Teaching Engineering to non-techs

[tonsofpcs]

We are planning to move our student-run TV station. Sometime soon and during the move, we may need to have a trained engineering staff working non-stop, as our automation system is being moved as is our master router (some other items are getting upgraded in the move). The old location will be functional during the move, so long as everything can route properly (as soon as I can, I am going to rewire some decks and TBCs so that I can bypass our master routers and use our old matrix router and patch bays). The problem comes here. Being student run, we are open to all students of all majors (mainly non-techs, due to the majors offered). In recent history, everything has been automated and there has been no manual playback, no manual traffic logging, no manual commercial insertion, etc. Not even the veterans know how to do any of this. I will need to recruit and train an engineering crew as well as some members of the traffic, programming, and production departments so that we can have edited tapes ready to air, airing properly, within spec, technically perfect (illegal video is pretty much the same as no video). I am planning on writing a short (10-30 page) technical manual and running a crash course, following it, for those brave souls who volunteer, but need sources for technical images to put into it, as well as ideas of exactly what I should put into it.

What do you feel is the most important thing to teach an Engineer how to do (and/or not to do)?
Do you have any ideas on a good way to introduce the concepts of the video waveform, audio levels, and calibration/proc-amp adjustment to non-techs (as well as techs who are unfamiliar)?
Do you know where I can get technical images to put into the manual?
Any other ideas?

Note: I feel I have a thorough grounding in all of the issues at hand (well beyond what they will need to know), but if you have any tips for engineers in general, I'll take them.

[smifis]

I'd get a group of students that will be running it and let nobody else run it.
after that i'd teach everyone the basics and make sure they can all do it.

find the people that are good in specific areas and give them more training in that area.

e.g. a group of people that will be in charge of setting the tv play list

others editing, post and pre production etc.

also get two people to be in charge and set task for everybody to do that should be done. don't get them to tell the people personally. get a message board so they can pin things up so then everybody will know what everyone should be doing. i'd allso get a seccond once so they can post requests like "Need crew to film documentry, see Tom".

Smifis

[Eric Adler]

Note: I am no longer with the station in question (I graduated and moved on) but feel that this topic will be useful to others in the same and similar positions

I'd get a group of students that will be running it and let nobody else run it. after that i'd teach everyone the basics and make sure they can all do it.

Unfortunately, in a station funded by the students through the student association, we tend to have a large array of students wanting to work but only able to work one night per week, we also cannot easily turn students away (unless the positions are already filled and the person wanting to work has done something to show they are not to be trusted). I ended up training over 200 persons on equipment operation, giving them a non-equipment-specific, detailed instruction on any and all equipment related to the area they wanted to work in.

find the people that are good in specific areas and give them more training in that area.

I did do this (well, based upon interest, not 'goodness', but the ones who stuck around after my in-depth "this is how NTSC works" training were the good ones)

e.g. a group of people that will be in charge of setting the tv play list

Unfortunately, very few people get involved in programming and traffic, we had a small staff who did this.

others editing, post and pre production etc.

They love to do this... until they realize exactly what is involved to stay in spec and meet deadlines and requirements.

also get two people to be in charge and set task for everybody to do that should be done. don't get them to tell the people personally. get a message board so they can pin things up so then everybody will know what everyone should be doing. i'd allso get a seccond once so they can post requests like "Need crew to film documentry, see Tom".

The station has a very intricate constitution and executive board to carry out the station mission. For each production, the producer is in ultimately responsible for his/her staff; for nightly news, there is a nightly producer and an overall news director.

[/quote]Smifis[/quote]

Thanks for the reply, hopefully this discussion will be of use to others