Bergesim is a co-operation project between Bergesen d.y. ASA, Ship Manoeuvring Simulator Centre (SMSC), Norwegian Training Centre – Manila (NTCM) and MARINTEK, investigating ways of improving learning outcomes from simulator based training. Even though shipping companies have been using simulator based training regularly since the beginning of 1980-ties, the integration of simulator training with other training activities has in many companies been non-existent.

Objective

The project objective is to improve the transfer of learning from a simulator course to real life operation.

Project outline

Based on Bergesen’s plans for simulator based training, it was decided to use the SMSC course “Lightering operation – Phase 2” as a case. This is a specially designed Bergesen course based on the requirement that course participants had completed a five days “Basic ship handling course” at SMSC. The phase 2 course is a two-days course including 10 hours of simulator exercises and 8.5 hours of theory including exercise briefing and debriefing.

The project is divided in work packages focusing on:

Evaluation of present course
Design and testing of improved course
Revision and development of new course

Project status as per 2003.07.01

Starting form the present Phase 2 course, participants at five courses at SMSC has completed pre and post course questionnaires and take part in an oral debrief at the end on the existing course. A parallel post course questionnaire has been distributed to Bergesen senior officers having completing the Phase 2 course in 2002.

A lunch-to-lunch workshop has been arranged at Bergehus. Here senior officers took part in a preliminary design of the revised Phase 2 course. Learning objectives were listed and use of pre and post course activities were discussed. Using input from the workshop, MARINTEK and SMSC is presently working on the design of a pre course handbook that will be distributed to all future Phase 2 course participants.

Project status as per 2003.12.31

The project was completed by end of 2003. A total number of 27 senior officers took part in courses at SMSC as part of the project. From their input, the project partners have developed a pre-course handbook and specific course lecture notes. further Bergesen has decided to revise their procedure for preparation before this simulator based training course. following the new procedure the pre-course handbook will be shipped to the course participants in due time before the course.

Course participants are requested to complete some on board activities and to study the pre-course handbook. The project partners will continue their co-operation in a new simulator training project "Improving retention of simulator based training" supported by Research Council of Norway.

Newsletters:

Contact person at MARINTEK: Tor Einar Berg

Published January 28, 2005