS Training hours

clairbear

I am an experienced trainer with a professional background in this field and I love doing this course. Not blowing my own trumpet but I also believe I do a damn good job. However...I am a little concerned with the required hours that are required "IN CLASS" to be totally in line with regulations.

I have looked at the sia and BIIAB websites and it talks about training of 30 hours. What I have been asked to do is, guide home study over a period of two weeks. Handbooks have been provided and i have been in contact with the candidates via email, phone and guided sessions where required. This culminates in two full teaching days in a classroom environment. Is this appropriate? Personally - I believe that this method is a very good one as candidates absorb the information at their own level, whilst being supported. Then - once in class, they are extremely focussed and engaged. I would really appreciate some advice on this one.

Thanks

Scab

As I recall, the licensing based qualifications are whats known as 'specialist vocational qualifications' and as such require student-instructor contact time; certainly the lack of distance learning courses would support my notion on this.

PaulSmith

Personally I dont see any reason why you cant teach the 'roles and responsibilities' via distance learning. However I feel that conflict management needs to be taught 'hands on'.

Marcus2RRF

Why not teach over 4 days 3 8hrs then a good last day before the exam rather than cramming in over 2 days

Scab

Because thats contrary to the rules surrounding delivering specialist vocational qualifications. Why not a CP distance learning course then?

annie

You can do a CP course distance learning... but i beleive you have to the do your time with the more hands on stuff, but the rather dull classroom stuff can be done distance learning, someone on here has done it, mentioning no names

Nomad

I certainly agree with some of the above regarding distance learning of the academic side of a course. After all a dedicated student will do prior reading on that subject just as I did prior to mine.

Conflict management I feel doesn't fit a distance learning situation though. After all it's one thing learning the scenarios on paper but quite different when you have to deal with an escalating situation face to face. Adrenalin and emotions come into effect and the control of those can't be taught in the written word, it is something that has to be experienced. The ABC's of this can be prepared ahead of time but a practical situation with feedback from an experienced instructor is the best route.

If courses are to be made shorter, and sometimes this is a necessary evil due to peoples life patterns then more emphasis on prior course learning is a must. I don't personally believe that you can arrive on a course of 2-3 days with no experience and knowledge and be effective after that course.

Annie will bare testament to this because when I was on her course I could hit the ground running as I had at least learnt the basics as did another on the course. If you are serious about training then it is a personal responsibility to at least know your field first.

In any case all courses merely prepare you for further learning, you are never going to learn everything from a course, what it will give you is the tools to be able to learn faster and anticipate situation until you find what works best for you. What courses are really good at is team bonding and cooperation, this is where distance learning can never compete and why I feel that a course that is mostly distance based in this type of field will not work.

I would be interested in your thoughts on this.

Scab

CP qualifications for licensing are Specialist Vocational Qualifications which in the case of CP requires 150 hours of student - instructor contact time. Distance learning can be done as a part of that in addition to the 150 hours but not in replacement of that.

DS courses are of the same nature albeit with different time constraints.

annie

Personally i do not think there is a place for distance learning, in CP or DS, as Scab says you are required to do your 150 hours with a qualified trainer for CP.

Nomad i agree that having a basic idea on what you are about to undertake can be a good thing, it can also lead some people who spend months reading every piece of literature on the subject, to be a pain in the arse as they have read it so therefor think they know it all, and nobody likes a know it all as i think has been covered before in a seperate thread. (BTW that isn't a personal attack on you Nomad in any way shape or form, i am just saying some people can be a little ove exhuberant).

Distance learning also takes a lot of self discipline, and it can be hard to motivate yourself to do it (trust me i know....it's a bugger as did my paralegal diploma that way).

But i personally believe that you do need to be in a good training environment, with dedicated trainers, who know what they are doing, and know exactly what you need to know as a starting point towards your journey to becoming a good sound CP. I for one cannot imagine trying to fathom out walking drills and formations just from a book i read at my kitchen table, then round up some victims to practice with who have no idea what the heck you are doing,or what they are meant to do. I mean you can't really practice embus/ debus down the pub in the car park with your mates, or alone for that matter, those are things you just need to work at with like minded others so you cock up together and get it right together.

Most of the basic principals of the job are the same wherever you train, as long as the trainers are up to date and on the ball, but thats why you do your research before you part with your green. So Nomad where as i do think a little knowledge is preferable it can also be a very dangerous thing in the wrong hands, there is no substitute for cracking on with it on a course.

littlewoman

My DS course was 4 days and was done in two distinct parts as it had an exam for each part. The first two days are largely about learning legislation, drugs awareness, licensing laws etc. This is virtually all done sitting down looking at presentations with a bit of 'team work' such as organising bits of paper so the the right descriptions of symptons, appearance, affects go with the right drugs and other such 'interactive and fun' type exercises. After these two days most people are bored stiff, after all most people who want to be a DS don't do it because they are the sort of people who like sitting around.
The second two days are the conflict resolution bit which is a lot more 'hands on' (except that you aren't actually allowed to touch each other) and was mostly taken up by role playing different scenarios.
It should be possible to give the first part mostly by distance learning, although I doubt that it is allowed. The second part obviously needs to be done in class (or a pub).
We should bear in mind that most DS do it as a part-time job and have other commitments during the day which make it hard to attend 4 days of training.