Advisory Program

A Divepod is a small group of people who learn together and deep-dive into interesting topics.

Learning How To Learn

The Divepod Advisory Program is an adaptive learning program designed for teenagers (age 16+) and young adults who are interested in computer science and technology. Each student is paired with an advisor to discover topics that are interesting to them and to design a custom learning plan. As a student learns and improves, the advisor helps adapt the plan to the student’s needs and introduces new topics. The program will be an opportunity for students to develop skills in self-directed learning, which allows them to be independent and drive their own education based on personal interests and goals. A core outcome we hope to achieve is that students form a positive relationship with learning and become more confident in tackling challenging problems that are important to them. We believe these skills and experiences are crucial for long-term success and mental wellbeing in an uncertain and rapidly changing world.

The Divepod Model

A central component to the program is the Divepod Advisor - a new class of educators that is unlike those that students have encountered in traditional school systems. In today's education landscape, educators such as teachers and professors are instructors who are responsible for a specific subject matter (like math, biology, physics, etc). As a result, instructors are tied to a fixed curriculum, class, or set of content and most are responsible only for content delivery within a timeframe. Whether or not the materials are relevant to the student's interests is not their responsibility. In contrast, Divepod advisors are tied to individual students and are responsible for helping students guide their own education. Advisors work with the student to follow their interests, have full control over the instructional materials used, and are given broad flexibility to adapt to the student’s needs. Each advisor works with a small number of students (6-12 students per advisor over the entire program) so they can spend the necessary amount of time and attention to build trust and to understand the needs of each student.

Program Structure

The program is organized in seasonal batches lasting approximately 3 months per batch. Students can choose to attend one or multiple batches. For example, the Summer batches are great programs for students who have traditional school commitments. Alternatively, a year long program (4 batches) is ideal for students interested in a gap year experience. Since each program is tailored to a student, the exact start and end dates are flexible. The advisor will work with the student to accommodate travel plans, school schedules, and other commitments. Being adaptable and creating opportunities are important aspects of the program.

Before a student commits to a program, there will be an interview process where students and their families can meet and chat with an advisor. The goal is help students develop an understanding of the program goals, their advisor’s background, and what to expect in the first few weeks. A student and the advisor must mutually decide to work together. Some students may decide that the program is not for them after the interview.

If a student decides to commit to a program, they can expect to meet with their advisors 1-on-1 on a weekly basis once the program starts. Typically, there will be more meetings early on in the program. Advisors are also available via text chat and other types of collaboration platforms.

The Advisory Program is currently designed for students interested in computer science and technology. Naturally, this subject area covers a broad domain with many different paths of exploration. Most students will likely start with an introductory bootcamp in programming, if needed, and branch out to subject areas that interest them (machine learning, computer hardware, operating systems, etc). If a student needs support in a more fundamental area (ex. logic, statistics, etc), the advisor will work with them to expand and evolve the learning plan.

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The Advisory Program is offered in two versions:

Remote

The remote program will be organized primarily via online platforms, such as Google Meets and Slack. This stream is designed for students who are more comfortable with virtual learning or cannot travel to Toronto, Canada.

Remote program fees are approximately $6,300 CAD / €4,000 EUR / $4,500 USD + applicable taxes per batch.

In-person

The in-person program will be held in Toronto, Canada. It is ideal for students who already reside in the area. Although the format will be similar to the remote program, there will be additional opportunities to attend in-person meetings and events in the downtown Toronto area. Students are expected to organize their own accommodations and transportation.

Program fees are approximately $8,400 CAD / €5,400 EUR / $6,000 USD + HST per batch.

If a student decides to commit to either stream, there is a non-refundable deposit of 10% of the program fees to secure a spot. In the first month of the program, we'll provide a full refund minus the deposit if a student decides that the program isn't for them.

Common Pre-requisites

Students are best prepared to start the program if ...

• They have a basic understanding of mathematics (arithmetic, algebra, and geometry).
• They are proficient in English. A big part of the learning process would involve reading and writing.
• They have access to a desktop or laptop computer running a modern operating system.

Most of the materials needed (books, tutorials, etc) can usually be accessed online for free. Part of the experience is learning how to be resourceful in acquiring instructional materials. In some cases, students may choose to purchase these materials (ex. a hardcover textbook or a microcontroller kit) themselves if there are no good alternatives. Although not required, we highly recommend students get access to a local public library.

