>I'm taking a Global Knowledge course on the BCSN this Monday!
>If the instructor tries leaving early, I would NOT be as calm about it as
>you! My course is 5 days, but I will have someone's head if ANY of them are
>cut short :-)
>Although my company is flipping the bill for this, it is a lot of money, and
>if any class is cut short, I will expect either a full refund, or another
>course...
>I think you should be complaining to someone in administration!!!!!!!
>Get your money back! That is very unfair!
I have a somewhat midrange feeling in this. If you look at the
detailed Cisco course specification, you will find that "5 day"
courses are really 36 hours, 4 day are 28 hours, etc.
The historical reason for this is that traveling Cisco classes
historically have been given in hotels, which tend to have loading
docks that close by 5 or 6, and that air freight companies usually
won't pick up after then anyway. In the real world, training
partners can't afford not to have a lab in the new location on Monday
(assuming "5 day" classes). They MUST get it shipped on Friday.
Since the instructor typically needs a couple of hours to tear down
and pack the lab, it's unrealistic for a traveling lab to go later
than 2 or 3 PM on the last day.
Courses at permanent training centers do have an advantage.
The instructors among you will know that setup can even be worse.
Hotels, at least, will usually have adequate power, although it may
not be distributed well. If you ever need to get a hotel to
understand your electrical power requirements, keep saying "it has
the electrical requirements of a small rock band." Hotels understand
that.
Setting up for onsite courses, however, can be even worse. First,
it's often hard to get into the facility over the weekend. Second,
it's rare that there is a proper classroom. One memorable course
offering was at MCI's Atlanta training center. It turned out that
the room, in which I was teaching a 12-router lab, had one electrical
outlet. Not one dual outlet. A single connector, on a 20 amp circuit
shared somewhere. I had to move all the furniture and then run a maze
of extension cords just to get everything physically connected, at
which point the breaker blew. I then had to run extension cords to
the single outlets in other classrooms, hoping that the fire marshal
didn't catch me.
Although see below for my "hotel from hell" story. Honestly, I don't
remember if my employer was then PSC or Geotrain, but it was a
predecessor of GK.
Leaving at noon, however, is not warranted under most circumstances
with the standard Cisco courses. Not having taken the GK BGP course,
which is not an official Cisco course but GK developed, I don't know
how many hours it is actually designed for.
*** trip report from teaching an ACRC.
I am quite capable of being precise. There is a distinct
difference between the hotel from hell, and the hotel in hell.
The latter was evidenced at the truck stop outside Tampa,
which gave me fair warning when, on asking for directions
from the airport, was offered use of their free shuttle
cockroach.
Unfortunately, the Milford Plaza last week behaved as the
hotel from hell. In many cases, it was trying to assimilate
into the non-diabolical culture (if that describes Times
Square), but kept falling back to its origins in Hades.
There were repeated problems in the meeting room, security
for it, and in the general...ambience. See the evaluations;
most students complained about the site.
The evaluations mention this extensively.
Sunday, July 16
---------------
Arrived at main entrance. No doorman, which is a challenge
when luggage cart meets revolving door.
Struggled inside. Security guard showed up. I asked directions
to the elevator, and the guard snarled back "we only send that
down for handicapped [sic]." Pulled out my handicapped parking
placard, and continued getting an argument. Considered removing
my pants to show scars, since Dr. Guard apparently knew that
my hidden handicap was not a problem. Bellman showed up and
intervened, getting the elevator. Guard expressed her view
of the world by physically ejecting an elderly, non-English-speaking
couple who innocently got into the newly arrived elevator.
As a practical note, luggage carts are forbidden from the
escalator from the entrance to lobby level. There really is no
way to get luggage up the level, in their system, without
either getting the elevator or tipping a bellman.
Arrived in check-in line for usual 10-15 minute wait.
Got to room and rested briefly before starting class setup.
Discovered new meaning to "getting out of bed on the wrong side,"
as I put my feet into 1/2" of ice water that had leaked from the
air conditioner into the rug. Brrr. Scream. Curse. Change socks.
Tried to check email. No modular jack in room (which was requested).
Went to training room (Palace, presumably of an impoverished
pretender to a minor throne). Did partial setup. The room is
long and narrow, making it somewhat difficult to see boards
and screen. Seeing the whiteboards was especially difficult,
as they were approximately 3x4 feet each but their easels only
raised their bottoms to below desk height. Look at our whiteboards
in McLean; you will find they are much higher.
Monday, July 17
---------------
Shortly after class start, the training room phone rang. Operator
said there was a call for a student; I told her that she was
interrupting a class and to take a message and have it posted.
She refused, telling me they only took messages for guest rooms,
announced she would tell the caller that I refused to accept the
call, and hung up.
I went to the executive office to complain about this -- Viola
was not in -- and met the executive VP. He told me that their
new computer system indeed would only take messages for specific
rooms, but he would make arrangements to calls to be forwarded
to sales and sales would get messages to us. It may be coincidence,
but we received no messages all week. This VP also spoke
to the security chief, and found that the guard was a contractor
who was not following hotel procedures--and would not be back.
I attempted to fax the roster back to McLean, but had to get
back to class since I was behind the directors of tour groups
with 15-20 minute transactions. I eventually spoke to the
assistant manager, who first told me to get into the line and
wait, but eventually took my fax into the back.
Shades were missing from several windows in the classroom,
making it impossible to fully darken, and thus making it hard
to read the screen. New shades were installed after a complaint,
although holes had to be drilled for the shade closest to the
screen.
In this context, it was no surprise to find several bad cables.
I had just enough power strips -- remember that the New York
electrical union will disconnect power strips plugged into
other power strips, so we need more in New York.
Tuesday, July 18
-----------------
I observed that cleaners/caterers had removed the special
doorknob lock when servicing the room, and left it on the
instructor table. This persisted all week.
Friday, July 21
---------------
The air conditioning failed for about 45 minutes.
When I packed up, I found that the one leftover student kit
had disappeared. I knew it was in the room on Wednesday;
I don't know if a student took it or the housekeeper threw
it away. Cleanup began immediately after the students left,
and was somewhat underfoot.
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