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NRA to fix blended training ‘mistake’!

Posted: Fri Dec 23, 2016 4:38 pm
by JustaShooter
For the NRA instructors here: NRA to fix blended training ‘mistake’ within the next 60 days!

https://www.thegunwriter.com/21851/excl ... g-mistake/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Re: NRA to fix blended training ‘mistake’!

Posted: Fri Dec 23, 2016 4:42 pm
by JediSkipdogg
I saw that on Facebook. Does anyone know of any way to find official training numbers from the NRA? I'm curious how many certificates were issued in 2016 compared to 2015.

Re: NRA to fix blended training ‘mistake’!

Posted: Sun Dec 25, 2016 1:02 am
by MyWifeSaidYes
JediSkipdogg wrote:... I'm curious how many certificates were issued in 2016 compared to 2015.
Good luck getting those numbers. :oops:

:lol:

Re: NRA to fix blended training ‘mistake’!

Posted: Sun Dec 25, 2016 6:11 am
by Bianchi?
I took the blended training as part of my instructor certification, and it was very well done. Most of the material was review, but I learned a few new things. For someone completely new to firearms, it's a great classroom course. The NRA does need to come up with a way of proving that the student with the cert is the one who took it, but I'm not sure how to go about doing that.

Re: NRA to fix blended training ‘mistake’!

Posted: Sun Dec 25, 2016 7:46 am
by JustaShooter
I agree, most of the material was well done, my objections are that it is over 7 hours long, you *still* need to spend a considerable amount of time with most students since most need that hands-on, in-person instruction to really learn the material, and (this is the big one) the NRA charges almost as much for the online portion as the typical cost for an entire class in my area.

Had the NRA simply added this as an option, I think it would have been fine - another tool in the toolkit as another member put it. But making it the *only* way for the class to be done (and removing First Steps while they were at it) was a big mistake.

Re: NRA to fix blended training ‘mistake’!

Posted: Sun Dec 25, 2016 9:36 am
by Brian D.
I like my training the same as my scotch or bourbon: NOT blended! :mrgreen:

Re: NRA to fix blended training ‘mistake’!

Posted: Sun Dec 25, 2016 9:05 pm
by xxxamishxxx
I have yet to teach a blended course. I went ahead and made my own. But this could be a good thing

Re: NRA to fix blended training ‘mistake’!

Posted: Wed Dec 28, 2016 9:26 pm
by Bruenor
It's about time.. You should have heard them deny all the complaints from instructors at the last NRA Annual meeting. It was pathetic, they were working hard to ignore every issue that was brought up. This is better for everyone !! No-one sitting in the room near me was buying it, you should have heard all the muttered comments.

Had the blended portion been priced similar to the materials I might have been more accepting, but at double the cost it's kinda ridiculous, not to mention the other issues people here have mentioned.

Re: NRA to fix blended training ‘mistake’!

Posted: Wed Dec 28, 2016 9:30 pm
by JediSkipdogg
Bruenor wrote:It's about time.. You should have heard them deny all the complaints from instructors at the last NRA Annual meeting. It was pathetic, they were working hard to ignore every issue that was brought up. This is better for everyone !! No-one sitting in the room near me was buying it, you should have heard all the muttered comments.

Had the blended portion been priced similar to the materials I might have been more accepting, but at double the cost it's kinda ridiculous, not to mention the other issues people here have mentioned.
Double? Try quadruple. Materials with shipping were only around $15. The NRA half of blended learning was $60.

Re: NRA to fix blended training ‘mistake’!

Posted: Wed Dec 28, 2016 10:20 pm
by Bruenor
JediSkipdogg wrote:
Bruenor wrote:It's about time.. You should have heard them deny all the complaints from instructors at the last NRA Annual meeting. It was pathetic, they were working hard to ignore every issue that was brought up. This is better for everyone !! No-one sitting in the room near me was buying it, you should have heard all the muttered comments.

Had the blended portion been priced similar to the materials I might have been more accepting, but at double the cost it's kinda ridiculous, not to mention the other issues people here have mentioned.
Double? Try quadruple. Materials with shipping were only around $15. The NRA half of blended learning was $60.
$60.00 blended + $25.00 range fee per student, leaves $15.00 for the instructor in order to stay in the $100.00 ballpark for course pricing.
so as a hobby after I deduct the cost of the $1 Millon dollar liability insurance policy, How many students do I need to teach just to cover my expenses ?
I had to ask, is it really worth it for me to teach an NRA authorized course.

Re: NRA to fix blended training ‘mistake’!

Posted: Fri Dec 30, 2016 7:05 am
by 747tech
The blended decision had to not only impact the basic pistol numbers but all other courses also. With BP being a primary building block to the rest of the courses the other courses had to suffer a steep decline. Also, I would imagine the prospective BP instructor candidates probably showed a decline. I would wonder if the TC candidates declined also since it was widely viewed other disciplines were to follow suit.

