1. What are the latest versions of the Instructor CDs (Feb. 23, 2013)
Latest Versions of the Certification Courses:
- Certification Course - 10/2010
- Certification Renewal Course- 6/2008
2. As the lead instructor, what are my best sources of information on managing a certification or a renewal course? (June 5, 2009)
The Policies and Procedures Manual and Certification Course Planning and Logistics Guide (available under Resources, and Renewal Course Instructor Manual (on your instructor CD) provide answers to most course-related questions.
3. I want to offer a course with just one instructor. Is that even a possibility? (rev. Oct. 1, 2011)
All Policies and Procedures topics can be submitted for review using the Appeals form. One example of this would be to request permission to offer a course with just one instructor. The rationale for the 2-instructor requirement is to help ensure a quality course for the students. Safe Kids, NHTSA and the National CPS Board are in unanimous agreement that team teaching is beneficial for the learning experience of the students.
In our continuing effort to be more responsive to the needs of people living in, or serving, rural communities, (i.e. technician proxy) the following was developed by the CPS Board and approved by Safe Kids USA. Any Lead instructor requesting permission to provide a Certification or Certification Renewal course taught by a single Lead Instructor must submit an appeal with the following information:
- Written confirmation from the State CPS Training contact that they approve the LI offering a course(s) alone
- A brief explanation of how the LI has reached out to other instructors for assistance
- The name of at least one Technician Assistant who will be helping out with the course behind the scenes (no teaching)
- Agreement that the course will be limited to no more than 5 students
- The # of courses requested (no more than 3 over a one year time limit)
- How the LI will assist the new technicians in serving their communities once they are nationally CPS certified
As with all appeals, members of the National Child Passenger Safety Board and state CPS training contact may be consulted. Should this be the case, no identifying information will be provided to any member of the board or the CPS community.
4. An interested co-worker is curious and wants to audit a certification course. Can she just sit in or does everyone who attends the course have to be on the roster? (rev. June 26, 2009)
Only registered students whose names appear on the official roster may attend a Certification course. Interested bystanders are not allowed to sit in or audit a course, even if they have no desire to become certified. Courses are open only to students who have registered, paid their fee and appear on the roster. This is in accordance with the National Child Passenger Safety Board policies and procedures: The Lead Instructor is responsible for making sure the roster accurately reflects all students and instructor team, including Instructor Candidates, by the end of the first day of the course.
Allowing a non-paying attendee to participate in the class increases the student to instructor ratio and takes instructor time away from paying students.
5. What is the pre-course Instructor meeting? (rev. Oct. 1, 2011)
The pre-course instructor meeting is required. The Lead Instructor should have at least one conference call or meeting a couple of weeks before the course with the entire team (instructors, mentors, instructor candidates and tech course assistants) to make sure that everyone is prepared and understands their role. A full instructor meeting should take place at LEAST the day before the course and include all instructors and tech course assistants. At the meeting, the team should:
- Confirm all instructors (including mentors and ICs) appear on the course profile
- Go over the detailed agenda
- Review the layout of the classroom
- Plan/review all hands-on activities, test situations
- Review general course administration
All members of the team should know what to expect and have a clear idea of the game plan for the entire course. All instructors on the teaching team need to be prepared to teach the whole course in case there is an emergency and they need to fill in. The team should also go over the various exam guidelines, discuss "what if" scenarios, and plan for a test reading room.
The team should help set up the room and familiarize themselves with the equipment computers, course materials and child restraints. Every person on the team should feel included and ready for the days ahead. A well-led and organized team will be ready to handle unexpected situations with flexibility and trust.
6. How do I calculate instructor teaching hours? (rev March 30, 2010)
ADDITIONAL DETAILS CLICK HERE
Teaching hours are automatically tracked by the system when the Lead Instructor enters the teaching hours during the course finalization process. Individual instructors are not responsible for inputting their own teaching hours.
Teaching hours are based on the number of hours of lecture and participation in hands-on skills exercises and skills testing. Just being in the classroom does not qualify for teaching hours except in the case of the Lead Instructor or Mentor as detailed in the Admin/Lead Instr: After the Course section. You do not need to round to the nearest whole hour.
