by
Ron Craig
Instructor
Ryerson University Theatre School

As I walked into the university to deliver a Monday morning lecture, I was presented with a challenge, and an exciting welding opportunity.

It began with a question from the Chair of the Ryerson University Theatre School.   Could I teach 15-20 students how to weld in less than 40 hours, using only two GMAW welding machines? After considering for a moment, I answered that I didn’t know. No matter how I analyzed the problem, the logistics of teaching a large number of students with minimal resources was a significant challenge.

That afternoon, I examined the problem in detail. To begin with, the course would consist of 13 teaching sessions or 39 teaching hours. As a result, each student would receive less than 30 minutes of practical welding time per teaching session!  Since my time would be spent teaching the students to weld, how would I teach welding theory? Was it even possible to bring each student to an acceptable level of performance?

Because I had never taught a welding course or designed a welding curriculum, I decided to contact the Hobart Institute Of Welding Technology and request their welding training materials catalog.  This turned out to be the key to providing a quality welding course at Ryerson University Theatre School.

When most people think of theatre, they think of the performers -- actors or dancers who make the theatre a unique entertainment experience.  However, behind the scenes, talented technicians build the sets, fabricate special props and paint the scenery, creating the magic that transports audiences to different times or places.

The Ryerson Theatre School, located in Toronto Canada, offers a performing arts program, and a technical production program.  Students in the technical program study set construction, carpentry, special props building, sound production, and rigging.  Graduates of this program work in theatres throughout North America, providing technical skills that create the magic of live theatre. Welding would be a significant new skill for the students in the technical production program.

When the information arrived from The Hobart Institute, I examined the GMAW Curriculum. This curriculum includes videotapes that are keyed to a Student Workbook. The workbook reviews the material covered in the videotapes, and provides detailed instructions (with pictures) of the welding exercises the students perform. In addition, an Instructor’s Guide is included to help welding instructors organize their course.

I called Steve Houston, the Director of Curriculum Materials Development at Hobart, to discuss the course. If this material could be used as a self-teaching tool, students would be able to teach themselves theory, while I concentrated on teaching practical welding skills.  Steve was convinced that the students could view the videotapes, read the student workbook and learn the theory.  He pointed out that the videos clarified the written discussions in the student guidebook by providing actual close-up shots of the arc, demonstrations of proper technique, plus close-ups that illustrate weld quality and GMAW processes.  In addition, two multiple-choice tests are supplied with the course to assess the student’s knowledge of the material.

Confident that at least a part of my instructional problem was solved, I submitted a report to the Chair of the Theatre School, recommending that we proceed with the course.  The next step was to order the GMAW Curriculum from Hobart. When it arrived at the University, I was very impressed!

Relating to my own experience, I was taught to weld by an instructor who used “the talk and chalk” method of instruction: a dull lecture, with key points illustrated (poorly) on a blackboard.  Many of the students in my class had a difficult time understanding the lectures.  Most students had an even more difficult time reading the poorly written textbook that was NOT easy to understand.

The Hobart Institute training material was light years ahead of the instructional aids I used when I learned how to weld.  Subjects are presented logically, in bite- sized sections, making it easy to absorb the material.  More importantly, the information is very visual, permitting students to learn by actually seeing the techniques demonstrated.  Male and female voiceovers clearly explain the techniques, which also helps students understand the material. 

My next step was to develop a course outline.  Anyone who has struggled to create a course outline knows how difficult this step can be!  The Instructors Guide contains a curriculum that provides an excellent starting point.  In fact, by using this curriculum as a template, I created my course outline in 3 hours.  In addition, the Instructors Guide includes helpful information for instructors who are experienced, or just starting out.

Because of time constraints, I modified the Hobart course to meet my specific objectives.  For example, I decided to teach the students to weld in 3 positions only: flat position, vertical down, and horizontal.  Since the Hobart course is modular, I simply directed the students to read the material and view the topics that were relevant to these procedures.

The first day of the course was the real test of my planning.  I faced 14 students who had NO welding experience, and 1 student who was an accomplished welder.  I started the course by explaining how useful welding would be in their career, and how we were going to use the Hobart Gas Metal Arc Welding Basic Course as the basis for their instruction.  After viewing the section of the video that described the course overview, introduction and safety, we went to the welding area where the students watched as I ran a bead.

Next, I went into the welding booth with two students at a time and coached them as they ran their first weld bead.  At the end of the first session, I called their attention to the reading assignments that were detailed, by week, in the course outline.

In the next few weeks, a remarkable transformation took place.  Students who knew nothing about welding were becoming welders.  As they entered the booth, I asked them questions from the readings or the videotapes.  The questions I asked were taken from the Instructor’s Guide; by using these questions, I could determine if they were completing the readings and understanding the material.  I was amazed at their high level of retention, and mastery of the theory.  More importantly, they were able to run beads, and when they made a mistake, they were able to analyze what they had done wrong.

By week six of the course, the students had made significant progress.  Despite the limitations of only being able to weld less than 30 minutes per session, their skill mastery was excellent.  How did I accomplish this level of performance?

The key was the way I taught the students in the booth.  As one student welded, and another student observed, I coached the student.  This coaching involved actually correcting faults as they welded: “Your travel speed is too fast, slow down.”  “Your stick-out is too short, increase your stick out.”   “Watch your travel angle.”  When the student finished running the bead, I would say, “When your travel speed was too fast, look what happened to your bead;” or “See what happened when you corrected your travel speed?”

This one-on-one coaching significantly reduced the trial and error process that all students experience when they are trying to learn a new manipulative skill. Further, it encouraged students to ask questions, and immediately apply the necessary corrective measures.  By using this method, which involved immediate feedback, I was able to teach the student the necessary skills faster.

The only major change I made to the Hobart Institute course of study was to introduce the spray transfer process FIRST, instead of the short circuit transfer process.  I discovered that beginning welders are able to master spray transfer faster than short circuit, when actual welding time is limited.  However, once they have learned spray, the short circuit process is very easy for them to master. This innovation permitted me to teach the students faster, with better skill mastery.

By the end of the course, every student had reached a high level of skill.  The results of the multiple-choice tests indicated that they were mastering the theory. Their ability to solve welding problems certainly proved that the video modules were very successful in teaching students the fundamentals of welding technology.

I believe that any welding instructor can apply the Hobart material to their teaching methodology and achieve similar results.  Instructors are always under pressure to train welders faster.  The training materials from the Hobart Institute can help them achieve the goal of training entrance level welders to higher standards, faster.

Finally, the Hobart Curriculum provided me with another significant benefit.  I told the students we were using the Hobart GMAW Curriculum because it was world- class instructional material from one of the premier welding technology schools in the world.  This created a real desire in every student to master the course material, and do well.  In my opinion, this identification with the Hobart Institute can be an advantage for any welding instructor who is trying to motivate students and instill pride in the welding profession.

The first welding course at the Ryerson Theatre School exceeded my expectations.  The Hobart GMAW Curriculum contributed significantly to this success!

During the last class, an incident occurred that indicated how much the students had learned.  A complicated wooden stage set was being assembled in the shop.  One of my students looked at the set and remarked, “Instead of using wood to construct the supports, they should have used square tubing and welded flat plates on the top and bottom of the tubing to support the set. It would have been stronger, cheaper, and taken less time to build.”  As she left the shop, I knew another beginning level welder, armed with a new appreciation of welding technology, had entered the world.