Policy: Classes

Purpose

Members of ENTS and the general public have the opportunity to gain knowledge provided by instructors at ENTS. This document serves to standardize the way classes are operated at ENTS. ENTS wishes to be as flexible as is reasonable to enable and encourage instructors and organizers to run classes at ENTS. If there are concerns with any sections of this framework then please bring it to our attention.

General

• A class is generally considered a class when there are one or more instructors/presenters describing a topic to a collection of people for a duration of time, usually for a fee. The board will use discretion to ensure casual conversation and similar instances are not considered classes.
• Prospective instructors must provide the Board of Directors with a proposal for their class. This proposal must include the following, although more information is acceptable. A sample proposal can be found at the end of this document.
  • The purpose of the class (What will students gain/learn?)
  • The instructors and organizers of the class
  • A course outline for each of the sessions. This needs to outline major topics that will be covered in each session. The Board of Directors will request more information if the outline is insufficient. (“Build things” is not suitable - provide more detail such as “Build the base for the machine”)
  • A cost breakdown detailing the cost of materials, cost of instruction, and any other applicable costs.
  • The member benefit and the non-member benefit. This is not limited to a monetary value (such as non-members paying more) and may include items such as, but not limited to, pre-built equipment or one-on-one instruction.
• The instructor(s) must be approved by the board as part of the proposal.
• The class registrants must use the event listing under the ENTS Eventbrite account if the class is hosted on Eventbrite. Other registration options will be advertised on a class-by-class basis.

Proposal Process

• The Board of Directors will approve or deny a proposal for a class. The Board of Directors may optionally request amendments to the proposal.
• Approval of a proposal by the Board of Directors does not approve the class to be run. The class organizer(s) and the Board of Directors must come to an agreement on the following:
  • The material cost for the class, if applicable
  • The instructor cost for the class, if applicable
  • The member and non-member benefit. ENTS requires a portion of the benefit to be monetary such that the following conditions are met. The Board may waive these conditions on a per-course basis.
    • ENTS receives 10% of the base (member) price.
    • An additional fee of $40 CAD per non-member per month (or per 4 sessions, whichever cost is less) is applied.
  • The timeline for the distribution of funds, if applicable
    • ENTS will be holding the funds collected from Eventbrite in trust. The Board of Directors and the class organizer(s) must come to an agreement on when the funds are distributed to the organizer(s).
    • The default timeline shall be the following:
      • 80% of the funds collected for materials or supplies will be released by ENTS at the close of registration. The Board of Directors may alter this rate as they see fit.
      • 50% of the funds collected to cover the instructor cost is to be distributed to the organizer(s) half-way through the class.
      • The remaining funds collected will be distributed to the organizer(s) on the last day of class.
      • The portion of funds destined for ENTS will be distributed to ENTS on the last day of class..
      • ENTS will hold the funds in trust until all parties have been appropriately compensated.
  • The cancellation policy, if applicable
    • The default cancellation policy shall be the instructor is able to cancel the running of the class at any point up until 1 week prior to the first day of the class. ENTS will reimburse registrants as applicable and no further funds will be distributed to the organizer(s). Any funds distributed up to the point of cancellation must be returned to the applicable parties as requested by the Board of Directors.
    • Failing to run the class (not showing up, for example) or cancelling outside of the acceptable period may affect the ability for the organizer(s) to operate classes at ENTS in the future.
    • The Board of Directors may terminate the continuation of the class at any point. The Board of Directors will use discretion when deciding if registrants are to be reimbursed and whether or not the remaining funds are to be disbursed to the event organizer(s) upon termination of a class.
  • The registration period for the class
    • The default registration period shall be 1 month
  • The start and end dates for the class, as well as the schedule for the class, if applicable. For example, the class may run for 5 nightly sessions on Fridays.
    • If the end date may be changing or unreasonably estimated please indicate as such.
  • The course outline for each of the class sessions
  • The member and non-member benefits for the class
  • Any other details as the Board of Directors see fit. Discretion shall be used.

Registration

• Students must register for the class through the Eventbrite event provided by ENTS or through the alternative registration process as advertised for the class.
• Students must register within the registration period specified for the class, if a registration period is defined.
• ENTS shall provide some notice to members about the class. This may include, although not limited to, social media accounts, emails, or posters within the facility.
• The acceptance of students after the registration period for the event is at the discretion of the instructor(s) for the course, or as defined in the agreement between ENTS and the class organizer(s). Funds/fees collected from students accepted after the registration period are subject to the disbursement schedule defined in the agreement between ENTS and the class organizer(s) at the discretion of the Board of Directors.

Evaluation of the class

• The Board of Directors may ask students of the class to provide feedback that directly relates to the class. For example, the Board of Directors may ask students to fill out a survey asking to rate the quality of instruction for the class.
• The Board of Directors may use feedback collected from the students, instructors, and other parties to determine if future classes will be accepted. In general, the Board of Directors encourages running classes multiple times.

SAMPLE CLASS PROPOSAL

Feel free to use this sample as a template when proposing your own class. Please provide as much information as possible. If you feel as though something is missing from this sample, please add it to your own proposal. Please note that this is a sample and may have unrealistic figures, timelines, and expectations.

ENTS Class Proposal: How to run an effective class

Instructors: John Doe, Jane Doe, Sally Smith

Organizers: John Doe, Jane Doe, Sally Smith

Expected Duration: 2 sessions on consecutive Saturday afternoons

Summary

ENTS members and the general public, by the end of this class, will have an understanding on what it takes to run an effective class at ENTS. Students will also gain an understanding of the procedures and policies surrounding the operation of a class at ENTS.

Class Costs

Instructor cost: $10/student distributed among the 3 instructors.

Material cost: $10/person for provided class materials, pens, and paper.

Member Registration Cost: $20 ($0 goes to ENTS)

Non-Member Registration Cost: $40 ($20 goes to ENTS)

Course Outline

DAY 1: 4 hours

• (1.5 hours) Explanation of a class
• (1 hour) How amazing classes can be for members and the society
• (1.5 hours) Introduction to the policies and procedures at ENTS
• Homework: Write a sample proposal for a class to be held at ENTS

DAY 2: 4 hours

• (1.5 hours) Review proposals to ensure compliance with policies
• (1.5 hours) Peer-review of proposals (1 group acts as the Board of Directors, the other is the organizer. Switch roles at the halfway point)
• (1 hour) Discussion about the approval process the Board of Directors takes