In my industry (electronics) the field changes on a daily bases . Not keeping up is not an option. Students must be prepared to gain employment. Lesson plans must be updated on a regular bases in order to keep up with these changes.
In my course on Residential Electrical Wiring, we use the National Electrical Code. This is the standard by which the field work is inspected. By making this the core by which I build my course material on I make sure to keep what I am teaching relevant to what is required in the electrical construction industry.
It is important to use the guidelines and standards for course content because we are preparing our students to enter into a industry that requires this knowledge as a standard. It is always to assist students in understanding what it takes to succeed in the field.
Using field standards as guidelines helps to ensure that you are teaching the students in a way that will help them gain a competency in their knowledge and skills that will help them become successful in the field.
As a general education instructor, I cannot relate the lesson to all fields of study. However, occasionally, I ask students to relate course topics to their relative fields as an assignment.
There are a lot of reasons but I think one is to create credibility with students and the outside community. When a student can see that their instructor is implementing standards from a third party national or international organization it increases the caliber of the course and/or program.
It is critical to have feedback from industry partners in order to adjust the curriculum to meet current field requirements. Not long ago we had to emphasize technology because incoming students already had basic hands-on skills but lacked familiarity with rapidly advancing tech. Recently we have had to shift to heavily weighting task-based competencies because new students are very tech savvy, but lack basic hands-on skills.
Using field standards as guidelines ensure the course material is relevant and current. It provides the students with a more concise and consistent outcome, better ensuring their success in their chosen industry.
In my field, much of what we teach is guided by our professional accreditation agency. it is important to meet the standards set forth to meet requirements and ensure students are ready for licensure at graduation.
in the culinary world, we have classic material that everyone needs to know, with out it, you are lost and won't be able to relate to many professionals in the industry. Considering I am working in the real world as well being an instructor, I can inform the students about what they need to know and the how trends are changing, so they look their best when they get out in the real world.
As a Career School we are training students for jobs in the field of their discipline; and as such it only makes logical sense that those are the standards we use in teaching.
The objective to attending a career college is to graduate industry standard, future employees. Being aware of changes in a given field helps to keep course content cutting edge and current.
When using the guidelines and standards established by the field of practice and the accrediting and certifying organizations, not only we are set to better prepare competent technicians but produces quality students that are confident and can successfully pass their credentialing exams
Without standards, districts and schools don't have goals to shoot for. By matching what is taught in the classroom to the standards in each subject area, students (and their parents and teachers) will know what teachers should be teaching, what students should be learning and what they will be tested on.
In the health field it is important to meet professional standards both in order to pass the board exams but also to protect the health and welfare of the public that you serve
Because it shows the relevancy of the subject that you are about to teach. From student prespective they see that their instructor is not an amateur instructor for their subject. He or she comes from the background where the instructor have enough knowledge and skills for that particular subject.
You are so right Jonathan, Im a Chef Instructor and our field is constantly changing. I find that it can be fun to keep up with whats going on in the food world.
James,
Which web-based training site(s) do you assign for your students? At our institution, we use Linda.com for basic and intermediate training for our students.
Tremayne Simpson
In are filed we have a lot of changes so we have to keep up with then by web-base training
Field guidelines prepare the student for the industry and having the ability to teach objectivity is primary. Having experience gives us the opportunity to share our exeriences, both good and bad, so that the students know we are human like them. Field standards give the opportunity to direct students to the natural focus that concerns our industry and gives them the opportunity to become objective.
