Class FAQs

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Class and Classroom FAQs

Participant Questions

PQ1. Where can I find the schedule for classes?
A. Classes and events are listed on the Events Calendar.

PQ2. Why doesn’t a class appear on the Events Calendar when the instructor says they’ve submitted it?
A. Classes and events do not appear on the Calendar until the review period has expired. When an Instructor submits a class that has an Honorarium it remains in a Review Queue for 72 hours. If no auditor rejects it, it gets automatically approved after 72 hours. If Non-honorarium - 48 hours. This is how classes that don’t support DMS’ educational mission are weeded out.

PQ3. I registered for a class, and then I inadvertently pressed the red CANCEL button. Now it won’t let me re-register. What can I do?
A. Sorry, but there isn’t anything you can do. Once you have cancelled your registration there is no way to re-register. You will have to wait for another session of that class.

PQ4. I can't make it to a class for which I am registered. What should I do?
A. Two things:

  1. Go to the calendar as soon as possible and cancel. This will free up your space for another participant, and it is disrespectful to the instructor to just "no show". If you cancel within the cancellation deadline (varies by class - selected by the instructor), you will receive a refund for any pre-paid fee.
  2. If you are cancelling from a filled class within a couple days of that event, please go to the Talk Forum and post that there is an opening in the specific class.


PQ5. How can I tell whether I have been recorded as completing a specific tool certification? (How to look up AD Group)

A. Classes that grant "tool certifications" are recorded through the Active Directory (AD) system. (This is not relevant to all classes). To access certain tools and to take some advanced classes you need to be recorded as a member of the relevant "AD group". This happens automatically when you complete the requisite training (and the instructor approves you on the Calendar system).

  • You can check this using one of the specially-configured kiosks in the Common Room.
  • You can sign in to this link using your DMS account information and see your AD Group membership.



PQ6. A class requires a prerequisite. How can I tell whether I have been recorded as meeting that prerequisite?
A. You need to see if you are a member of the Active Directory Group for the prerequisite. Refer to Q5 above to see how you can look up your AD Group membership.

PQ7. The calendar says class registration is free, but the description lists an additional fee. What's up with that?
A. This means that you are expected to pay the instructor during the class for whatever fee is listed in the description. Fees collected by the calendar system are retained by DMS and do not go to the instructor. The most common reason for an additional fee is to reimburse the instructor for materials that they are providing. If the description doesn't explain what the fee is for, you can contact the instructor directly for clarification.

PQ8. The instructor is asking for beer. Is that for real?

A. No. It was likely an attempt at humor. Instructors may not request or suggest any personal gratuities; however, fees directly related to the class may be charged.

Instructor Questions

IQ1. What classroom should I use for my class?
A. The Rooms Guide Page of the wiki details the size and capacity of the general-usage rooms. You should not use a committee area unless your class is related to that committee. Long classes should check with the committee chair in advance.

IQ2. How do I schedule a class or event?

A. This pdf document describes how to set up a class or event. Questions below provide more detail about some nuances.

IQ3. Can I charge for my class?

A. There are several methods:

  • Anything charged through the Calendar system goes to DMS. You can submit material reimbursement receipts to your committee.
  • You can state in the class description that there is a mandatory fee that will be collected in the class and what the fee covers. Some instructors offer participants the option to bring their own (carefully specified) material or purchase onsite from the instructor.
  • You can use an external meeting site like EventBrite to collect "tuition" / fees. Specify in your class description that fees will be collected through the eternal site and post the link.
  • Your description may *not* request or suggest any personal gratuities.
    • Anything class-related is allowable
    • Food or beverages for all the class. Allowable.
    • Contributions to offset material costs the instructor pays. Allowable.
    • Any requests for any type of tips (food/drink/other/cash) to the instructor. Not allowable.


