Intro to Survey

Only to the company staff. I agree with your first rule, although I include that at the same time with health-safety-environment-loss_prevention.

Always submit to the needs of the job.
Don't force the job to submit to the way you think.
"One size fits all" Does NOT go with land surveying.

I have taught classes through work for years, but never more than a 1-2 day class. Even those take some time to put together and more time to improve after each offering.

I have a good friend who took over the basic surveying course for engineering students at a local community college a few years ago. He knew about it months ahead of time, spoke with the previous instructor, and got all of the course materials. He worked on getting ready with every spare minute he had and still wasn't ready when the semester started. After doing it a few years now, he has everything wired. All of the equipment they had was antiquated. He has since gotten a local dealer involved to loan modern total stations for a few labs. I have another friend who teaches for the remote surveying program through the University of Wyoming. He put countless hours into producing the materials and lectures needed to cover all the required course materials within the time allotted.

Based on their experiences (and my own), there is no way I would take on teaching a college surveying course (quarter or semester) with only a week or so to get ready. Best of luck to you. You are a braver man than I.

You probably won't start off using instruments right away.
Make sure they don't get loops in the steel tapes when trying to measure that first traverse!
If you get into leveling with an instrument, make sure they have a hand level also and let them figure out what it's used for.
When you do get to transits/theodolites/total stations have them get set up and level, find a natural back sight, and then have them give you line five feet in from of them (I know, I'm wicked).
Make sure they learn how to keep neat, thorough notes in a field book (my classes always used the spiral bound 5"x9" fifty page booklets).

Someone should create a video for VR glasses that simulates standing in the center of a busy intersection with a cross wind blowing about 40 knots and a prism pole. One could learn a lot from that.

SPMPLS, post: 412749, member: 11785 wrote: All of the equipment they had was antiquated.

You can learn a lot on antiquated equipment that helps you understand what the latest whiz-bang technology is doing for you, so you know what the results mean and also can decide if what it is doing is what you really want.

The current thread about being a few ft off is one example where the technology is so "slick" that it's hard to know what it's doing for you.

Making a series of long sloped measurements with 100 steel chains, plumb bobs and pins teaches about the accumulation of errors and is a good first step in teaching statistics.

A transit can be useful in explaining the survey bearing quadrant system.

Turning an angle 3D & 3R on the plates of a transit is another good statistics opportunity.

Stadia readings are another way to explain distance measurements.

In fact one could teach quite a bit about surveying with a full circle level with stadia.

I would say, one can teach a whole semester of surveying without a theodolite, EDM and /or total station.

Paul in PA

mattharnett, post: 412696, member: 6458 wrote: Just landed a position teaching Intro to Survey at the local community college.
I start next Friday and I don't even know what kind of equipment they have yet.
Whatever equipment it is, the first rule is do not let go of it until it is securely fastened to the tripod.

Anyone else teaching surveying?

Yes, I've been teaching surveying at Vermilion Community College for about 6 years now. Most of my students are in the natural resource program and they need to learn some the basics of surveying. There are no math requirements, so their math skill are pretty much all over the board when they start my class. I give them some basic geometry and trigonometry to help them understand how coordinate geometry works. I take the trig as far as the law of sines so they'll be able to compute a coordinate value for the center quarter corner of a section. I focus mostly on how the PLSS works and one of the highlights is taking them out on an all day field trip out in Superior National Forest to do a section retracement. They get to map in the topo calls from the old GLO survey field notes and see the old scribed bearing trees.
I think you'll find teaching to be a very rewarding experience. Enjoy!

Using a 2-600 dolar transit, (ebay) and 200' tape, field book, nails plumb bobs, flagging, you can set up a complete closed traverse. Sideshots, and all. Have each student keep their own book.
Reduce the angular closure.
I could put a class of 10 or 15 students through.
Then, use various methods to compute and close the traverse.
Let each student do their own angles.
Take a day to index the transit.
Learn about temperature corrections.
Make sure they all keep individual notes.
(so they don't all have the same numbers)
Sounds like fun!

I totally agree with the comments about "antiquated equipment" and the learning value. I simply mentioned it because the OP said he didn't even know what equipment they had. My employer just donated three steel tapes to my buddy at the community college so they could tape, but more so they could understand accuracy, precision, and error estimation. I teach a State Plane coordinate class and we walk through every step of the calculations using a basic calculator and the tables needed to do the interpolations. It's all about the fundamental understanding, not the button pushing.

I taught at Austin Community College for about 6 years until I took a position at a company that took too much of my time. It was an interesting experience. Most of which were great (I had one cheating experience that was not so good).

What it taught me is that everyone learns differently. Because of that, I had to know the information backwards and forwards, up and down, this way and that way. Basically you will learn more about the subjects than you will realize.

It will also allow you to see the new up and coming surveyors who want to learn.

The antiquated equipment is a thing, but it also forces the students to learn concepts, not just which button to push.

