PSIA-AASI’s “E-Learning Course for New Instructors” is now available, just in time to help with new-hire training and give first-year and prospective instructors an early understanding of how to succeed on snow.

This e-learning course is designed as a tool to help onboard new hires and to complement the on-snow training new instructors may receive at a snowsports school hiring clinic.

“It’s a high-level overview about what it means to be a new instructor,” said PSIA-AASI Education Development Specialist Aleisha Padilla Seubert. “It was designed specifically for people who are thinking about getting into teaching, or have already started to work as an instructor and want to get up to speed before they teach their first lesson on the hill.”

The new course is FREE to all PSIA-AASI members and non-members who are beginning a role as a snowsports instructor. The course introduces new hires to three key aspects of being an instructor before working on the slopes, such as working as a professional, how to work with guests, and on-the-job safety.

“It provides a great summary of the teaching cycle and learning partnership on which we base our teaching methodologies,” said Padilla Seubert, who added that the course was created with the input of several ski and snowboard school directors, current information in the PSIA-AASI technical manuals, and with safety content from the National Ski Areas Association (NSAA).

The E-Learning Course for New Instructors is the first online course in PSIA-AASI’s Learning Management System, which will also eventually include a course to help instructors prepare for Level I alpine and snowboard certification, a course on PSIA’s 5 Fundamentals of Alpine Skiing, additional training for all disciplines, and much more.

“This is really just the tip of the iceberg in terms of the resources we’re working to provide PSIA-AASI members and snowsports school directors,” said Padilla Seubert. “We want to provide a level of comprehension and consistency that benefits everyone involved, that also saves time so instructors can focus on their work on the snow.”

This course can be found on www.thesnowpros.org, under Education > E-Learning. A certificate of completion is included in this course so that instructors and hiring managers can check for understanding.