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Instructor's Edition
May 2009

PADDLE CANADA
PAGAIE CANADA

 

Current Strokes Newsletter
In This Issue...
We're Growing...
Skills Course Registration
Instructor Course Registration
Instructor Candidate Registration
Draft Canoe Manuals
Badges Update
PADDLE CANADA
PAGAIE CANADA
 
Mailing Address
PO Box 20069
RPO Taylor Kidd
Kingston ON  K7P 2T6
CANADA
 
Office Hours
Mon-Fri 08:30-17:00 EST
Closed Statutory Holidays
 
Contact Us
Tel: 613-547-3196
Fax: 613-547-4880
Toll-free: 1-888-252-6292
 
Greetings!
We're Growing...
 
As with many new and exciting growth initiatives, Paddle Canada is experiencing 'growing pains' with regards to the new on-line database program. 
 
To help facilitate the process, Paddle Canada has launched an improved Notice Board designed to keep our instructors informed about known issues.  This section is continuously being updated as identified items are resolved, new services are launched, and new issues are identified.
 
Please be certain to review this section carefully. Forward an email to info@paddlingcanada.com only if your concern is not addressed by the items listed or if your require immediate assistance to work around the issue at hand.
 
While I recognize that there is a lot of information provided in this newsletter, I have attempted to provide as much information as possible to assist in the transition and appreciate your time and energy in reviewing the contents of this message.
 
Having now completed the Course Registration section, I will now be continuing my efforts on completing the Course Reporting and invoicing processes.

I thank you for your continued patience and understanding as we continuously work to improve the quality of service to our members. If you do require assistance, please feel free to contact me by telephone or email any time.
Skills Course Registration
 
We have now completed the necessary repairs to the Courses section and this service is once again available to all instructors and instructor trainers.  This document is provided as your guide to a number of key changes that will affect how you register, view and track your courses so we would strongly encourage all instructors to read this section carefully.   
 
Accessing the Course Registrations
  • Go to www.paddlingcanada.com
  • Login using the Members Login box on the left side of any page
  • On your profile, access the Instructor Services menu*
  • Select 'My Courses'
  • A list of all courses on which you have participated will be displayed.
  • In the upper right corner you will see the following link [+] Add New Course
*The Instructor Services menu is only accessible by accredited Paddle Canada members.  You must first renew your membership for the 2009 paddling season before access to this area will be granted.  Details regarding how to access your profile and renew your membership were sent via Current Strokes newsletter on Mar 17, 2009.  If you have deleted, lost or misplaced this email contact the office for your Log-in information.
 
Completing Step 1
This section will guide the engines which generate the "Search for a Course" page used in advertising your courses.  Further to this, it will be used to help generate the yearly statistics for Paddle Canada courses by region and discipline.  
  • Select the Province and/or territory in which the course is being offered.
  • Select the Course Stream
  • Select the Course Level
  • Select the Course Name from the generated program list
Completing Step 2
This section compiles the information necessary to sanction your course. 
 
Course Director
This field is non-editable. The person registering and reporting the course on their profile is by default the Course Director.  Only this individual (or Large User account) is granted access to update, report or cancel the course. 
 
Instructors/Apprentice
You will notice that there are 6 spaces for Instructors on the registration form.  This is an improvement over the old database, which allowed for only one instructor to be recognized per course (see Known issues on the Notice Board).  All instructors on the course will now be able to view their participation on this course by reviewing their profile.  This will make it much simpler for Instructors to access information necessary to complete Instructor and Instructor Trainer Assessment forms.
 
Also, based on the level of certification, the Instructor list filtered to display only those instructors qualified to conduct the course being registered.  Similarly, Apprentice dropdown will only display the names of those instructors qualified to assist/mentor. 
 
Currently, there are 3 known reasons that an Instructor's name may not appear in the drop-down menu.  These include, but may not be limited to, the following:
  • Instructor not being accredited for the current paddling season (Not registered)
  • Instructor/Apprentice not being accredited to teach at this level (Not qualified)
  • Certifications not having migrated properly from the old to new database.
The first 2 cases will become the standard reasons as the issues from Article 3 are resolved.  In the interim, if you feel a name should be appearing, contact the office to determine the source of the error or omission.
 
The total number of instructors and apprentice listed allows the system to automatically generate the maximum number of participants allowed for your course once it is sanctioned.  This number is based on the instructor: candidate ratios as outlined in each program manual.  
 
