Anyone teach part time at tech school?

I've thought about lending some time to a local tech school, teaching PLC/HMI. I run my own business so my hours are flexible, the only issue being the times I travel for commissioning. Anyone successfully fit in teaching time with their existing 'day' job? How receptive were the schools? Did you have to create your own curriculum or have to follow something prepared by the school? Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

I've assisted an instructor in the past can't really say much for the states but in BC they had a set curriculum with the lesson plans already in place. The school I was helping with was had a set course time so they were not able to modify times however at that time it wasn't a real concern for me. BC went through considerable effort to ensure that all colleges and universities were teaching the same requirements

personally I don’t know of anyone who’s full-time-gainfully employed who does this - but I’ll mention the following points for you to think about ... this is all based on my personal experience - in a previous lifetime ...



most tech schools are actually TWO schools in one ...



(1) there’s usually a “credit” branch - in which students are working for college credits which are often applied toward a degree seeking program ...



(2) there’s usually a “continuing ed” branch - in which students are usually working more toward “job skills” - with no college credits involved ... CEU (Continuing Education Units) usually don’t really count ...



putting together a program for PLC/HMI in the first case (for a credit program) is probably going to be more work than you’ll want to bite into ... for one thing it usually requires approval through an official accreditation board - with details involving approval for agenda, approval for text books, approval for tests, etc., etc., etc. ... the only time I was ever involved in this process, I met more bureaucrats - and jumped through more hoops - than I care to remember ... and I wasn’t in charge of the process - just one of the little people behind the scenes trying to make things happen ... the approval process can easily take two or three years ... oh, by the way - once all the dust has settled usually you’ll need at least a master’s degree to teach this ...



on the other hand, the ConEd branch is often in the “make money” mode ... putting a program together for that type of operation is usually a lot less taxing ... you’ll still have quite a few bureaucrats involved - and quite a few hoops to jump through ... but ... at least it won’t feel like a continuous uphill battle with everyone involved constantly fighting your efforts to make things happen ...



based on my own personal experience, the biggest hurdle that you’re going to run into throughout ANY of this project is the “I’m-content-in-my-comfortable-office-chair” type bureaucrat who usually isn’t really interested in adding any more programs to his administrative workload ... usually the only thing capable of moving these guys off of their top-dead-center position is an energetic “advisory committee” ...



the school’s advisory committee is ideally made up of local business leaders who meet several times a year and tell the tech school what training programs are required to keep the local businesses running ... in most cases, these are the only people who are in a position to (1) know what is needed from the school - and (2) have enough leverage to make things happen ...



in the non-perfect world in which we live, you’ll also find advisory committees who seldom, if ever, meet - and who are really out of touch with what is needed ... many schools (most?) are perfectly content to let this particular pot simmer along ... no worries, mate ...



well ... it’s too late to make a long story short - but I’ll close with this ... just recognize that actually TEACHING the class is going to be the EASY part ...



finally ... PLEASE do not let anything that I’ve written here discourage you from trying this out ... if you’re doing it for the right reasons, then let me know if I can be of any help ... just give me a call ... these days I’ve got more time to talk than to type ...



and just as a point of reference, up at the top of the “right reasons” list is teaching a MOTIVATED student how to make a better living for his family ... personally, I’m really “into” that ...

Ron,


Thanks for the detailed response. Fortunately, I have somewhat of an 'in' with the local college as we are personal friends with one of the higher up adminstrators. She's asked me on a couple of occasions if I would be interested in helping out. Before I show any interest, tho, I wanted to get the real scoop here from those that have had experience in doing this. There are two existing courses at the school specifically for PLC, so I would probably pursue somehow 'fitting' in to that which is already in place. Specifically course 2 which is more tailored towards Grafcet/SFC, structured text and so forth, which is what I enjoy the most....The course is taught for both degree and Continuing ED curriculums (I don't know if they mix/match the population), but I would more than likely want to be involved with the Cont Ed side just for many of the reasons you describe. My biggest issue is the unpredictability of my schedule that forces me to travel on occassion. That's probably the biggest stumbling block (that and my wife's irrational fear that I'm going to latch on to some young hot co-ed...yeah right) and honestly don't know if that's something that can be overcome. Maybe there's a way to assist and not commit full time. Difficult to say.

