Having taught Linux Administration for over 10 years now I have learned several important aspects of how to increase class success. As an instructor you must be willing to perform certain tasks in order to communicate with students as well as provide valuable information. As more and more businesses consider Linux, it is important that the training process is evaluated for success.
1. Linux Administration Skills Take Time
I am amazed at the companies who request Linux server administration classes for their employees but do not consider the fact that to learn the skills of a Linux administrator you need to have some basic Linux skills; like know how to issue a command or understand the file system structure. Whenever companies approach Linux administration as if it were just another Windows admin course they are doomed to failure. Often I tell companies that after 500 hours of actual Linux administration, then things begin to click for those want to be Linux administrators.
2. Consider Student Experience
One of the most important aspects of creating a Linux Training class is organizing students into similar Linux skill levels. This would seem to be a simple, common sense concept but it is often overlooked. Students who are just starting out will take much longer to get used to the Linux file system, and the command line in general. While those with experience want to move on to real administration skills. Mixing the two frustrates both ends of the scale and is a typical cause of failure in a classroom situation. If you work one-on-one this whole issue can be resolved by moving at the pace that a student can work at.
3. Vary the Presentation
Learning Linux from the command line can be a tough process. When the instructor varies the presentation it maintains student attention and interest. I believe the most powerful method of teaching Linux is the combination of demonstration, explanation followed by student hands on training. If students could learn it all from a book or from searching on the Internet they would not be in a classroom setting. That said, you need to maintain their interest whether it is OnSite training or virtual classroom by changing the presentation style from time to time and use short slide presentations, creating discussion topics, taking surveys, viewing Linux related websites as a class, etc. I often have a list of projects we could do ready for when I see the class interest begin to lag.
4. Provide Breaks
In our virtual classrooms as well as OnSite training we have learned that allowing students to get up and move around every 45-minutes to an hour is worth the time spent. You need to maintain high levels of concentration so that students can absorb the material.
5. Evaluate Student Feedback
While the class is progressing the instructor needs to evaluate if student learning is actually occurring. It is easy to get into a mode where as an instructor you talk but you do not interact with students. A constant interaction must be happening, students need to be asking questions as they are wrestling with concepts. As an instructor you need to evaluate Lab completion. If students are not completing Labs then real learning is not going to happen.
6. Provide Labs
Labs are a must have for any learning to occur. Linux administration requires hands on skills that can only be learned by application. There is no shortcut, you will not become a Linux administrator unless you perform the actual activities of an administrator. For more information on Labs CLICK HERE.
7. Prepare for Class
As an instructor I have always reviewed every class before actually teaching it, even if I have taught the class 50 times. I believe that the instructor needs to have the concepts they are going to teach in your head so you can focus on the variables that occur in class and be prepared for questions that students present. In each of our classes we require that the instructor have written documentation that they are following and that students have access to that information, in other words, there is a concrete plan.
Obviously, there are other aspects to learning but these listed provide somewhere to start, to evaluate how the Linux training process is most effective.
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