Re: NRA to fix blended training ‘mistake’!

Posted: Tue Mar 07, 2017 8:49 pm
by Bruenor
Supposedly the 'fix' is coming this week.

https://www.thegunwriter.com/22419/nras ... this-week/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
As we announced in December, the National Rifle Association has been working on a fix for its blended training “mistake.”

I’m told I’ll get an interview with the Training Department folks this week, and will learn exactly what the fix entails.

I shall post the information here.

Re: NRA to fix blended training ‘mistake’!

Posted: Tue Mar 07, 2017 9:55 pm
by pps_dad
Trainers across the country told me the move killed their business. Demand for Basic Pistol classes dried up.
Didn't hurt my business at all...The only thing it hurt was the NRA's wallet since no more student packets were being bought.

Re: NRA to fix blended training ‘mistake’!

Posted: Thu Mar 09, 2017 12:55 am
by MyWifeSaidYes
Bruenor wrote:Supposedly the 'fix' is coming this week...
Wake me when it happens. :roll: :wink:

Re: NRA to fix blended training ‘mistake’!

Posted: Wed Mar 22, 2017 10:42 am
by pps_dad
Dear NRA Certified Instructor:

We have some changes, and we plan to release them on April 4, 2017. We want you to know that the NRA strives to create the courses you want to teach and your students want to take. To that end, we have continued to fine tune the NRA Basics of Pistol Shooting Program to give both our instructors and students the ability to choose the delivery method that best suits their needs. There will be significant improvements to the existing Blended learning edition, as well as the introduction of NRA Basics of Pistol Shooting, Instructor Led Training (ILT), all of which is conducted entirely under the direct supervision of an Instructor. These changes will give the NRA Certified Pistol Instructor the ability to administer the training in its entirety, and the freedom to choose the Blended or ILT version of the Basics of Pistol Shooting Course.

First, let's look at what is coming for the Blended version of the NRA Basics of Pistol Shooting Course: Instructors will have the option to purchase Course Control Codes (CCC). These are codes that instructors issue to students so they can access and complete the self-study portion of the Blended course before attempting the hands-on portion. The CCCs will be significantly discounted to you so that you can set the price of your course to include the self-study portion. The student will no longer be required to make payment to the NRA and then make a separate payment to the instructor. This gives you control over your course from beginning to end. Students will need to create a unique username and password while registering for the course and then, at your discretion, you issue the student a CCC. To make delivery of the codes more convenient, the NRA has created an email template that automatically updates with the student's information, the CCC, and instructions for completing the course. The email will be sent when the CCC is issued to the student. The Instructor-led portion of the Blended course will be conducted in the manner set forth in the Blended Course lesson plans that are available on your NRAInstuctors.org homepage. The reporting requirements and the printing of NRA Course Certificates will be identical between both courses and will be covered below.

Next, we will introduce the new NRA Basics of Pistol Shooting, Instructor Led Training (ILT). The defining feature of this course is the return to the traditional Instructor/student relationship. One major improvement is the flexibility to teach the full lesson plan or a condensed version which covers only one pistol action type (semi-auto or revolver). The lesson plans for ILT will be placed in the Lesson Plans/PowerPoints section on your NRAInstructors.org homepage. To maintain consistency across all NRA lesson plans, a Performance Requirements Checklist (PRC) is included. We strongly recommend that you use this form to document what you have taught your students, as well as record the students' acknowledgement that they are comfortable with each objective. If you conduct the condensed lesson plan covering a single pistol type, please document this clearly on the forms and keep them for your records. Please note that if you conduct the ILT version of the course, you are required to provide each of your students with a Basics of Pistol Shooting student packet. Packets will be available at the NRA Program Materials Center and consist of the NRA Guide: Basics of Pistol Shooting handbook and a course exam. Also note that if you conduct a single pistol action type course, you must report it as such in order to print the appropriate certificates, which will state Revolver or Semi-Automatic.

Once either version of the NRA Basics of Pistol Shooting course is completed, you will submit the electronic course report. This report will include your student's written exam score, the shooting skill level they achieved, and your acknowledgement that the student met all of the learning objectives as set forth by the curriculum. Once each of these elements is complete, you will be able to submit and print your report and the student's certificates. The certificates will be watermarked and prepopulated with your NRA Instructor ID number, your printed name below a signature line, date, serial number, student name, marksmanship skill level, pistol action type (if appropriate) as well as the signature of the NRA Secretary.

Please keep an eye on your NRAInstructors.org sign-in page. On April 4, 2017, there will be an acknowledgement page that pops up when you log into your account. This will be the notification that the enhancements are active, and you may begin to teach either course, as well as purchase Course Control Codes and student packets, whichever you chose.

Thank you for your continued commitment to NRA Training Programs.