NGRAIN enhances Canadian training pass rates

NGRAIN has announced that the Canadian Forces School of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering (CFSEME) has seen a marked improvement in pass rates since the implementation of the 5KW Power Generator Virtual Task Trainer (VTT) that NGRAIN delivered to the School in February2011.

According to the company, nearly every student in the Electro-Optics course has passed the generator troubleshooting and maintenance course, which previously had a failure rate of 20-25 per cent.

Training for the 5KW Power Generator is very detailed, requiring CFSEME technicians to understand complex electrical schematics and diagrams. In addition, troubleshooting procedures need to be conducted in specific sequences. Traditional teaching methods, which included lectures using a series of PowerPoint slides in a classroom environment, made transferring knowledge to the real equipment difficult for students. With the NGRAIN 3D simulation of the generator, which includes the common operational and troubleshooting procedures as well as schematic diagrams and overlays, students are easily able to visualise tasks and readily able to apply their knowledge to the equipment.

In addition to addressing critical training gaps in the course, CFSEME incorporated NGRAIN technology into the classroom to deliver a blended training environment that addresses the needs of both its digitally savvy demographic, as well as those comfortable with lecture-style formats. With up to three generations of students in a single course, CFSEME used NGRAIN to provide a way for students to learn independently outside of the classroom, for instructors to provide dynamic training in the classroom, and to strengthen the correlation of theoretical training to practical training in the shop or in the field.

The VTT is a commercial-off-the-shelf software-based solution that leverages NGRAIN’s highly deployable 3KO or 3D Knowledge Object simulation technology. Based on instructional design best practices, the VTT is designed to provide training on maintenance procedures, theory of operations, and troubleshooting exercises including testing components. The VTT can be deployed in a Learning Management System, used independently by students, or in a blended learning classroom environment.