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How do you define success? What's the basis for this model of education?

One of our core missions is to develop students into effective self-learners, leaders, and decision-makers. Education is a life-long endeavour and does not end when you graduate from formal schooling. Students are more successful when they become independent learners who can thrive in the uncertainties of the real world. One can argue that, eventually, every one of us must rely on self-directed education.

In order to help students learn how to learn, we need to think differently. The book Teaching as a Subversive Activity, by Neil Postman, describes a basic model which we've adapted and modified. Some of the design criteria for this model are almost opposite of what people typically think of as “education”:

• An adaptive model that evolves with a student's interests and goals over time. Students work cooperatively with each other and with their advisors.
• Advisors assist students with the learning process. They help students initiate the cycle of inquiry, which involves asking questions, seeking answers, and self-evaluations. This process often leads to additional questions, for example: “what is the ‘right’ answer?”, “according to whom?”, and “how do they know?”
• Students are not labeled against others (ex. percentile-based brandings such as "top 10% percentile") and forced to compete with their peers for attention and approval. There are no marks or grades. Exams and tests are not mandatory, but are available to students for self-assessment.
• Being wrong and making mistakes is a natural part of learning and exploration. Discovering flaws in one’s thinking is not punished and recognized as a point of learning. Students should not associate learning with pain, fear, and judgement.

In our experience working with engineers and researchers, we've found that people's self-directed learning experiences were much better indicators of creativity, critical thinking, and productivity than school credentials. Most of our current school systems are based on a factory model of delivering structured pre-defined curriculums. They rarely afford students the opportunities to learn via asking self-driven questions and to think through to an answer at their own pace. Students simply are not encouraged nor trained to learn independently. Often, due to the punishment-based incentive structures, students develop negative relationship with learnings. Upon graduation, they experience the reality shock of lacking the skills to deal with the real world, which is dynamic and full of uncertainty. Predictably, students suffer huge cognitive dissonance and often feel lost.

With the Advisory Program, we hope to show students that they are more capable than they think, that the dynamism and uncertainties of our world makes it interesting, and that they have the agency to drive their own education to make themselves successful.

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How do I know if a student would be a good fit?

The Divepod Advisory program is currently designed for students in high school or college/university. It's great for those who want something more dynamic and tailored than a fixed curriculum course. Students who are already enrolled in a college/university program, especially in a non-technical field, will find this program useful in developing their computer science skillsets for applications in other domains. Overall, a student would be a good fit if they have an interest to drive their own education, particularly:

• Students who are curious about how computers work and what these technologies can do. These interests may include non-technical skills that are important for technologists, such as building teams/communities, managing conflicts, and how to communicate and persuade.
• Students who are bored at school and need a challenge. As the advisor adapts to the student, the workload will adapt as well to a level that is effortful but not excessive.
• Students who want to learn the impact of computer science and technology in society. There are few areas in life which are not influenced by technology. Even if students do not pursue a technical career, we hope they will use the skills and intellectual confidence developed during the program to continue their education on their own terms.

If you're uncertain, we recommend you email us to arrange a call. There's no commitment and no cost for the initial consultation. There are many factors that determine if the program will be a good fit, which includes the goals of the student and availability of advisors.

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What are qualities that make good advisors?

Divepod advisors are fundamentally experts at self-directed learning. They advise students on the learning process rather than specific subjects. Good advisors understand the balance between effort, which is core to learning, and frustration. They develop mutual trust to show students how to unlearn bad habits acquired from prior experiences. Great advisors build confidence and help students tackle things that seem insurmountable. In some ways, the ultimate goal of an advisor is to make themselves obsolete.

A great advisor may not necessarily be the most prestigious or high-profile individual. They are almost always great self-learners who have significant amounts of self-directed experiences. For example, a student struggling to understand how a computer system works may not be best served by an award-winning computer science researcher operating on the cutting edge. The researcher’s perspectives will be too narrow and advanced to be useful for the student. A person who is great at instructional and research work does not necessarily have the patience nor empathy needed to be an effective advisor. Sometimes, good advisors may be people who are also self-learning in an area of interest but are a few years ahead. They have dealt with the same issues as the student and have a more intuitive understanding of beginners.