Page 10: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (September 2021)

Training Tips for Ships

Tip #28

The Pandemic Has Changed the Way You Train. © thinglass/AdobeStock he endless debate pitting face-to-face learning against but it is especially true now. There are many ways to go about online learning rages on and will likely do so for some this, but I’ll suggest two in this article; one reasonably obvious time. As we entered the pandemic there was a huge and the other one less so.

and hasty shift in maritime training practices (and in First, it is important to understand how well our implemen-

T the world as a whole) to online learning. This was both positive tation is working, and more speci? cally, which parts are not and negative. It was positive because we can all be thankful that working well. It is only with this data that we can formulate there was a safe and available alternative to face-to-face train- a plan for improvement. In the fullness of time this can be an- ing. It was also positive because it accelerated the implementa- swered in many ways including by assessing the performance tion of digital learning to a point that would have taken years of those trained. But for now, the best initial success mea- otherwise. On the negative side, the emergency nature of the sure we can derive is feedback from the crew members being training implementation did not allow for the optimal amount trained, and from the supervisors of those crew members. Many of consideration and planning. Thus, many implementations of these people will have experienced in-person training pre- produced poorer outcomes and experiences than would have pandemic and will be able to contrast their online experiences been available given adequate time for design and implemen- and perceived outcomes between the in-person and on-line tation. Regardless of the quality, many organizations are now modes. Surveys are simple and useful tools to employ here. Ask in the position of having some freshly implemented eLearning direct questions about their satisfaction and view of learning programs. Now what? effectiveness. Speci? c questions about how well each training

Now is the time for improvement. This may always be true, module has prepared them for their role can be quite revelatory. 10 Maritime Reporter & Engineering News • September 2021

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