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Hello Angelica!

I hope this message finds you well!

I have included Christie in this email because the subject of this message is in the area of training courses. I think you’re the right person for these matters, right? If not, tell me who is the person is helping Angelica with this issue. We have something very important to talk about, and there is a certain urgency because it is about approving courses for July.

During the analysis of the courses that will be offered in July in Brazil, our attention was drawn to the offer of cello 1 in hybrid mode, that is, with places for teachers to register both online and in person. When talking to the course organizers, we asked how they were thinking about managing participants, because the face-to-face course only accepts 15 places, and after that, it is no longer possible to include participants. The answer was that they would create two rosters for the same course, one for the 15 in-person places and another for the 10 online places, so that the course would be offered to up to 25 people.

In the 2021 “Teacher Development Guidelines” document, there is no information on how to proceed about the number of places in hybrid courses. I certainly understand that opening two rosters to accommodate all participants is not the desired option. But as there is this flaw in the system, any organizer or teacher trainer can open more than one list for courses of the same nature and on the same dates, being able to offer places beyond those allowed for their courses.

I imagine that this is not the first case that people understand that the hybrid course allows the addition of participants from both formats. And I don’t blame the organizers, nor TT, for understanding that this can happen, as nothing is saying it can’t. In fact, there is not a single line that explains the number of participants (and other rules) for the hybrid format.

So I would like to know how SAA has positioned itself in these situations, because this was the first time that this format appeared here, and we need to align strategies. What type of arguments can AMSBrasil use to approve courses in Brazil, to maintain the quality and the same requirements of the hybrid courses that are offered in other countries? 

I apologize for asking for a certain urgency in responding, but as the courses are about to be approved, we need to know how SAA has been dealing with hybrid courses.

If you prefer, we can speak by call or video.

Have a great day!
Araceli