In this installment, part 2, I will cover what the research has to say about the strengths of eLearning, and then talk about the implications for eLearning implementation in the maritime industry. In subsequents parts, I will discuss the practical strengths, and then the limitations of eLearning.
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Understanding eLearning in Maritime Job Training and Familiarization - Part 2
Introduction
This is the second installment of a series of articles intended to cover eLearning in the maritime industry - what it is, what are its strengths and what are its limitations. Part 1 of this series introduced eLearning, talking about what it is, and why it is important that anyone involved in maritime training should do their utmost to understand its strengths and limitations. It is highly recommended that you read part 1 before continuing here.
In this installment, part 2, I will cover what the research has to say about the strengths of eLearning, and talk about the implications for eLearning implementation. In subsequents parts, I will cover the practical strengths of eLearning, and then talk about some limitations of eLearning in the maritime industry.
There is no doubt in my mind that eLearning is an important topic for the maritime industry. All of us involved in maritime education, whatever our views on eLearning, are going to have to come to terms with it. We all have a responsibility to understand it, including its strengths and weaknesses. Only by doing so can we can make intelligent decisions as to when to apply it, when not to apply it, how best to take advantage of its greatest strengths, and how to avoid common eLearning pitfalls.
In this series of articles, I am largely going to focus on the application of eLearning to maritime job training and familiarization, but most of my comments will apply equally to eLearning in maritime certification training. I think it behooves all of us involved in maritime training to understand eLearning. It is my hope that this series of articles will play a small part in facilitating that understanding.
The Strengths of eLearning
In discussing the strengths of eLearning, I wish to make two declarations at the outset. First, although this section only covers the strengths, there are indeed limitations. Those will be covered in the next section. But for this section, I will focus on the advantages.
Second, I would like to be transparent about any biases I may have. My background is that I use to be a faculty member at the University of British Columbia doing research on (and teaching with) online learning. Based on my research I started a company that built eLearning software for universities and colleges. The company grew to serve 14 million learners annually in 80 countries. I have given hundreds of keynotes and invited presentations on the subject of eLearning and therefore have had the chance to speak with thousands of educators in many industries about online learning. But before you dismiss me as nothing other than a cheerleader for online education, please realize that this experience has taught me tremendous lessons about not only the strengths, but also the limitations, of online learning. And while it is true that I usually find myself promoting its benefits (because that is what people are least aware of), I always try to be as balanced as possible, as I intend to be here.
Finally, when discussing the strengths of eLearning, I will occasionally make reference to the British Columbia Ferry Services Inc. and their implementation of eLearning as a part of job training and familiarization. If you would like to read an article that more fully describes their program and its novel use of eLearning, please click here.
Knowledge Training
Before talking about the strengths of eLearning, first we need to discuss what it is that will be learned on-line. eLearning is very effective for learning information or “knowledge acquisition” (as opposed to skills which we will discuss when looking at the limitations of eLearning). Knowledge forms the foundation for the skills that mariners need. It also allows mariners to make critical decisions about the increasingly complex systems on board and how those systems interact with one another. This is especially important in times where a quick decision is needed, or when confronted with novel situations. Knowledge supplements the skill of "how" to do something with the knowledge of "why" it is important to do it in a particular way, and the expected consequences if it not done so.
One of the most common initial criticisms I hear of eLearning from mariners is that there is no substitute for hands-on learning. I could not agree more. After all, as the saying goes, you cannot learn the skill of playing the piano by hearing a lecture about it. But there is another part to learning. Although you will never learn to play the piano by attending a lecture, it can be equally said that you’ll never acquire the knowledge of music theory by practising, no matter how many hours you spend at the keyboard. One of my favourite sections of the STCW code (and who doesn’t have a favorite section of the STCW code?) speaks to the need for mariners to acquire knowledge as the basis for the duties they perform:
“Scope of knowledge is implicit in the concept of competence. ... This includes relevant knowledge, theory, principles and cognitive skills which, to varying degrees, underpin all levels of competence. It also encompasses proficiency in what to do, how and when to do it, and why it should be done. Properly applied, this will help to ensure that a candidate can:
- work competently in different ships and across a range of circumstances;
- anticipate, prepare for and deal with contingencies; and
- adapt to new and changing requirements.”
