Two trends that I have seen in both higher education and
industrial training (in the program I teach in, they go hand in hand) are the
use of the internet and simulators. We
are seeing the internet being used more and more to give student the basic
information that they need. By doing
this, students are able to learn at their own pace, while their school or
employer can keep track of their progress with very little effort (not even
have to talk to the student to see their progress). This allows companies and
the education providers to save money by not needing the student to always be
in the classroom. Simulators are also
playing a larger role. They allow students
to practice a task, gaining muscle memory, while also cutting costs of fuel and
damaged equipment and, in the worst cases, preventing loss of human life.
When it comes to implementing these two forms of technology,
the biggest impediment is money (especially in higher education). Everything comes down to the dollar. Technology, especially with startup costs, does
not always happen. Whether we look at it
from the higher education or the industrial side, new or newer technology is
not always a priority. So those that use
that technology every day in their classrooms have to fight for it or find a
way to get the money for it themselves (.ie. grants). Another challenge that we see is changing the
mindset on education or training in the workplace. Over the last 5 years, I personally have seen
many training programs being updated, designed, or restarted. But to get there, those who know the training
needs to happen have had to fight and show the benefits greatly outweigh the
cost of it. If we cannot work past these
two large hurdles, students will suffer and be behind when they get into
industry. Please let it be known that not
all the technology in the world can replace hands on experience and teaching.
Drew, I'm a huge fan of simulation! I think it's the best educational tool since sliced bread. I'll never forget when I was in the 5th grade, my class took a trip to the Lucas County Challenger Space Center which is out in Oregon, OH. Anyways, if my memory serves me correctly, one half of the building is dedicated to NASA space simulation. In the simulation we took, our task was the launch a rocket in the space. One half of our group was on the space rocket and the other half was in the command center. I learned so much with that 3 hour experience than I would have with a simple text book. Anyways, I agree with you....it always comes down to money and resources.
ReplyDeleteDrew, I am really excited we share the same passion of industry training and the use of technology. I mentioned funding as well as a major impediment to the adaptation of technology in training. I think many of the major corporations are understanding its value but funding can be hard to obtain when many projects are based off of what will directly benefit stock prices and shareholder happiness. Locally, with smaller companies, there usually isn't the funding to make such a deep investment in training. I feel though, as companies start seeing the benefits of such investments, we will start seeing a more wide spread use of technology.
ReplyDeleteI am also a fan of simulators and VR. I found this article about the Navy using VR for flight deck training. As a former aviation electrician who worked on the flight deck, I understand how dangerous it can be and how such simulators and the use of VR can make flight deck operations so much safer!
https://fedtechmagazine.com/article/2019/01/how-navy-uses-vr-help-train-aircraft-carrier-crews