(that and my wife's irrational fear that I'm going to latch on to some young hot co-ed...yeah right) and honestly don't know if that's something that can be overcome. Maybe there's a way to assist and not commit full time. Difficult to say.

If you can figure out how to get over that hurdle PLEASE PLEASE let me know LOL

I had a phone interview for a PLC teaching class, full time. It was a split school, adult classes at night. 8-12 and 6-10. 5 days a week for 40K.

I passed.

Night would be a possibility. But I wouldn't want it for 5 days a week. The pay is of no concern really. Not my purpose for pursuing it. I just think it would be fun.

The pay is of no concern really ... I just think it would be fun.

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that’s probably why your wife is so suspicious ... women usually have a hard time understanding the concept of “work” being considered “fun” ...



survival tip: never let your wife know how much you enjoy your job ... if you do, she’ll picture you “playing” instead of “working” - and quickly come up with some type of project for you to do around the house ... also, if you’re not careful, “tools” will quickly become “toys” ...

I have a passion for both engineering and teaching. I've found when I only teach full-time I miss engineering, and when I only work as an engineer full-time I miss teaching, so I do both. I work full-time as an I&C engineer and teach at night one class per term since that gets me the best salary. The teaching money is a drop in the bucket, so I tell everyone that I work as an engineer to support my teaching habit.

I've taught a variety of courses, including theory-based controls course at one local university and applied controls (with PLCs) and instrumentation courses at another. I've had my current teaching position since January 2007.

The main problem with trying to teach is the one you've already identified - unpredictable travel schedules. I've been fortunate since I am assigned to a project at a local work site, so I haven't had to travel out of town and I'm able to commit to teaching. I currently don't have that problem, but my project is ending soon and I may have to risk it in the future. I just keep my management at both school and work completely informed of what is going on at each place.

Management at my engineering job likes the fact that I teach, so they've tried to keep me on projects where travel is minimal. I've recruited several top students for entry-level jobs and internships, I've used lectures I've developed for department training, and I keep all of my theory skills sharp so people ask me for help on tough projects that require application of control theory above and beyond the normal stuff used day-to-day. They allow me flexible working hours so I can leave a bit early on the days I teach and make it up on other days.

Management at my school likes the fact that I can teach my students more than the typical theory in the textbooks and have them developing practical knowledge as well (e.g., using industry codes and standards, producing construction work packages with typical documentation, etc.).

The students like it because I can mix the theory with the practice in a way that they learn fundamental principles and how to do the job in the real world.

I like it because I can be bored at times as an engineer doing the same type of thing repeatedly, but the teaching reenergizes me.

It's win-win-win-win, at least so far.

It is a lot of work, though. With the exception of the course description and course objectives (which were written when the curriculum was formed), I do all the work to create a course. I write all of my own course materials, do my own textbook selection (and reevaluate regularly), grade all of the homework, quizzes, exams, and labs, give the lectures and supervise the labs, etc. It's a lot of work - especially the first time I develop a course. Unfortunately for me, I teach in a program that just started a few years ago, so I haven't taught the same course twice since I started. That means while I teach one course I've been developing the next. I've created and taught six courses since I began teaching in that program. I haven't slept much, that's for sure. I am getting a little burned out, but I've decided I'm not teaching this summer. I need a break. I'll be back at it in the fall, however.

I'd tell your wife that the chance of you getting to know a female student well enough to get into trouble is pretty slim in a technical curriculum like the one you described. First of all, the student population in your program will be predominantly male. Besides, everyone who teaches knows teacher-student relationships can be very dangerous for the teacher (e.g., sexual harassment charges, not to mention getting fired and/or sued). I won't even be alone in a room with a female student. I've had only a couple of hot young women in my classes over the last five years since I've been doing this. You might see some in the hallways or other places on campus, though. I know I do.

Best of luck in your teaching endeavors,

rytko

the school’s advisory committee is ideally made up of local business leaders who meet several times a year and tell the tech school what training programs are required to keep the local businesses running

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I am on the advisory committee for my local school. That could be a good first step for you. That will get you in the door and you can see what type of problems they may have. Our biggest problems is getting students and dollars. One of the old engineers that I had worked with for several years retired and started teaching part time. He is the one that got me started on the advisory committee.

