Simulated Voyages Using Simulation Technology to Train and License Mariners (1996) / Chapter Skim
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6 Simulator-Based Training and Sea-Time Equivalency
6 Simulator-Based Training and Sea-Time Equivalency
Pages 143-157
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From page 143... ...
guidelines standardized the sea-service requirements for deck officer licenses. It requires a minimum period of service in the deck department with prerequisite service in bridge watchkeeping duties before a prospective deck officer can be certified as officer in charge of a navigational watch.1 There are additional onboard experience requirements for deck officers to upgrade to chief mate or master or renew a marine license or competency certificate.
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From page 144... ...
The amount of time and structure of at-sea experience required to qualify for an original license varies widely, from the structured sea project required of U.S. Merchant Marine Academy cadets during their year of service aboard merchant vessels, to the three annual roughly 60-day training ship cruises of the state maritime academies, to the normally unstructured periods of at least 3 years at sea by unlicensed personnel qualifying for an initial license examination.
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From page 145... ...
This lack of support implies that, before additional measures are taken to increase sea-time remission, answers should be sought to the questions of whether, or to what degree, and under what terms and conditions simulation should be substituted for sea time in the professional development and qualification of mariners. The following discussions address these questions by considering unresolved issues, application of a systematic approach in the development of criteria for decisions to grant remission of sea time, and potentially useful applications of remission of sea time.
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From page 146... ...
Current requirements for onboard service are based on the concept that certain professional skills development should take place through exposure to actual operating conditions and the resulting learning by experience and colleague-assisted training discussed in Chapter 1. When a decision is made to substitute simulator-based training for current practice, it is important to ensure that there will be no degradation of mariner competency and that safety will not be compromised.
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From page 147... ...
For example, issues raised in use of simulators for training, such as the need for a systematic approach to simulator training course development and the need for instructor qualification, should be considered in developing a rational approach to evaluating simulatorbased training programs and their applicability to sea-time equivalency. Many of the issues related to performance evaluation with simulators and the application of simulation to licensing assessment should also be considered in decisions concerning sea-time equivalency.
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From page 148... ...
As in other work environments, many tasks are often learned as part of routine duties without structured training. Deck officers and pilots learn these skills aboard ship at no additional expense to the mariner or operator.
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From page 149... ...
Sea-Time Equivalency and License Levels Because mariner knowledge and skill requirements vary by position and tasks, remission of sea time should be examined in the context of range of tasks and types of licenses. Granting remission of qualifying sea time for initial and upgraded licenses, for example, is entirely different from granting remission for recency of sea time for license renewal.
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From page 150... ...
A SYSTEMATIC APPROACH TO DETERMINING SEA-TIME EQUIVALENCY The decision to grant remission of sea time for specific simulator-based training is a decision to modify current licensing requirements. The committee could find no substantive technical basis for current USCG decisions that have been made in granting remission of sea time.
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From page 151... ...
for which remission of sea time is being considered; • outlining licensing objectives and competency requirements in terms of task and subtask descriptions, based on the license level and type defined; • characterizing the tasks and subtasks most effectively developed through simulator-based training; • developing criteria for simulator-based training based on licensing objectives; • evaluating proposed simulator-based training programs against criteria; • evaluating the full range of onboard experiences being replaced by simu lator-based training; • determining the relative importance of simulator-based skills in the mar iner's overall work aboard ship; • evaluating the degree of equivalency of each specific course and the specific transferred skills and determine how much time, if any, should be credited for the training; • determining the skills learned aboard ship that are not covered by the simulator and the extent to which they deteriorate, if at all, as a result of sea-time remission policy; and • establishing a mechanism for ongoing program monitoring through regu lar data collection and analysis to ensure maintenance of mariner compe tency and vessel, crew, and cargo safety. Insofar as the value of the training course can be determined, it seems appropriate to vary the amount of sea time credited for a given course in accordance
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From page 152... ...
Training for which Simulation is Well Suited As discussed in Chapter 2, there are a number of attributes of simulatorbased training that make it particularly effective in training certain skills. These attributes include: • the ability to simulate adverse operating conditions safely, • the ability to play back and repeat scenarios, and • the ability to permit and use mistakes and accidents for teaching.
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From page 153... ...
Subjects that might be considered for refresher training using computer-based and manned-model simulation include: • proficiency checks on nonshiphandling aspects of piloting for pilots; • proficiency checks on shiphandling skills for masters and deck officers; • new ratings (e.g., masters accepting their first-time appointments to very large crude carriers, pilots upgrading to bigger vessels or new ship types, masters appointed to vessels with nonstandard handling characteristics) ; • bridge team management (masters and pilots, in particular, could be tar geted for refresher training in human factors and bridge teamwork)
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From page 154... ...
In fact, substituting simulator training for recent sea time for license renewal may actually raise the standard of professional competence, while simultaneously reducing sea-time requirements, since credit is presently granted for service in rather loosely affiliated industries that often do not include any actual underway service or bridge watches aboard ship. Providing Structured Training At sea, on a commercial ship, a cadet or mariner gains experience randomly as individual situations develop -- situations that are seldom selected to provide specific training.
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From page 155... ...
A primary consideration of a sea-time equivalency program should be to ensure that mariner competency and marine safety are not compromised or degraded by substituting simulator-based training for sea service. The USCG should ensure that skills learned aboard ship that cannot be trained in the simulator do not deteriorate as a result of the remission of a sea-time system.
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From page 156... ...
. Research Needs Implementing a sea-time equivalency program will require a well-defined, ongoing monitoring program that will collect and analyze data to ensure that program objectives are met and mariner competency levels are maintained.
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From page 157... ...
CAORF 52 8102-02. Kings Point, New York: Computer Aided Operations Research Facility, National Maritime Research Center.
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