AIE Instance School/Curriculum

Information

Curriculum

Instructors

Classes

Advanced Instancing

Glossary

Graphics

Addons

Media

Class Formats

Boot Camps

Class size: 25
Level requirement: none
Instructors: 2 tagteaming, or 1 main and 1 moderating (moderator handles technical questions, watches chat, and decides which questions to answer with whispers and which to hand to the instructor)
Time: 45 minutes
Location: outside of an instance

Attendees will learn:

• What an instance is
• What a party is
• What a raid is
• What a healer is
• What a tank is
• What dps is
• What aggro is
• What classes can heal
• What classes can tank
• What classes can dps
• Which classes can have multiple roles
• What each individual class and spec brings to the party composition
• How to find a group
• What a summoning stone is
• How to handle a jerk
• What to do if you die
• What loot is
• What BOE and BOP are
• When to Need, Greed, or Disenchant
• That there are different ways to handle loot
• Why to use vent
• What addons will be expected in other instance school classes
• Etiquette for contacting instructors
• How to sign up for a class

Optional additional topics:

• How to get feedback on your new 80's specs and gear (things like elitist jerks)
• Where to research instances so you're not going in blind

Instance 102

Class size: 2 (or 3) students, each of a different role
Level requirement: ???
Instructors: 2 (or 3). The two main instructors will be of the same role, and have experience in the same spec, as each of the two main students. The fifth spot is for an instructor or student who is learning by observing or assisting. The two main instructors may play their main specs to demonstrate, but will mostly play offspec to teach. Students learn by doing.
Time: 1-1.5 hours
Location: an instance

Students will learn:

• What aggro is and who is responsible for the tank keeping it (hint: every party member is equally responsible)
• Where the tank should be
• Where the healer should be
• Where casters should be
• Where melee should be
• How to tell you're standing in stupid
• What crowd control is
• What raid icons are and their standard meanings

Tanks will learn:

• Techniques for building threat and maintaining aggro
• Where to stand
• How to pull
• How to care for your healer
• How to communicate with the group
• What kinds of crowd control are available, what kinds of mobs they are effective on, and when to ask for them (please don't let that caster in the corner kill your healer)
• When to mark

DPS and Healers will learn:

• What talents your class has for reducing threat
• What talents your class has for crowd control
• How to avoid the special ways your class accidentally wipes a group (pets taking the long way, stealth being seen through by dogs, etc)
• When it's okay to start healing or dps'ing
• When AOE is a bad idea

Instructor Tips

Starting class:
Plan to be early in order to be as on time as possible. Expect that someone will arrive late. Expect technical problems.

While waiting for people who are late or are resolving technical issues, ask those who are present to do something that will help you teach them. This way their time is not being wasted by the person who is late. These things can include talking to each other to come up with questions, reading over the class description for reminders of what will be covered, bookmarking and/or watching some videos that will inspire questions now and help reinforce points later--these are just some examples, please share additional ideas.

Once everyone is there, briefly introduce yourself including your role and your experience. Briefly describe what the class will cover. Aim for a max of 5 minutes. The class is not about you :D

Ask the students to introduce themselves. For efficiency of time, this will probably work best if you cue each person, or have them roll to determine introduction order. Ask them to share their name, class, and what they want to make sure the class covers. Write that down, and when you cover it, ask that person specifically if they feel their question has been answered.

Ask questions:
Ask questions. Wait for answers. Be silent and count to 30 while you wait. What feels like forever of waiting to you is a millisecond to someone who is trying to phrase a question, or to someone whose lag only just got your question to them.

Do stuff:
At least every 5 minutes, stop for questions, ask for feedback from the students, demonstrate something, or ask students to demonstrate something. Ask students to type '1' if they feel confident about something you just explained, and '2' if they aren't ready to move on.

Good questions to ask:

• How did that feel?
  
• What went well?
  
• What would you like to do better next time?
  

Take a break:
After about 1/2 hour, consider taking a break. Specify what server time to return by. Let parents take care of their kids, get yourself a fresh glass of water, etc.

For Practice
Not sure where to put this, but here is a screenshot of where to go to find practice mobs. They are yellow and flow like water, up to 5 at a time. (Quick note: these are the Mobs that become the red mobs, Converted Heroes, in The Conflagration. - Cyrashin)

Additionally, here's a quick video clip of the mobs in action so you can see what to expect:

http://yfrog.us/78icecrownthevalleyoffallz

I'm just going to put this here since Deci has the map up. If you go to the south in the Conflagration, by the wall, there are large amounts of elite mobs that could possibly be used in simulations. It is possible to pull them one at a time although it may require some clearing in a spot for the group. The Mobs are called Skeletal Reavers. This area is 44,64 and the surrounding area. -- Cyrashin

An area with a decent amount of casters is The Desolation Gate, 56,28 and the surrounding area.

Classrooms

Instances:

Utgarde Keep
Drak Tharon Keep
Forge of Souls

Northrend Zones
Icecrown