Calculation of instructor teaching hours:
- Example 1: You were an instructor with no lecture time, but participated in eight hours of hands-on work. You earned eight teaching hours.
- Example 2: You were an instructor with five hours of lecture and 10 hours of hands-on work (includes 3 hours working with students at the check up). You earned 15 teaching hours.
At the end of the course, the Lead Instructor must enter in teaching hours for each member of the instructor team. As this can be time consuming, the LI should consider calculating them after every day of class.
The LI should be very sure of their calculations before entering them into the online system. The LI might choose to verify with the team the number of hours prior to submitting them. This avoids surprises and ensures accuracy. Once they are submitted, they are applied to each CPSTI's online profile.
What counts for teaching hours?
- Teaching a chapter
- Co-teaching a chapter (both are active lecturers)
- Leading a classroom exercise
- Participating in an outside activity/skills test
- Actual time at check up event (while students are checking seats) - e.g. 12 noon to 3 pm
What does not count for teaching hours?
- Back up for a colleague (following along in the book, etc.
- Adding a comment to the teaching instructor's presentation
- Proctoring the written tests
- Setting up a classroom activity
- Setting up an outside activity
- Setting up the check up event
- Breaking down check up event
7. What happens if a student can't do the actual installations due to a physical restriction? (June 5, 2009)
Should any student require assistance with the physical requirements of the course, the instructor team will accommodate the student by assigning an instructor to install seats following the student's specific instruction in each step of the selection, direction, and location process.
8. A student doesn't show up to the check up event and I find out from another student that there was a family emergency. As lead instructor, what are my options? (Aug. 22, 2011)
If the team agrees, contact the student and make arrangements for the student to complete another check up event (of fitting station) that is scheduled within 2 weeks and supervised by a member of the instructor team. If they can't meet that requirement, of if the team chooses not to provide a later event, provide the Fee Refund Form (available under Resources, then Forms). Additional details in the Check Up Event Guidelines (available under on your instructor CD).
9. How much supervision is needed to evaluate a technician candidate's participation at the course check up event? (Feb. 7, 2011)
Completing the check up event requires the student to participate in at least a two-hour event with an instructor from the certification course roster directly observing the technician candidate.
The instructor must be able to sign off that the family was provided appropriate recommendations and the family is able to demonstrate that they are confident and competent to install their children's seat properly. This includes the whole process from introduction through selection, direction, location, and installation. The Instructor should then provide constructive feedback in this learning experience. Generally, there should be at least 1 Instructor to every 5 technician candidates.
It is not appropriate to allow the technician candidate to perform these tasks independent of direct supervision, i.e. a student works independently and then an instructor comes along to sign off that student. The seat installation may be correct but the information or how the family was educated is unknown. Once the student has become certified and is comfortable with their technical and communication skills, they will perform their responsibilities, and if possible, have a second pair of eyes check the installation and paperwork.
10. What are the options if a student fails the course? (rev. Oct. 1, 2011)
When teaching a CPS Course, there are times when students fail the written exams or a skills evaluation. This situation should be handled delicately in order to preserve their privacy and avoid any possible embarrassment or ridicule for the student. The instructor team should discuss what they will do in advance of the class, at their pre-course meeting, so everyone on the instructor team is on the same page.
Upon receiving a failing grade, the LI should talk with the student in private about their scores and discuss their options for the rest of the class. There are four basic options that can be made available to the student. Whatever the choice the student selects, grades are confidential and the team must be careful not to single them out.
11. Does our teaching team have to use the PPTs when we teach the content car side? (Nov. 6, 2012)
The instructor team is encouraged to teach as much as they can hands-on in the vehicle. For courses with a great logistical set up, lots of vehicles, and a variety of child restraints, this is definitely doable and a great way to meet the needs of many adult learners. If you are teaching a course at a site with some restrictions, such as having to go out into a parking lot that is far away, or you have only a few available vehicles (belt system types), you may need to go over the slides and then move out to the vehicles, teaching in the more conventional way.
No matter how you teach the content, you must go over the slides in the classroom. This assures that all students get the same basic information.