What Makes Us Different By Andrew Georgitsis

What Makes Us Different
By Andrew Georgitsis

At UTD we started out by developing the highest set of standards in the
industry "Bar None". We then decided to build the largest resource of
information for students and instructors alike, so they could prepare,
develop and learn the knowledge and skills needed to be the best
divers and instructors. We then broke the overall learning process
into three major parts, 1) Skills Development, 2) Brain Development,
3) Experience Development. These three will make a diver more
competent, confident and comfortable. Ultimately they will be having
FUN. So we then developed a course structure that meets these needs.

By using a building block method we develop the personal skills and team
skills in classes like Essentials and Intro to Tech, where students can
truly develop the needed skills. That meets Skills Development. We then
developed classes that use critical skills training and drills that
develop the brain, so the divers become thinking divers. These
classes are Rec 3, Tech 1 and Tech 2, Overhead Protocols and so on. We then
build on top of that a series of classes that develop experience in the
environments and develop one's ability to apply the skills and the brain in
true environments. These class are Trimix 1 and 2, Cave 2 and 3 and Wreck 2 and 3
and so on. Ultimately the diver becomes and holds an Expedition Diver
card and will be able to dive any environment or condition or
exploration project in the world.

What makes UTD unique is that we provide the pre, during, and post
learning materials online (Online Classroom) from Rec 1 to Rec 3, Intro
to Tech to Trimix 2, Overhead Protocols to Wreck 3 and Cave 3, Scooter, Rescue,
and so on for students and instructors to pre-learn and reference
after the class, to ensure they understand the knowledge base long
before and after they attend a UTD (or any other agency’s) class. This ensures that all students and instructors are starting from a UNIFIED base. For the in-water class or portion we then have the highest quality and trained instructors who must attend a 10
day crossover - yes 10 days - to be retrained as a UTD Instructor.
These instructors not only attend an IDC but afterwards will spend
countless hours training and learning how to teach and what to teach,
ensuring that all UTD instructors are on the same page. In the "Instructor Resource"
on our website, instructors have
everything from a Procedures and Policies manual to a "Play Book," which details how to teach each skill and evaluate the skill. Also in the Resource are hours
of video on how to teach the dry runs
correctly. Ultimately UTD provides a quality control system that
asks each student to submit a quality control evaluation that is
reviewed - if any issues arise they are dealt with immediately.

This is just a small glimpse at what it takes but hopefully you get
the idea.

Andrew