IQ4. May I include non-members in my class?
A. That's up to you. However:

  • It is customary to allow only members into the required safety / tool operations classes.
  • If your class allows non-members, you are personally responsible for
    • Letting those persons into the building; meeting them in the lobby, getting their waiver signed, and showing them to the classroom.
    • Their behavior and actions while they are at the 'space


IQ5. As an instructor I'd like to know was the class I submitted accepted or not?
A. This is a multi-part answer.

  1. Calendar system. If the Event Calendar has electronically accepted your submittal, then you can find it immediately from the Calendar System, My Account / Hosting Events (upper RH corner of SUBMIT EVENT). Once the Calendar has electronically accepted your submittal, it goes into a review queue for auditors.
  2. While your event is in the queue, it appears in a pale yellow or pink field in your "Hosting Events" list. Once it is published to the calendar, the background color changes to white.
  3. Classes are presumed to be valid unless explicitly rejected. If your class is explicitly rejected, you will be notified. The system does not currently notify you when your class is implicitly approved after the waiting period; in this case "no news is good news."

IQ6. Can I change my class after I submit it to the calendar?
A. After you submit a class the only fields you can change are:

  • Whether it's a class or event
  • Descriptive information
    • Class or Event title
    • Short Description
    • Description
    • File attachments
    • Categories
    • Special considerations and warnings
  • Resources
    • Room (if another one is available)
    • Tools

Note that you cannot change anything related to the actual registration - the date, time or anything in the Attendance category (cost, number of attendees, cancellation date, approval, or age).


IQ7. It's a couple days before my class and there are spaces available - but people can't sign up for my class?
A. If you set the optional cancellation deadline when you create your class, then that also becomes the registration deadline (i.e., no one can register after the cancellation deadline). You don't need to specify a cancellation deadline unless you are charging for the class or you have to pre-purchase materials.


IQ8. Do I have to submit an IRS form W-9?
A. Only if you are applying for honorarium. If you are not requesting honorarium, or if you are designating the entire honorarium to go to a committee, then no W-9 is required.

IQ9. How and when will I receive my honorarium?
A. You will typically receive an honorarium check via US Mail within two weeks, assuming you have a W-9 on file and you met all the official honorarium requirements. Checks are the only payment mechanism we support.

IQ10. I didn't get my honorarium. What happened?
A. Confirm that you took attendance (and Saved it) within 24 hours of your class completion. The calendar system does not request the bookkeeper make payment to the instructor or the committee until attendance is marked. If you forgot to do this, submit an Issues & Requests ticket on Talk with the details.

IQ11. Will I be taxed on my honorarium?
A. Honorariums are considered ordinary income. We do not withhold any taxes - your taxes are your own responsibility. If you earn $600 or more in a year, you will be mailed a 1099-MISC, Miscellaneous income (i.e., nonemployee compensation) during "tax season". The $600 threshold does not include reimbursements - reimbursements are money spent on behalf of DMS and paid back, not income.

IQ12. I took attendance but people don't show up in the AD Group.
A. There are two Calendar tabs for Attendance. Attendance marks for Honorarium, and AD Assignment for AD Group assignment, after a student is “Okayed” on a class. If you are teaching a class that certifies students to use equipment, you must complete both tabs including marking them on the AD Assignment page.

IQ13. I need to add someone to the AD Group that isn't on the class list
A. You should have rights to do this manually (please contact the committee chair if you can't). Here is a video on how to do it

IQ14. How do I sponsor a non-member to teach a class?
A. Submit a new event. In the middle of the page there is a box you can check to SPONSOR a non-member instructor. When you select that box, additional boxes will appear. Check the pull-down list of existing instructors (i.e., those who have taught before). If your instructor is not on that list you will have to provide contact information for the instructor.
The sponsoring member will have to attend the class.
If the non-member teacher wants honorarium, the sponsor should decline the honorarium and the teacher should submit an expense statement asking for the honorarium. The sponsoring member will have to take attendance on the Calendar to enable that honorarium request.

Other Resources

These links below are primarily directed at instructors:

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