Basic Public Education Committee
This site is provided as a means of communications with the USPS National Basic Public Education Committee (BPECom). We welcome your questions and comments on our public courses and associated materials.
R/C Eugene E. Molteni, SN
Stf/C John A. Sherrick, JN
Stf/C Pablo Prieto, SN
Topics
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Course Pages
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News
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June 2009 Boating Class Reports available for printing or download. (04 Jul 09)
PDF Files Excel Files - "This is USPS" Presentation
On the ABC 3 Instructor CD is a presentation called “This is USPS”. There are three slides #’s 19, 20 and 21 that state that a member can receive discounted software from Tech Soup. That is not correct. The software donation program is only for Squadron use.
Please inform your SEO and those who do the membership presentation at your classes to delete these three slides. This was mentioned at the DEO meeting in Anaheim but still seems to cause problems. (03 Jun 09)
- America's Boating Course, 3rd Edition, Computer Settings
Recent security enhancements by Adobe and Microsoft require that the default computer settings be changed to permit the ABC3 Courseware CD to run. If you experience difficulties, you should download this file (PDF, 85KB) and follow it carefully. IBM PC computers must use Windows Internet Explorer and change the default values as outlined in the download. Macintosh computer users must run in "IBM PC Compatibility" mode and also use Internet Explorer with its default values changed. (26 Apr 09)
- Changes Needed to Instructors PowerPoint CD for Americas Boating Course 3rd Edition
The first change is to replace Slide 26 in Section 12 – VHF Radio (PPT, 6793KB), if you are using Windows Vista as your operating system. The codec used to record this slide is no longer recognized by computers running Windows Vista. There is no problem with machines running Windows XP.
The second change is in the ABC3 menu slides for Chapter 4. There is an embedded hyperlink between Trailering and PWC operation that should not be there. You can simply remove it and delete the box. If it does not bother you or your instructors, just be aware that it is there and that you do not click on it. (03 Apr 09)
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ABC 3rd Edition Posters. Two sizes of posters are available at no charge to advertise your ABC 3rd Edition courses. They come in 8.5" x 11" and 11" x 14" sizes. Order them using the Free Brochures Order Form. (24 Feb 09)
- Reporting Boating Classes
With the release of America’s Boating Course - 3rd Edition, some changes need to be made in how classes are reported on the ED-27 form. There is no change in the way The Squadron Boating Course or Boat Smart is reported on the ED-27 form.
For ABC 3 the following should be done:
For those students who take the 8 hour version of ABC 3 it should be reported as ABC. For those who take the 12 hour, navigation portion, report the class as The Squadron Boating Course. The old ABC course should also be reported as ABC.
We are doing this so as to be able to track the boating course statistics from year to year. It will take about a year before there is no more reporting for Boat Smart courses and about two years before there are no more The Squadron Boating Course reports. We'll revise the reporting when all that reporting is done.
Questions should be directed to the Chairman of the Basic Public Education Committee, R/C Gene Molteni, SN. (03 Feb 09)
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America's Boating Course—3rd Edition (ABC3) Chapter Review Answers. The homework answers (PDF, 13 KB) with references were inadvertently left out of the Instructor's Manual (IM) for ABC3. They are on the student disk for those who do home study of the course. Please get this information to all who need it as soon as possible. We will be adding a separate sheet to the IM for future deliveries. (09 Jan 09)
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Basic Boating Skills CD
There is a problem with the Basic Boating Skills CD 6.2 and earlier with Chapter 3 VHF Radio audio slides when run on Windows Vista based machines. The slides for Call Demonstration, Mayday, Pan-Pan and Securite do not play. Vista does not recognize the compression technology used in these slides. There are no problems with XP machines. If you are using Chapter 3 PowerPoint on a Vista based machine, please substitute these 4 PowerPoint slides (4818KB) for those on the Basic Boating Skills CD Chapter 3. (03 Jan 09)
- America’s Boating Course 3rd Edition
America’s Boating Course 3rd edition has arrived at Headquarters. The catalogue number for the student kit is 03-73-110. The Student Manual includes the Student computer aided instruction CD and the Maptech CD. The cost to the Squadrons is $22.00.
ABC 3 has 2 new exams, ABC 3 Exam 1 (02-73-118) and Exam 2 (02-73-119). Exam 1 is the primary exam and exam 2 is to be given to a student who fails the first exam. The answer keys remain the same. Please remember to order the exams and the answer sheets with your course material.
All the brochures that you normally hand out in class are now on a “Free Brochure Order Form” located on the Educational Department home page under “Order Course Materials”.
The Instructor Manual (03-73-111) includes a completely new set of PowerPoint presentations. The cost for the IM kit is also $22.00 dollars and includes all the student material, instructor manual and PowerPoint CD. There are no free instructor manuals for this course.
The Squadron Materials Catalog has been updated with all the new item numbers.
