Any NRA Instructors Giving the Blended Learning Pistol Courses?

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  • V-Tach

    Watching While the Sheep Graze
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    If so, how is it working out for you and your students.

    TIA...
    DK Firearms
     

    V-Tach

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    So, 1 1/2 years after I asked the question....

    I haven't given one NRA pistol class or had anyone even sign up for one....since blended learning came about.....used to do several a year...

    No one wants to do it....going to start giving basic pistol on our own...

    I've been a loyal NRA Life Member, Instructor and Training Counselor......but the NRA screwed themselves, Instructors and the general public royally.........

    They got greedy....

    jmho....
     

    V-Tach

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    BREAKING: NRA Dumps “Blended Learning” Pistol Classes


    The NRA will roll back its “Blended Learning” Basic Pistol class within the next 60 days. My good friend and “The Gun Writer” Blogger Lee Williams, now living in Florida, sent me the news today. “Looks like we win!” he wrote. Indeed.

    The NRA rolled out the concept of “Blended Learning” in 2015 for the NRA Basic Pistol class. For years, NRA Basic Pistol has helped introduce people to shooting pistols. It serves to provide a solid foundation for future learning if done right. In short, under “Blended Learning”, the classroom segments of class would be taught on-line. The student would then find a local NRA-certified instructor to conduct the range aspects of the course.

    In theory, the wonks at NRA Training thought it a great idea. Standardize the “classroom” teaching and let dedicated instructors handle the live-fire aspects. The folks at Headquarters considered it moving into the 21st Century.

    In reality, it made Baby Jesus weep. Enrollees thought the online portions dull and uninspiring. Instructors hated it because students didn’t internalize the online materials well. As such, instructors had to re-teach much of the classroom material. To make matters worse, the NRA charged $60 for the online segment.

    NRA’s Training Division faced a whole lot of negative feedback from both instructors and training counselors. Waples Mill pretty much ignored all of the criticisms. In fact, last I heard from the big wigs there, they planned to roll out “Blended Learning” for other NRA training courses as well.

    Then they met Lee Williams

    Lee Williams took it upon himself to wage his own little insurgency against this new training paradigm. He and I communicated about its shortcomings and he did the same with other instructors. In the end, he sent a letter about the problem with this new hybrid training program to each of the NRA’s Board members. The emails went out yesterday. Today, Lee got a call from the NRA’s Chief of Staff Josh Powell. “We made a mistake,” he told Williams.

    Kudos to the NRA for admitting their mistake.

    They’ve pledged to make it right in the next 60 days or so.

    That is a great Christmas present to America’s gun owners. After all, the NRA runs the nation’s largest and most successful firearm training operation. Millions of Americans have learned firearm safety and the fundamentals from NRA instructors over the decades.

    From the Gunwriter Blog.

    by Lee Williams

    When the National Rifle Association decided to use computers, rather than people, to teach new students important topics such as gun safety and shooting fundamentals, I and thousands of other firearms instructors across the country didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

    NRA launched their controversial “blended training” program nearly a year ago.

    ….Then, on Thursday, I sent an email to each member of NRA’s board of directors, asking them to look into the online program and comment.

    Note: There are 76 members of NRA’s board of directors.

    This morning, I received a call from Josh Powell, NRA’s chief of staff.

    Powell is a former board member who now reports to Wayne LaPierre, NRA’s executive vice president.

    “The simple truth is that we made a mistake,” Powell said. “We know we made a mistake, and we’re working very hard exploring a number of solutions to address it.”

    Powell said NRA will announce the changes within the next 60 days. For now, the online course — the status quo — remains in effect.

    The Story Here
     

    TXDARKHORSE361

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    Interesting, I have a feeling they didn't get anywhere close to the participation they were expecting. I am basic pistol instructor qualified (thanks to you) and haven't done an official class since becoming certified however I agree wholeheartedly they shot theirselves in the foot on that one.
     

    V-Tach

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    Dear NRA Certified Instructor:

    We have some changes, and we plan to release them on April 4, 2017. We want you to know that the NRA strives to create the courses you want to teach and your students want to take. To that end, we have continued to fine tune the NRA Basics of Pistol Shooting Program to give both our instructors and students the ability to choose the delivery method that best suits their needs. There will be significant improvements to the existing Blended learning edition, as well as the introduction of NRA Basics of Pistol Shooting, Instructor Led Training (ILT), all of which is conducted entirely under the direct supervision of an Instructor. These changes will give the NRA Certified Pistol Instructor the ability to administer the training in its entirety, and the freedom to choose the Blended or ILT version of the Basics of Pistol Shooting Course.

    First, let's look at what is coming for the Blended version of the NRA Basics of Pistol Shooting Course: Instructors will have the option to purchase Course Control Codes (CCC). These are codes that instructors issue to students so they can access and complete the self-study portion of the Blended course before attempting the hands-on portion. The CCCs will be significantly discounted to you so that you can set the price of your course to include the self-study portion. The student will no longer be required to make payment to the NRA and then make a separate payment to the instructor. This gives you control over your course from beginning to end. Students will need to create a unique username and password while registering for the course and then, at your discretion, you issue the student a CCC. To make delivery of the codes more convenient, the NRA has created an email template that automatically updates with the student's information, the CCC, and instructions for completing the course. The email will be sent when the CCC is issued to the student. The Instructor-led portion of the Blended course will be conducted in the manner set forth in the Blended Course lesson plans that are available on your NRAInstuctors.org homepage. The reporting requirements and the printing of NRA Course Certificates will be identical between both courses and will be covered below.

    Next, we will introduce the new NRA Basics of Pistol Shooting, Instructor Led Training (ILT). The defining feature of this course is the return to the traditional Instructor/student relationship. One major improvement is the flexibility to teach the full lesson plan or a condensed version which covers only one pistol action type (semi-auto or revolver). The lesson plans for ILT will be placed in the Lesson Plans/PowerPoints section on your NRAInstructors.org homepage. To maintain consistency across all NRA lesson plans, a Performance Requirements Checklist (PRC) is included. We strongly recommend that you use this form to document what you have taught your students, as well as record the students' acknowledgement that they are comfortable with each objective. If you conduct the condensed lesson plan covering a single pistol type, please document this clearly on the forms and keep them for your records. Please note that if you conduct the ILT version of the course, you are required to provide each of your students with a Basics of Pistol Shooting student packet. Packets will be available at the NRA Program Materials Center and consist of the NRA Guide: Basics of Pistol Shooting handbook and a course exam. Also note that if you conduct a single pistol action type course, you must report it as such in order to print the appropriate certificates, which will state Revolver or Semi-Automatic.

    Once either version of the NRA Basics of Pistol Shooting course is completed, you will submit the electronic course report. This report will include your student's written exam score, the shooting skill level they achieved, and your acknowledgement that the student met all of the learning objectives as set forth by the curriculum. Once each of these elements is complete, you will be able to submit and print your report and the student's certificates. The certificates will be watermarked and prepopulated with your NRA Instructor ID number, your printed name below a signature line, date, serial number, student name, marksmanship skill level, pistol action type (if appropriate) as well as the signature of the NRA Secretary.

    Please keep an eye on your NRAInstructors.org sign-in page. On April 4, 2017, there will be an acknowledgement page that pops up when you log into your account. This will be the notification that the enhancements are active, and you may begin to teach either course, as well as purchase Course Control Codes and student packets, whichever you chose.

    Thank you for your continued commitment to NRA Training Programs.
     
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