I teach a series of evening PLC courses at a local vocational school. The first course covers the basics: PLC fundamentals and troubleshooting. PLC II and III get into programming. The clientele is mainly maintenance electricians who have no PLC experience, and just want to learn the basics so they can troubleshoot machine controls. Typically their employers pay the tuition for them.

This may not be exactly the type of school the OP was asking about, but I'll offer my observations after doing it for about three years:
* I basically do everything for the course: textbook selection, writing notes for my lectures, designing homework assignments and tests. This was kind of a burden at first and I don't get paid much for prep time, but after teaching the same course a few times I have some materials that I can reuse.
* Don't do it for the money. When I figure in prep time, gas money, miscellaneous supplies, and the fact that I have to pay for my temporary teaching license and two background checks every year, I'm basically donating my time. That said, I do enjoy teaching for the most part, and that's why I keep doing it.
* Get ready for some frustration with varying levels of student aptitude. In other words, good luck trying to teach RSLogix to someone who's never touched a computer before. If I have to explain the difference between Save and Save As one more time, I think I'll go crazy. I do my best to offer individual help to those who need it, but frankly some are just not prepared.
* We were able to get a grant so I could build some PLC trainers, and I have since decided that these are "must have" items for a PLC course. I'm sure my students would agree that they get a lot more out of the class due to the hands-on experience.

I have taught maintenance programs for a number of years and also worked at a day job. If you like to help people learn and grow you will almost pay someone to allow you to teach. Search around and find some texts. There you will find the course already laid out for you, many also have tests etc already done. Alloting the appropriate amount of time for each subject is difficult for beginners. Some classes go slow and you have to know to push and others are the oposite. Most new instructors try to present too much at first, then they have to go back and review and end up not as far along as they should be. Also new instructors have dificulty controlling the class. Ie.some students ask questions and it starts the instructor telling war stories.
Send me an email [email protected] and I'll help you all I can
Good luck.

One of the great things I found while teaching Adult Ed classes is the instructor often learns as much as the students. You always get a lot of So Called "Dumb Questions" since the students may be completely unfamiliar with the topic or have learned what they know of the subject from co-workes who are also untrained or only have OJT.

Some of these questions make you reevaluate what you know or bring up areas of your field you have never come across. One student turned in a homework assignment with a circuit that I determined was unworkable at the time but later discovered, by application, was not only workable but remarkable.

I think more industrial persons should be in the up front position in the classrooms of the world so students could get the benefit of the College of Hard Knocks knowledge we all go trough.

BTW, my field is not PLC's or even electrical but Fluid Power. Ths subject is little taught and has very few knowledgeable persons in most facilities. Also, not a lot of books to use so I finally had to write my own.

Rob,

I have done this on two seperate occasions, both a long time ago. The first was for a year at a local technical college when one of their Electronics Instructors took a "sabatical" on the spir of the moment. They had a set course of instruction.

The second was for 11 years at a company owned technical trainning center, where I had to "develop" the trainning materials (by develop, read steal).

In the first, there were degree oriented students many of which had a fairly professional attitude. They asked probing questions which forced me to spend a great deal of time in preparation. I learned as much as the students.

In the second, the students were there to become "multicrafted" due to union - management negotiations. Every once in while, someone would ask a serious question, but mostly the questions were in regard to what they should have done to fix the problem of the day, having already screwed it up.

The most pervasive lesson that I learned is that it is not really possible to teach students much unless that have to go out and use that skill in the near future. If at all, the students will remember for a test and that is about as much as can be expected.

Out of several hundred students, I turned out a few fantistic troubleshooters, the majority of the rest became friends for life just for trying.

I would never discourage you from attempting to do this because I still think about it every day. My advise is that you should not raise your expectations too high. Expect to put in a lot of hours and hope for a handful of people that will get interested and actually learn something.

My philosophy is that "passing on" or "giving back", is among the most honorable things that we can do, that it represents the "high road" and as such, I found it rewarding even though I don't regard it as having been particularily successful.

I wish you success!

Best Regards,

Bob A.

Thanks to everyone for taking the time in their responses. It has certainly been eye opening and given me a lot to consider. I may impose in the future to those that offered further assistance. Right now I'm still digesting everything. Again, many thanks and keep the insight coming.