Maritime Radio Course – ROC(M)
Aug 24, 2021
One of our most popular courses is the ROC(M) radio course. Some students for this course are professionals who navigate as part of their job: members of the Coast Guard or Coast Guard Auxiliary, military, ferry employees or dock workers in marinas. These people do not feel the need to learn further. However, they should be introduced to our other courses. They may already be boaters, or they may become boaters as they consider buying a boat.
It is important to remember that students in the radio course are often new sailors making their first wake in the water. They begin by exploring the immediate environment of their home port. Some are fearful, some are daring. But in both cases, it is an opportunity for us to show them how much they still have to learn: we have to push the fearful into exploring further for their own enjoyment by offering them additional training; we have to talk the daring to be cautious by showing them that advanced training can guarantee safety. Some squadrons have recruited new members and even new volunteers, although the course was offered online.
How did they do it? By making personal contact, engaging students with quizzes, or discussions, or role-playing, giving an overview of other courses, telling anecdotes of how advanced training was useful or needed, listing the benefits of joining the organization. In other words, these squadrons did online what we typically do in the classroom.
Online or in the classroom, the radio course is a great tool for promoting our excellent curriculum.
Lise Blais Huot, NS
National Educational Officer
