The training evolution: From the classroom to the internet

When profession e-learning builders come into the trucking trade, they’re typically struck by how completely different it’s from different industries. The content material itself just isn’t often a difficulty – each trade has its personal quirks, acronyms and rules, so trucking really suits in fairly effectively with different industries.

The place it’s completely different is the give attention to video-based coaching. Within the broader studying and growth world, video is mostly considered a helpful part of a bigger coaching product, however not as an entire product by itself. Inside trucking, although, video is usually the one factor folks consider for on-line coaching.

So how did trucking get to be so completely different from everybody else on the subject of on-line schooling?

The evolution of e-learning in trucking

Within the early days, the one recreation on the town when it got here to coaching was getting truck drivers collectively for classroom periods. And that was the rub. It was inconvenient and disruptive to fleet operations, and if wheels weren’t rolling, each the motive force and firm weren’t getting cash. To attenuate the ache, fleets solely delivered the coaching they completely needed to.

That started to vary within the ’80s and ’90s when video emerged as another choice. It solved a part of the issue — it let folks take part at any time, in any amount (whether or not one particular person or a full class), and it provided some consistency in supply. That flexibility meant that extra topics could possibly be justified, so the quantity of coaching being delivered went up. It was an enormous enchancment over classroom coaching, however there have been nonetheless points: Folks nonetheless needed to bodily be there to look at, which meant the scheduling complications did not disappear fully.

Videotapes additionally had a behavior of disappearing or breaking, and when rules modified, fleets needed to get new variations of the movies and ensure the outdated ones have been pulled from circulation. Paper-based assessments included with the movies provided a technique to verify that studying occurred, however that meant retaining observe of which assessments went with which movies, retaining observe of reply keys for marking, and storing the finished assessments in a bodily file someplace.

Later, DVDs provided higher high quality and had extra capability, however they have been in any other case the identical as VHS.

After coping with all that, the emergence of the Web and on-line video was an enormous reduction for each distributors and fleets, because it solved quite a lot of these issues. With on-line video, there’s no bodily product to ship, no points with tapes disappearing or breaking, and other people can entry the content material remotely, so that they don’t have to return into the terminal. Having assessments on-line additionally eliminated want for paper and simplified the file retaining course of. The outcome has been a extra versatile product.

The evolution of e-learning within the company house

Within the company house, the development was very completely different.

Coaching right here additionally began within the classroom, however regardless that members have been within the workplace already it was nonetheless a ache to get them into coaching. Including to the problem was the truth that you would all the time depend on somebody being sick on coaching day, or a brand new rent that began proper afterwards. The setting could have been completely different from trucking, however lots of the points ended up being the identical.

However, as an alternative of transferring to video, Pc-Based mostly Coaching (CBT) was the subsequent step within the company world. Within the ’80s and ’90s private computer systems gave the power to hook up with company networks, so CBT content material (saved on company servers and delivered over inside networks) was a logical possibility. It made content material accessible in additional distant locations, however like VHS/DVD it didn’t change the important a part of the expertise from the earlier network-based supply.

The transfer to on-line

Whereas trucking and the company world took two completely different paths, they each ended up relying upon the Web for on-line coaching.

So, what about movies, are they now extinct?  No. They nonetheless serve a objective.

For conditions the place you want very particular, fast steering, movies work high quality. Should you need assistance doing one thing that you just’ve by no means accomplished earlier than and should by no means do once more, you’re most likely going to discover a 5-minute YouTube video and get precisely what you want.

Nonetheless, if it’s one thing the place you’ll want to develop a deeper understanding of the content material and retain that data for an extended interval, interactive computer-based coaching will work significantly better. Movies are passive whereas CBT is energetic studying that sticks with folks.

Movies aren’t sticky, so whereas they could be a nice assist in the second as a visible information, folks have a tendency to not retain that data for very lengthy. They’re just like the pictogram directions you get with Ikea furnishings – they information you thru the method of assembling the merchandise (more often than not), however you gained’t bear in mind the steps every week later.

Interactive CBTs can be overkill for that easy one-off activity, however they’re extra of an energetic studying expertise so data is retained. That makes them higher suited to conditions the place it’s necessary to know broader ideas and develop a powerful base of ingrained data. 

Within the trucking world, lots of the safety-related matters are issues the place drivers must be growing that deeper degree of information, so the interactive CBT strategy is mostly going to be the simpler instrument. There are actually conditions the place a fast video or pictogram will give folks the steps they want in a specific second, however for bigger coaching initiatives a extra full answer goes to be the best way to go.

The place are we headed?

The leap from classroom and movies to on-line coaching was gigantic because it allowed truck drivers to make the most of laptops and tablets for coaching whereas they’re on the street.  

What’s forward? As soon as 5G networking comes, even higher on-line coaching might be accessible to drivers. Nevertheless it gained’t be by means of 5G, it is going to be due to it.

City areas with hardwired connections will have the ability to achieve all of the pace and bandwidth 5G gives. However, truckers, and truck stops in rural areas might be a bit out of luck. These areas are usually a era behind these in cities.

So, if you happen to’re used to LTE within the huge metropolis, you’re doubtless getting 3G in outlying areas. And truck stops, about the identical resulting from all of the shared customers. That slows processing time, and what will be provided on the Web (these producing content material don’t wish to present one thing that takes too lengthy to obtain). However, when 5G comes, outlying areas might be upgraded too – and that may imply a bump to 4G and LTE.  

This can allow extra interactive coaching content material. That features extra customized studying paths (every particular person will get precisely what they want with no time wasted on data they already know) so the general effectivity will enhance.

As we enter the subsequent frontier in coaching, we’ll doubtless see “machine studying.” This can permit for a greater understanding of the info being collected by coaching now, letting fleets be extra proactive about the place the wants are and what to do about them. And, which means figuring out precisely the place the educational gaps are, to higher predict outcomes primarily based on previous exercise, and different associated issues that enhance the general effectivity and effectiveness of the coaching for the participant.

This might be actually thrilling.