The first semester teaching a class is always the hardest. After a few times, you should be able to just walk in the room and start talking.

All in all, I miss teaching.

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mattharnett, post: 412696, member: 6458 wrote: Just landed a position teaching Intro to Survey at the local community college.
I start next Friday and I don't even know what kind of equipment they have yet.
Whatever equipment it is, the first rule is do not let go of it until it is securely fastened to the tripod.

Anyone else teaching surveying?

I would love to teach such a course, but I don't think a school would accept me because I do not hold a degree. I enrolled in a survey program some thirty years ago when I first got into surveying. I took all the math and surveying courses they offered but at that stage of my life I was not ready to complete all the electives for a degree (Married with two young children)

I had one very good instructor. An old salt surveyor that was very hands on and common sense. Had a few others, a geodesist, a retired DOT surveyor who were just about useless.

I had a young student work with me over Christmas break who is enrolled in a survey program. He had just finished a lab on filed work. He said he learned more from me in two weeks than he did all semester at school.

Lookinatchya, post: 412823, member: 7988 wrote: I would love to teach such a course, but I don't think a school would accept me because I do not hold a degree. I enrolled in a survey program some thirty years ago when I first got into surveying. I took all the math and surveying courses they offered but at that stage of my life I was not ready to complete all the electives for a degree (Married with two young children)

I had one very good instructor. An old salt surveyor that was very hands on and common sense. Had a few others, a geodesist, a retired DOT surveyor who were just about useless.

I had a young student work with me over Christmas break who is enrolled in a survey program. He had just finished a lab on filed work. He said he learned more from me in two weeks than he did all semester at school.

I doubt he learned more. I would say he meant to say he learned more useful things from you in two weeks than in school. The less useful things are easily forgotten. That is why mentoring is so important in the survey education process.

Pauk in PA

mattharnett, post: 412696, member: 6458 wrote: Just landed a position teaching Intro to Survey at the local community college.
I start next Friday and I don't even know what kind of equipment they have yet.
Whatever equipment it is, the first rule is do not let go of it until it is securely fastened to the tripod.

Anyone else teaching surveying?

A first technical course at community college. You will need patience and a sense of humor. Communication is key. Break the Ice quickly with a bit of humor. Get them building relationships with one another and yourself through group interaction as fast as possible. Make sure you talk about how lessons apply to the real world, stories of your own exploits. Decide on 10 or so important basic things you really want them to learn and keep addressing those in differing ways with each assignment/lab. Nationally, success rates in this type of course is only about 40%, but you can do much better. Just don't expect a rapt, attentive audience chomping at the bit to learn about surveying; you have to develop that in them (most of them anyway). Good luck, and have fun.
I taught full time at community college 13 years and adjunct for 3 years now. It can be very rewarding, but also very depressing. Focus on the good stuff, and the tough students; the good students will take care of themselves and help you with the rest. Congratulations, you now have 15-20 kids/adults with all of the life issues each individual brings with them:)

have a shovel on the table when they walk into class. Start your lecture with "on this table is the most important, overlooked, tool in surveying". Then hold up a deed, and tell them that is the 2nd most overlooked and important tool in surveying. then build from there.

I do not disagree with the importance of knowing the fundamentals, but you Survey GODS (Good Ole Day Syndrome) need to realize that he has a finite amount of time to educate these people that are paying a price for the class to make themselves employable. I would touch on it but by no means make it the focus of the class. #2pennies

Roadhand, post: 412840, member: 61 wrote: I do not disagree with the importance of knowing the fundamentals, but you Survey GODS (Good Ole Day Syndrome) need to realize that he has a finite amount of time to educate these people that are paying a price for the class to make themselves employable. I would touch on it but by no means make it the focus of the class. #2pennies

This is a basic survey course. You have to start at the beginning and work forward. I start with taping (yes basics only) they will need that for construction layout ( inside and buildings, etc.) Then we move onto a "Tape Survey" baseline and offsets to collect and plot data, rather crude but it is again a start of learning to collect and document. Next is basic leveling then onto instruments (total stations). Some of the students will go onto jobs after two years with a degree in Civil Engineering Technology. I do teach use of a data collector too but I have very mixed feelings on that, to much button pushing does not do the students any favors. The last Lab is putting it all together, control vertical and horizontal (book only not data collector) Then onto collecting data for a topo/detail survey. We do use the data collectors for the topo/detail, again mixed feelings on that. The data is all used to generate a final plan at the end of the course. This not a perfect course but it is a beginning, and it is obvious to all on this board that much more training is needed however it is a start.

T.W.

mattharnett, post: 412696, member: 6458 wrote: Just landed a position teaching Intro to Survey at the local community college.
I start next Friday and I don't even know what kind of equipment they have yet.
Whatever equipment it is, the first rule is do not let go of it until it is securely fastened to the tripod.

Anyone else teaching surveying?

You should have email with several PDF files attached. The files are large and the message may not get through.