Up Time Magazine- April/May 2008 - (Page 62) cool simulators help to keep everyone’s interest: it is hard to learn anything when you are half-asleep (or unconscious!). And just imagine how much more you can learn when you can click the mouse yourself? There is a famous saying by Benjamin Franklin: “Tell me and I will forget, show me and I may remember, involve me and I will remember”. And another more modern saying by Scott Berkun: “Training should not be a spectator sport”. 1. A training system that you install on your computer. The benefits are: a. Faster delivery of the material (i.e. the time between slides is minimal) b. Software simulators do not have to rely on Web-based technology c. No issues regarding Internet access or speed 2. Training that you receive via the Internet. The benefits are: a. No software to install (no IT hassles) b. Easier to access from different computers The same is true for case studies. Analysts learn best by seeing real Figure 7 - A live case study with real data from a real machine data from real machines. But how do you get the machine to the class• It takes time to cover all of the room? Some people use “fault demonstratopics in the classroom 3. Training integrated into a corporate tors” (which have their benefits), but the time • It takes time to absorb so many new learning management system (LMS). The to set them up, and the lack of realism (real concepts and procedures benefits are: machines vibrate differently) limit their effec• And it takes time to find answers to tough a. Easier to track the progress of different tiveness. So most training classes fall back to questions after the course ends users across the corporation photo-copied spectrum plots, or at best they b. Do not need Internet access, only require utilize saved measurements from their vibraAs a result, spending three days in a classroom fast Intranet access. tion analysis system. But there is a better way. may not be the best solution. A partial soluIn this day and age it is possible to record raw vibration from machines with fault conditions and use them in the classroom. They have to be collected properly, but real samples can be played into a vibration analyzer (or a suitably developed software analysis system) to allow full and complete vibration analysis. So now the students can hear the machine vibrate, feel the machine vibrate, and analyze real data – instead of looking at static graphs. The solution, therefore, is to use 3D animations, software simulations, live case studies, and classroom activities. Involve each and every ‘student’ and create a stronger, more confident analyst. tion is to spend more time in the classroom (if you are going to travel, why not spend the whole week?), but there are two other options to consider: self-paced computer-based training optionally in combination with conventional classroom-style training, and distance learning. In general computer based training has the following benefits: • You can learn at your own pace. • You can learn at your own place: work or home. • You can refer back to the material when you have questions. • Computer-based training can save a LOT of money: travel, accommodation, meals, and time away from the office. • From a corporate perspective; computer-based training also offers standardization. If the same system is provided to all employees (and adequate testing is employed), you can ensure that everyone is trained to the same level. Computer-based training (CBT) These days there are basically three ways that you can receive computer-based training: The Tyranny of Time Today we have a new challenge (well, an old challenge that just keeps getting worse); the tyranny of time: it takes time to learn, but who has time for training? • It takes time to travel • Spending so much time away from work and home can be a problem Distance Learning Distance learning can offer the best of both worlds, depending upon how it is structured. Distance learning can utilize computer-based training along with live instructorled training. The only difference is that the instruction is delivered via the Internet. With fast Internet connections, and modern software Figure 8 - Training accessed via a web browser 62 april/may 2008
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