Activity-based learning is a great methodology to use for operator training. It works well,
it's fun, and many operators are starting to use it constructively. These tools are
effective for both initial certification training and continuing education.
The Montana Water Center has been fortunate to have the funding to develop interactive
training tools for water operators over the last 6 to 7 years. These programs have been
used in workshop environments and at-home, in remote tribal system locations and in
small systems throughout the nation. Over 30,000 products have been distributed and
hundreds of training tools are downloaded every month.
Activity-based learning simulates an environment that operators understand. They are
presented with materials aimed at the appropriate certification level or level of expertise.
Interactions such as questions, illustrations, case-studies and simulations are designed to
coach and provide intrinsic feedback. These relate directly to tasks an operator performs
every day. This focus on appropriate content material minimizes wasted time and energy
for the operator. It helps them build confidence in job performance when they can see the
correlation between what they really do and what they are being taught. For trainers and
training producers, this amounts to respecting the audience and establishing reasonable
and worthwhile goals for learning outcomes.
As an example, this paper examines the basic structure of the Montana Water Center's flagship training tool in
production now and due for release in early 2005. Includes figures.
| Edition : | Vol. - No. |
| File Size : | 1
file
, 290 KB |
| Note : | This product is unavailable in Ukraine, Russia, Belarus |
| Number of Pages : | 8 |
| Published : | 06/17/2004 |
