If you’ve just signed up for your Open Water course, or you’re taking a continuing education course for the first time in a while, you’ll likely have come across the term “eLearning”. Let’s take a look into this and see what it’s all about.
All dive courses have some form of Knowledge Development. This is the theory work you do before getting into the water. Back in the good old days, the only way to deliver this theory work was via instructor led workshops. As with many things, the use of technology has transformed this part of dive education, meaning that you are now able to learn at your own pace, in the comfort of your own home, or wherever you choose to do it.
I’ve taken plenty of courses using eLearning, and I wouldn’t go back. Remember, you can (and should!) ask your instructor about anything you are unsure of, and nearly everything you learn will be repeated during your in water training. For those students who do their eLearning diligently, we get much more time in the water practicing your newly learned skills, taking full advantage of our time together.
The Open Water eLearning is probably the most involved course, as there is a lot of foundation knowledge to cover.
The great thing is, if you are unsure of anything, you can simply re read the section or replay the video.
You get guided through the eLearning, step by step, with a combination of text to read, images to look at, and a lot of videos to watch. Each section has a mini quiz to check your understanding, and you then move on to the next one. In some courses, there is a final exam to take. After this, your results are sent directly to your instructor, and we can then get ready for your practical training.
For some courses, because we haven’t physically seen you complete the eLearning, there is a mini exam called a Quick Review. This is a reduced set of questions that you will have seen in your final exam, designed to ensure that your instructor is comfortable that you fully understand the required theoretical elements of the course. You take this in person with your instructor, prior to certification.
Of course, your instructor may still offer the traditional method of in class presentations, but this is becoming rarer. Most instructors I talk to find that their students much prefer the eLearning method.
One thing to note is that your course fees will usually include your eLearning, therefore there is no need for you to make a separate purchase on the PADI website.
Have you used eLearning yet? What did you think of it? Let me know below.