Questions should be directed to the Chairman of the Basic Public Education Committee, R/C Gene Molteni, SN. (Updated 05 Jan 09) -
America's Boating Course 3rd Edition. Many of you have asked what the new America’s Boating Course layout will look like. This PDF file (196KB) shows the chapter layout and a preliminary teaching plan that can be used to by instructors for the NASBLA required material. As a reminder the student will get a CD that leads them through the NASBLA portion of the course. The NASBLA portion of the course will take a full four sessions to complete. We are still on schedule to have the manuals at Headquarters by November 1, 2008. Questions may be directed to R/C Gene Molteni, SN, Chairman of the Basic Public Education Committee. (06 Sep 08)
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Revised Slides for The Squadron Boating Course Presentation. See the Download section of The Squadron Boating Course web page for an update to this presentation. (05 Mar08)
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Boating Course Recruiting Aid. A five slide recruiting aid is provided here for all squadrons. The purpose of the presentation is to attract students, considered to be high potential members, from the 8-hour Squadron Boating Class to a follow-on class on charts and digital waypoint navigation. There is PowerPoint presentation (1293KB, PPT) and Instructor Notes (1477KB, PDF). (07 Nov 07)
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Exam Administrator Information for All USPS Public Boating Courses. See the important summary sheet of exam administrator information (57KB, PDF). (10 Jul 07)
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Running the Maptech Digital Chart Training CD under Vista. Maptech's Offshore Navigator (and related products, such as Offshore Navigator Lite and Chart Navigator Viewer) was created long before Microsoft Windows Vista was released. As you may be aware, Microsoft Vista is designed to restrict access to certain core components of the operating system, in order to make the system more robust and secure. Unfortunately, by doing this, older applications must be run "As Administrator" and in "Windows XP Compatibility Mode" in order to function correctly. Click on the following link to get instructions for how to do this http://www.maptech.com/support/emailed.doc.cfm?docat=573.24. Just a reminder, once you have this Chart Navigator software on this CD loaded and operating, you can download and use any charts you would like from Maptech following the “Download - Free NOAA Charts” link on this page. (12 Apr 07)
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Special Update and Information Package. This 8-page document (40KB, PDF) provides information necessary to conduct short eight (8) hour and longer twelve (12) hour boating courses for the public using The Squadron Boating Course . The document provides course syllabuses for both formats, as well as instructor manual and exam information.
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Updates and Tips. The current status of public course updates and a Chart Smart recommendation is available here (PDF, 13 KB).
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Public Courses Roadmap. Several USPS public boating course items are being phased out and others are being updated. Download a summary (PDF, 25 KB) of planned updates and direction.
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The Best Public Boating Course Afloat. It pays to advertise, so get the word out that USPS has the the best public boating course afloat (PDF, 19KB). (31 Dec 05)
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Important Information Concerning Digital Charting CDs Packaged with USPS Courses. Read the PDF file (8KB) that contains information regarding updates for the Digital Charting CDs included with The Squadron Boating Course, Piloting, and Advanced Piloting. (28 Dec 05)
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New Jersey Addendum for Boating Courses Is Mandatory. An addendum from the state of New Jersey must be included with all editions of The Squadron Boating Course, Boat Smart, and America's Boating Course. This is a mandatory requirement from the state of New Jersey, and must be taught with all the above courses. The addendum, available from USPS Headquarters at no cost, may be ordered from the Squadron Materials catalog. (28 Aug 04)
Public Boating Programs
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The Squadron Boating Course is our primary civic effort toward public instruction in the fundamentals of safe boating. Both short (8-hour) and long (12-hour) formats are designed to familiarize the student with the fundamentals of safe boating and qualify for certification in most states that require boating education before operating a watercraft. Subjects include:
- Boat handling under normal conditions
- Adverse conditions and emergencies
- Types of boats and boating terminology
- Required and recommended equipment
- Boating regulations and navigation rules
- Lines and knots
- Charts and aids to navigation (in 12-hour format only)
- Piloting techniques (in 12-hour format only)
- Marine radiotelephone usage
- Trailer boating
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America's Boating Course (ABC) is a joint effort between the United States Power Squadrons and the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary that some squadrons teach in lieu of or in addition to The Squadron Boating Course. Information for instructors and assistants is available from the ABC information page.
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Seminars address specific boating topics and needs of interest to both members and the public in a two-hour format. Squadrons conduct seminars to provide specific information to its members and the public, and to increase awareness of USPS knowledge, skills, and abilities to the public. Seminars also serve as excellent public relations fora from which to entice new members. Information for instructors and assistants is available from the Seminars information page.
Paddle Smart
Paddle Smart is a new USPS seminar on a series of topics created especially for paddle sports. There is also a related (but more for the public) Paddle Smart web site, which has been in existence for some time. Web site topics include:
- Navigation Rules with emphasis on kayaks, canoes, etc.
- Personal Flotation Devices (life jackets)
- Charts and Maps
- Homeland Security
- Weather and its impact on paddlers
- Electronics for paddlers including GPS, cell phones, etc.
Questions or Comments?
If you have any questions or comments about any of the public boating courses, please contact the National Basic Public Education Committee chair by e-mail, phone or postal service mail. Please be sure to keep your SEO and/or DEO advised of any correspondence you may have with the National committee. Addresses for the National BPECom chair are listed in The ENSIGN and on the Committee Chairpersons page.
We will try to answer your questions as soon as possible, but please allow 5 working days for an answer.
Anyone wishing to provide input on these courses, please contact the committee chair.
If you are interested in becoming a member of this committee, submit a resume on-line at the Committee on Nominations web site.
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