Manila Amendments, Chapter II, Section B-II/1, Paragraph 14
Knowledge and skills are both a requirement of the modern seafarer, and different training techniques are required for each. In fact, as we will see later, the best approach is neither hands-on nor eLearning in isolation, but rather a blending of the two. But for the discussion immediately below, we will focus on the teaching of knowledge as opposed to skills.
What the Research Says
There is a great deal of research on the effectiveness of, and trainee satisfaction with, eLearning. Here I will recount some of the early research I performed (peer-reviewed and published) as a faculty member, with the help of the Center for Applied Studies and Evaluation at UBC. The results have been confirmed and expanded by a large body of subsequent research. I have also written a separate, overlapping, article on this specific topic which can be found here. There are several main results.
First, eLearning has been found to be, on average, equally effective to classroom-based instruction at teaching knowledge. The basis for that finding in my research was an experiment where I divided a set of students I taught into three equalized, but randomized, groups. One group took the course using the traditional classroom-based approach. The second group took the course entirely on-line with access to me through the course discussion forum. The third group had full access to both the lectures and to the on-line resource. The result was that, on average, the on-line students performed equally to the classroom-based students. Interestingly, the students with access to both the lectures and the on-line course performed significantly better than either of the other two groups. It turns out that some students learn better on-line, and others learn better in class. Since the numbers are balanced, on average the on-line and classroom groups perform equally. However, when the students had access to both delivery models, each of the learners has access to their preferred delivery method and therefore the group as a whole performed better.
The first lesson here is that while eLearning is equal in effectiveness, on average, to classroom instruction, but it varies from student to student. The more interesting lesson is that the best outcomes are achieved by combining delivery models - a technique known as "blended learning". In blended learning, students are taught using a combination of models - typically classroom instruction supplemented with eLearning. This technique is being employed now by BC Ferries for job training and familiarization. You can read about their approach here.
Second, in the same experiment described above, we analysed learner satisfaction levels. The results were similar to academic outcomes. The “blended” students reported the greatest satisfaction with their learning experience. The web-based students reported the next highest level of satisfaction, and the classroom-based students were the least satisfied.
Third, there was a significant difference in terms of student participation in the learning experience. As every trainer is aware, some trainees are reluctant to speak up and ask questions - especially in a classroom environment when surrounded by their peers. This is unfortunate because students learn better when they are engaged and participatory. In my early research, when asked, roughly 50% of students reported to be comfortable making a contribution to a class-based discussion (asking a question or making a comment). My own experience is that, depending on the class size, this number is actually much lower. However, when those same students were asked whether they were comfortable making a contribution to a web-based eLearning discussion, approximately 70% of students reported comfort in doing so. This is a significant improvement in itself. Most interestingly however, when we looked closely at the results, approximately 90% of the students were comfortable making a contribution to a discussion in at least one of the web or the classroom. This was a startling result and, once again, spoke clearly to the benefits of blended learning approaches.
Conclusion of Part 2
The above research has been analysed over the years alongside a wealth of other research on the same topic. Overall, it has been found that there exists something called the “no significant difference phenomenon”, which says that replacing one educational delivery model for another (for example, the classroom for the web), results in no significant difference to the learning outcomes, on average. A corollary to this says that by combining delivery models higher outcomes can be achieved. This is one case where the research makes intuitive sense. Supply trainees with a broader range of learning opportunities, and they are likely to learn better than with only one.
In the next installment (part 3) of this article, I will discuss some of the practical strengths and considerations for eLearning in the maritime industry including:
- anywhere/anytime learning,
- training reports and metrics,
- trainee-centered learning, and
- objective trainee assessments.
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About The Author:
Murray Goldberg is the founder and President of Marine Learning Systems (www.marinels.com), the creator of MarineLMS - the first learning management system specifically for maritime industry training. Murray began research in eLearning in 1995 as a faculty member of Computer Science at the University of British Columbia. He went on to create WebCT, the world’s first commercially successful LMS for higher education; serving 14 million students in 80 countries. Now, in Marine Learning systems, Murray is hoping to play a part in advancing the art and science of learning in the maritime industry.
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