December 6 - The Nautical Institute has launched a new guide to help field experts who are called to teach on simulators but lack teaching experience.
More experts, such as navigators and chief engineers, are being called ashore to work with students on simulators, according to the institute's president, James Robinson FNI.
He told a book launch seminar in London: "This book is aimed at those who are very good at what they do, navigation perhaps, engineering perhaps, but are probably not trained as teachers."
Simulation teaching is essential so that students get the full benefit of the realism that such instruction can generate. It is just as essential to provide the back-up necessary to help instructors use the equipment well, especially bearing in mind the potential in the future of assessment using simulation.
The handbook has been developed over years of simulator training experience and discussion with simulation instructors by the author, Jillian Carson-Jackson MNI. It is intended as a resource for instructors expected to design and implement simulation training. There is increasing use of simulation in training and emphasis on the use of simulators, but little training on how to integrate simulators into teaching environments and a lack of information for instructors or those aspiring to be instructors.
The Simulator Instructor's Handbook is available from The Nautical Institute, price £10.00.
