Several folks have discussed offering new microcontroller classes with me. I’ve run over 20 such classes and seem to be the cheerleader in encouraging others to jump in. I try to give good info to all but I’m concerned that I leave good information out. I will be posting a number of short replies to this string over the next couple of weeks. My comments are my thoughts only and not recommendations or even suggestions. Please join me with sharing your ideas to encourage new teachers.
Thinking of developing a class?
Pick a subject that is of interest to you and think will be of interest to the DMS community.
What is the target audience? Do they need Arduino/RPi/Electronics experience? If it is for beginners some time will be required on installing the IDE, libraries,… The class announcement on the Event Calendar should indicate suggested level of expertise, if any.
How long will the class be? I always post two hours. I’m trying to hold lecture down to 25 minutes. These are Makers who want to Make - not listen to me talk.
Will you furnish parts or will they bring them? Will you have parts for sale? @artg_dms is acquiring Official Arduino Nanos for Electronics instructors to use in class. That is wonderful! I furnish all parts except notebook PC and smart phone for my classes but it can get costly.
Do you plan to repeat the class occasionally? That means it would justify a lot of prep time and could fund your own collection of parts.
Will you have sample programs? How many? How will students access them?
Do you plan to have a PowerPoint or other prepared presentation? I believe it is important to have students leave class with access to good documentation to allow them to later review the material and programs. I average about 25 PowerPoint slides which start with an overview, moves through the subject and ends with a Resources page with info on installation of the IDE, driver, libraries,…
For a while, I had students download a zip file with demo programs. That is challenging to some. I have moved to having the individual programs in .txt format on a web server. The PowerPoint presentation has links to these. Clicking the link will display the text which can be copied to the IDE.
You do not have to be an expert in the subject but you should be very familiar with the presentation material and questions that could be expected.