Sign language class?

What Marshal is really talking about is the allocation of scarce resources. As we grow and greater demands are made on our limited resources (classrooms), we will have to start prioritizing what uses we allow for those resources. Given our education focus, I would say that ‘events’ would be the first to go, but as demand increases, focusing on ‘maker’ classes will eventually need to occur as well.

Personally, I don’t think we are there yet, but I can see it approaching rapidly. Something that should be considered, is we are not the only venue for people to have classes. Community colleges, high schools, libraries, and churches will frequently host classes of public interest… It may be worthwhile for DMS to look at teaming with some local organizations to provide additional space for such classes/events.

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Has DMS considered a secondary location devoted to classrooms meeting rooms? Obviously to be used where on hand training is not needed.

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This is a great idea.

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I love this idea. That way makers have their space, and courses for extra learning have their own space:).

The Infrastructure, Logistics and Classroom committees oppose this idea.

Many people believe that classes take precedence over events.

  1. We have no rules governing that.
  2. We have no mechanism to enforce that.
  3. What is a fair way to bump an event for a class?
    a. Many events are not workable without the ability to schedule in advance and rely on the space remaining available, consider the Solidworks or Linux user group meetings.
    b. Not allowing an event to be scheduled until the 240 hour window for a class has closed? Again, not being able to schedule several months in advance is a severe restriction.

Understood, it was just a thought that came from the discussion in this thread. Any reasoning behind the opposition?

Events have value too. If there’s a question of value for a specific event, maybe they should have a some modest level of auditing too if there’s a concern of screening out certain types of events.

At dms, we have loads of classes that teach how to use a tool. We have occasional project classes as well.

Where we have a gap sometimes is for the person that has newly learned skills but still needs training wheels working through that first project or two, or challenges with a specific project. And yes, there are generous people willing to do one-on-one or fine answering questions. But sometimes one hesitates to pepper a generous person with endless questions, or its a challenge to coordinate schedules to be there at the same time as someone else. Or maybe someone just enjoys working/learning alongside a small group of folks doing similar.

But a scheduled worknight or lab setting where several folks can coordinate to get there, and there are subject matter experts willing to answer questions or give more specific obstruction…that fills that gap of knowledge between newly learned and ready to work on your own.

And it also builds community, not consumers. :slight_smile:

We do this with the Fiberfrolics events. It’s a fiber group work night we try to do every few weeks. I split the way I schedule them. I do about half where I drag my feet scheduling so they’re past the 10day class window in case an actual class wants the spot. Then the others I schedule further out for folks that need better advance planning, and also if it better fits the rhythm or supports the rest of the fiber arts class schedule.

For example, I just scheduled a Fiberfrolic worknight event for two weeks from now because we just had two recent classes with a lot of new skills taught, and interest in some intermediate training once they’ve had chance to practice. And then we have our core fiber people doing what they do. These lab/work nights lets everyone do their Thang, gives folks a chance to exercise new skills, get straightened out where there are challenges, work on current project, inspire others, upgrade skills, use equipment, and build community.

But the structure is not a class/honorarium, so it’s scheduled as an Event.

But it has value equal to a class. People learn. They connect. They make.

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Its not so much what people believe, but of which more directly serves our non-profit status. As our classroom resources dwindle, something has to give. It is more in keeping with the purpose that gives us non-profit status that events be what gives.

Many people do not know this, but we have two groups of volunteers: Honorarium Auditors and Calendar Administrators. The first group review classes which request honorarium and the second group reviews everything else. That is the reason for the 48 hour waiting period on events to give the admins time.

I agree about the value of events. The question is how to fairly ration resources for events versus classes.

Edit: Right now, they are on even footing: first come; first served.

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Thanks for clarifying. I was thinking they were handled slightly differently, why I was a little vague on that point. I was thinking the events were getting a little more scrutiny after some issues cropped up a bit back but wasn’t sure how it wound up. Been meaning to ask.

I also like the system right now of first come first served, with the filter of auditing. I’m sure if classroom availability gets crunchier, that the filter might change with different criteria (once the details get beat to death ad nauseum, but hey, it’s the way we roll…) :slight_smile: