Policies and Definitions Pertaining to Course Roles

Assistant Instructors and Assistant Instructor Trainers

An Assistant Instructor or Assistant Instructor Trainer is defined as an Instructor or Instructor Trainer certified one level lower than required to teach the course. Assistant Instructors must be supervised at all times by the Lead Instructor. Assistant Instructors provide aid in the activities in the classroom, onshore and on the water. The Lead Instructor holds the responsibility to conduct all instructional activities; it is the Assistant’s role to aid the Instructor in these activities.

Instructors cannot act as Assistant Instructor Trainers unless they hold the relevant lower-level Instructor Trainer certification. The course ratio is increased by 2 participants per Assistant.

Assistant Instructors are in addition to the minimum staffing levels as outlined in the descriptions of each course. A maximum of four additional participants is allowed with two or more Assistant Instructors.

Mentor

A mentor is any certified Instructor Trainer who shoulders the burden and responsibilities of mentorship. Mentors are expected to set clear criteria for success and develop a plan with the Instructor Candidate to achieve success, provide guidance during the apprenticeship process (including the period between courses), and act as a resource to the individual post-apprenticeship. It is appropriate for mentors to receive remuneration for their knowledge, guidance, and work.

Instructor Candidate

An Instructor Candidate is an instructor in training on a skills course. It is expected that an Instructor Candidate demonstrates above-average judgment in all matters relating to safety, group management, self-care, and the health and welfare of all participants.

An Instructor Candidate can conduct instructional activities under the direct supervision of a mentoring IT. An Instructor Candidate aids in activities in the classroom and on the water while the IT has the sole responsibility to supervise all instructional activities.

It is the IT’s responsibility to both supervise the Instructor Candidate and provide them with feedback and assessment on their progress towards earning an instructor certification. The Instructor Candidate will normally act as a helpful assistant on the first course and take a significant leadership role in the second course.

The course ratio is increased by 2 participants per Instructor Candidate.

Participants can be replaced with unregistered skills participants for the instruction evaluation portions if they are registered in an appropriate skills clinic and the skills clinic number is noted in the instructor course comments section.

Minimum Number of Participants in Skills Courses with Mentoring Instructor Candidate

To ensure the Instructor Candidates experience an appropriate level of group dynamics and can demonstrate competence in managing those dynamics, a minimum of three participants must be enrolled in all sanctioned skills courses.

Instructor Trainer Candidate

An Instructor Trainer Candidate (ITC) aids in activities in the classroom and on the water while the IT Mentor has the sole responsibility to supervise all instructional activities. As an IT in training, the ITCs can conduct instructional activities under the direct supervision of the IT Mentor. The course ratio is increased by 2 participants per Instructor Trainer Candidate.

Minimum Candidates for Instructor Courses with ITCs

To ensure the Instructor Trainer candidate experiences an appropriate level of group dynamics and can demonstrate competence in managing those dynamics there must be at least three participants. Instructor Candidates can be replaced with skills participants for the instruction evaluation portions if they are registered in an appropriate skills clinic and the skills clinic number is noted in the instructor course comments section.