[W2CRA] from the ARRL web site, food for thought

[Walter O'Brien, W2WJO]

"It Seems to Us . . ." Licensing Courses: How Long?

By David Sumner, K1ZZ
  ARRL Chief Executive Officer
  February 1, 2005

  Editor's note: Typically, only ARRL members get to read the "It Seems 
to Us ..." editorials that run each month in QST. We're posting this 
editorial that appears in the February issue of QST in the hope that 
both ARRL members and nonmembers might appreciate it and find it 
informative.

  While it is possible to earn an Amateur Radio license by studying on 
your own, most people take a course that involves attending classes 
taught by one or more instructors. As outlined in The ARRL Instructor's 
Manual the typical Technician course consists of eight two-hour 
classes, one night a week, with a ninth session for review. This is a 
tried-and-true formula that works for thousands of new licensees every 
year.

  But it doesn't work for everyone. Many people have a difficult time 
committing to a schedule occupying that many evenings, that far in 
advance. The lives of prospective radio amateurs are as busy as 
anyone's; other obligations have a way of cropping up, interfering with 
even the most motivated and dedicated students.

  For that reason, in recent years the alternative of a weekend course 
has grown in popularity. It is possible to cover the same 16 hours of 
instruction in an intensive two-day period, and if the exam is given 
right away there is no need for a review session. This leads some to 
feel that the courses are simply "cram sessions," although the 
instructors and many students would dispute that characteri­zation. 
Weekend instructors generally make sure that their students receive the 
study material well in advance and strongly encourage advance 
preparation, including the completion and submission of a practice exam 
so the instructors will know what subject areas need the most emphasis.

  Can the instruction be boiled down to one day? Some radio clubs and 
private instructors claim to have done so successfully. Skeptics wonder 
how this is possible without "teaching to the test," although examinees 
do not know in advance which 35 out of several hundred questions in the 
question pool will appear on their exam. Others wonder whether, even if 
possible, it's a good idea to accelerate students from zero to 
Technician in a single day.

  As we said at the outset, it isn't necessary to take a course--either 
in person or by any other means, such as on line--to earn an Amateur 
Radio license. So in that sense the argument over whether one day is 
sufficient is academic. Administering fair and honest exams is the 
responsibility of the Volunteer Examiners and VE Coordinators, 
including ARRL/VEC; deciding how to prepare is the responsibility of 
the examinee. Whether you study entirely on your own, with a couple of 
friends or family members, or in a formal course--over a day, a 
weekend, or a couple of months--eventually it will come down to 
answering 26 out of 35 multiple-choice questions correctly. Get 26 (or 
35, or any number in between) right and your Technician license will be 
issued in a few days; 25 right and all you get is the chance to try 
again.

  The success of an Amateur Radio licensing course is not measured by 
the number of hours spent in a classroom. However, neither is it 
measured simply by how many students pass the exam. Do the new 
licensees get on the air? Are they made to feel welcome? Are they 
invited to join the local club? Are they given opportunities to learn 
more than the bare essentials to pass the test? Are they exposed to the 
wide range of Amateur Radio activities that aren't mentioned, or are 
described only briefly, in the study guides? Are they offered the 
chance to contribute to the local Amateur Radio community? The answers 
to these questions determine whether Amateur Radio will enrich the 
lives of our newcomers as it has enriched ours and whether, in turn, 
they will become an asset to our global community, or whether instead 
they will become another inactive statistic.

  In other words, no instructor should feel that the job is done when 
the license is issued. However, laying the responsibility for all of 
the necessary followup at the feet of an instructor is hardly fair, and 
is not our intent. We all share an obligation to make new licensees 
feel that by joining our ranks, they did the right thing. It can be as 
simple as giving a friendly response to the unfamiliar, tentative voice 
sporting a brand new call sign that shows up on the repeater. It can 
grow from that into a new friendship, into someone with whom to share 
our enthusiasm and from whom we are bound to learn something in 
exchange.

  For our part, the ARRL has placed increased emphasis on mentoring and 
is encouraging our affiliated clubs to make a conscious effort to reach 
out to new and prospective members with offers of assistance. There's a 
one-stop clearinghouse for useful information about mentoring at 
www.arrl.org/FandES/field/club/mentor/.

  It is certainly true that Amateur Radio cannot be learned in a day or 
a weekend. It is equally true that every journey begins with a single 
step. Each of us owes an enormous debt to those who encouraged us to 
take our first step as well as to those who helped us along our 
subsequent paths.

  Now it's our turn.