Organization
Please select the name of the Organization for whom you are teaching this course. Contact Paddle Canada to add your club, school, business or organization where required. If there is none, leave it NA.
 
The purpose of this field is two-fold:
  • Advertising your course
    Completing this field will display the Company Name, Telephone and Email address on the Search for a Course pages.
  • Invoicing your course
    In the past many of our instructors requested that Paddle Canada invoice outside institutions for their services.  It was a practise that generated so many difficulties we ceased to offer this service.  With the new database, we are able to link the organization name and contact information directly to the invoice; which you can present to them on Paddle Canada's behalf.
Ultimately, the responsibility for ensuring payment still falls upon the Course Director, however, you will be able to monitor the Course status directly from your profile to see when and if remittance to Paddle Canada has been issued.
 
Course Information
The course name and Course certification are generated automatically based on your entries from Step 1.  These are non-editable.
 
Clinic Only Option
We have received requests to allow for partial teaching of a full course curriculum; in other words a clinic where no certification is awarded since not all the requirements for the course would be met.  Although Paddle Canada has offered this service over the past 2-3 years, it appears to have been somewhat shrouded in mystery; so please let us to clarify here. 
 
To offer a clinic, the clinic must follow the guidelines as outlined for a Paddle Canada Skill Level course.  For example, a kayak rolling clinic could be provided under the guidelines of the Sea Kayak Skills Level 2 program.  To register a clinic, you must register a full course and then check the Clinic box. 
 
When advertising is selected, it will be clearly stated on the website that the course is a Clinic only, with no Paddle Canada certification awarded.  Clinics are subject to the same criteria for administration as a regular course;that is waivers must still be signed, ratios maintained, and course fees remitted.
 
Start Date and Dates
Now with a calendar to help our instructors remember exactly 'when' next Saturday is, the start and end dates are fairly straightforward and will allow a standardized date format for the system when generating "Search for a Course" and internal reports.
 
REMINDER: 
Paddle Canada's policy is that all courses should be registered a minimum of 10 business days (2 weeks) in advance.
 
We do realize that request for courses sometimes come out of left field, therefore you can register your course up until the day it takes place. However, the system will not allow you to retroactively register a course. You will receive an error message advising you to contact Paddle Canada for assistance, so please make sure to register all courses in advance.
 
On Water Location
Enter name(s) of Pool, Lake, River, Ocean, etc
As a requirement of our liability insurance policy, Paddle Canada must know the name of the body or bodies of water where the course is taking place.  If more than one location is being used, please list each location.  For example:
  • Carleton University Pool 
  • Carleton University Pool and Ottawa River
  • Qualicum Beach on the Pacific Ocean
Theory Location 
Enter the Location Name, City, and Province
As a requirement of our liability insurance policy, Paddle Canada must also know the name of the facility where the theory portion of the course is taking place. For example:
  • Dow Lake Pavillion, Ottawa, ON
  • Rotary Park, Vancouver, BC
  • Qualicum Beach, Qualicum Beach, BC
This section will also help those searching for a course to determine the relative proximity to their place of residence when searching for a course.
 
Advertising
Using the radio buttons please select:
  • Advertise this course on the Paddle Canada website.
  • Do not advertise this course on the Paddle Canada website.
Where advertising is selected, these courses will appear instantly on the Paddle Canada website the moment the course is sanctioned by the system.  If your course is not appearing, please make sure to refresh your internet browser window before contacting us.
 
Additional Comments
Use this section to summarize any additional important conditions regarding your course. 
 
For example:
  • This course runs every Tuesday from 6:00 to 9:00 pm OR
  • AM Session operating from 9:00-12:00 on all 4 days
  • Open to youth/males/females between the Ages of 12-16 OR
  • Participants must provide their own boat and equipment for this course. OR
  • Equipment, meals and accomodations are included in this course
Do not include:
  • The information from your website including the course fees, details, locations etc.
    People will be able to access this information by linking directly to your website from the Search for a Course option.
  • The link to any website or organization outside of those approved by Paddle Canada.
    Again, if you wish to add an organization, please contact us.
Important Change as a result of the New Course Fee Structure
Please do not use this section to include any details about how you intend to break your course down in order to meet the require ratios.  In the past, with the old per participant fee, this was permissible however the new course fee structure does not allow for this option.

If you are a solo instructor conducting a course for a large group you must now register each course individually.  For example:

  • Introduction to Canoeing Skills for a school group of 14 children must be registered as 2 courses to allow for the ratios to be respected
  • Outline in the additional information section the manner in which you will differentiate the two courses. ie AM Session operating from 9:00-12:00 on all 4 days or other details
  • Course fees will be applied to each course

Submitting your Course Registration

Once you are certain that all you information is correct, make sure to check the confirmation box and click Next to submit your course registration.  The next page will create a summary of your course, including the maximum number of allowable participants for this course.
 
Please print this page only if necessary.  Remember, you will be able to access your course anytime, anywhere and from any computer simply by logging into your account.
 
That's it - you're done!
Instructor Course Registration
 
The process of entering an Instructor Course registration is the same as that for registering a Skill Level course (above) with one important exception - the Invoicing of Instructor Candidate Fees.
 
There are 2 payment option at the time you register your Instructor Level course:
 
Fees Paid by Candidate
Select this option to have the Instructor Candidates to remit payment to Paddle Canada directly.
 
Under this option, when the Instructor Candidate enters the Course ID number the form will autopopulate to show the Paddle Canada membership amount owing for the course. This amount will vary based on current or existing membership status.
  • New Instructors members of Paddle Canada will be prompted for full fees at $73.50
  • Upgrade/Recertify Instructors members will require an upgrade fee of $10.50
  • Non-registered Instructor members will first be prompted to renew their membership.
    The upgrade/recertification amount will then apply.
Fees Paid by Organization
Select this option if the Instructor Candidates are having their fees remitted directly to Paddle Canada on behalf of another organization.  Examples of this include colleges, universities or other educational institutions where membership fees may already be included in their tuition fees. 
 
Under this option, when the Instructor Candidate enters the Course ID number the form will autopopulate to show that the course is being paid on their behalf and that no payment is required.  An invoice for the course will be provided for distribution at the time of reporting.
Instructor Candidate Registration
 
In order to avoid duplicate entries in the Paddle Canada Database, please ask your Candidates if they have an existing Paddle Canada ID or if they have ever taken part in a Paddle Canada course previously.  If the answer is 'yes' please have them contact us to obtain their login information.
 
Instructor Candidates will now be able to register directly with Paddle Canada via the on-line registrations form found here:

Once they login in (for candidates existing in the database) or complete the form (for new Instructor candidates) they will then be prompted to enter the Course ID. If you are advertising your course, candidates should be able to retrieve this information from the website, or you can forward it to them directly be phone or email. 

Please note that Candidates will be allowed to register up until, and including, the first day of the course.  The system will not allow candidates to register retroactively for a course passed the first day.  As soon as they have completed their registrations, candidates will be automatically assigned to your course. You can now monitor your Instructor courses to review who has or has not yet registered to participate.
 
Paddle Canada will be following up with all Instructor Trainers who have previously notified Paddle Canada and conducted Instructor Courses prior to this section launch in the upcoming weeks to assist in the timely completion of your courses.  You patience has been greatly appreciated.
Draft Canoe Program Manuals Released
 
We are pleased to present the following DRAFT manuals for the new Canoe program:
  • Lake Canoe Skills Tandem
  • Lake Canoe Skills Solo
  • Whitewater Canoe Skills Solo
  • Canoe Tripping Skills Tandem and Solo 
Available from the Instructor Services Menu (Canoe Program), these manuals are presented in DRAFT Format only and should not be distributed in any way shape or form. The DRAFT versions are intended only as an interim guide to facilitate instructors in conducting their Paddle Canada courses until such time as a final, edited manual can be produced.
 
The Canoe PDC will be continuing to solicit feedback from Paddle Canada members and will continue to update and revise the program as required. Please continue to monitor this section for program revisions and updates.
Paddle Canada Badge Update
 
Paddle Canada has been provided the legal opinion that the use of the badges from the old version of the program to the new would likely be considered a breach of the terms of our legal agreement with ORCKA.  As a result, Paddle Canada has ceased disributing our existing supply of badges.
 
We are currently in the process of reviewing revised artwork and price quotes on our Waterfront Canoe, Lake Canoe Tandem and Lake Canoe Solo badges.  Paddle Canada is also reviewing revised artwork for the previous Flatwater Kayaking badges, which have now been replaced by 2 streams; Sea Kayak Introduction to Kayaking and River Kayak Introduction to Kayak respectively.
 
Our goal is to determine the financial feasibility of replacing these products.  In the interim, the Board of Directors regrets that badges will not be available.  Updates will be announced in the Order Materials sections of the Instructor Services menu. 
If you have any questions, comments or concerns regarding any of the above articles please feel free to contact the office during regular office hours.