OpenEuphoria

Re: teaching Eu to students on a formal basis

• Posted by Alyne & Warren <WCBaker at HOME.COM> Oct 07, 1999
• 444 views

Hi Norm!

I live in Victoria, B.C.

I've designed a LOT of computer and statistics courses for both lay people
and for academics.  The key to make it a roaring success is four-fold (in my
opinion):

1) The first thing (especially adult learners) fear is looking really dumb
in front of a group.  One thing you can do to alleviate this fear is to
simply offer a plate of cookies during the sessions.   Yeah, I know that
people worry about crumbs in the keyboards, but if you don't have people
taking the course, then you don't need the keyboards.  Oh yes, and be
approachable.

2) The second thing you need is some little 2 or 3 minute amusing anecdotes
that, while amusing, actually end up connecting with computer knowledge and
giving them even more useful information that is easily digested (because it
is fun)

3)  The third thing people want is success.   They want to walk out of each
session with some PRACTICAL knowledge.  It is absolutely essential to throw
some theoretical stuff in and people have to know what a byte is at some
point, and what "compiled" means and what "load and go" means, etc., but at
the end of each session there had better be something to take home, some
skill that they can actually demonstrate.   That means if there is a
database session, then teach people BY USING ONE (in a simple way, and by
actually walking them step-by-step through entering 6 or 8 records, listing
them, printing them, and then searching and printing them), what a database
is.  Once they actually see how they can use it for work, school, personal
data, cd's, etc. they will be interested in HOW it works.  But first they
want to feel that they can use it, that it will enhance their lives and then
they can sit back and talk about it a little.

So you might teach people some programming, but I'd suggest you start with
some applications (even free ones, and they may even be written in Euphoria)
so that they have a knowledge of what widgets they might want to build and
exactly what they do.   Otherwise you'll have people with little specific
motivation and that is a big problem. . .   By starting with simple things,
and very, very specific things, people will see the potential through their
personal experience, and they will want more.

4)  After each "module" you teach, do a little "course evaluation" with no
names connected to the evaluations.  In this way you can get feedback from
the population you're serving.   If they have frustrations, even seemingly
unreasonable ones, often you can do something to obviate the problems and
build on the strengths.  This is easy to forget, and since everyone is
smiling you might think that everyone is 100% happy -- however you'll be
surprised at the results, and at some of the excellent suggestions you'll
get!

That's my 2 cents.   It's always worked for me.

Cheers!

--Warren