The pedagogical foundation of our training materials.
All of our training materials have the same objective – conveying knowledge in the simplest and most animated way possible so that the student can use their newly acquired skills in everyday life.
We want our students to pass the final test – but we always set our sights well beyond this. We ask ourselves what is important to remember one year after the course, for example. This is because we want our training courses to result in a safer way of working – with less damage, lower service costs, and – most importantly – fewer accident-related injuries.
Text focus on what is important
In the books, text is presented with two priority levels. Level 1 focuses on the most important information a forklift truck operator needs to know, while level 2 delves deeper into the topic for those wondering about cause and effect or who want to learn more details. This make it easy to quickly find the essentials in each question, while the book can still serve as a reference book for those interested in the details.
Storytelling
Educational research shows that we humans remember more and gain deeper understanding if facts are presented to us interwoven in a story. With this in mind, we integrate “serials” in books and e-courses wherever possible. The storytelling segments of the serial serve as clear reminders that the course participants take with them in their day-to-day work.
Chapter summaries and exercises
In our books, each section comes with a summary and a number of exercises. Both focus on what we want the operator to get out of the course. This makes it easier for the student to remember the most important information.
Modern graphic design
The significance of having a good graphic design must not be underestimated. Students should feel important, and we think it is important to invest in machine training. One of the ways we show this is by using a modern design and graphic language in materials that feel lavish. We apply this approach to both our traditional course books and our e-learning courses.
Suitable for students with reading and writing difficulties
The division of the texts into priority levels with a clear focus on what is important combined with the use of a simple and straightforward language make it easier for learners with reading difficulties. As does the large image material, which explains without text. All exercises are made up of multiple choice questions. This means that a student with writing difficulties does not have to formulate their answer in writing. They are instead given a number of answers to choose from. In our e-learnings, we make sure that all key text is read by the speaker.
We believe in e-learning!
Who would invest classroom instruction today if it did not already exist?
In a class for forklift truck operators, for example, students who have been driving for several years can be seated next to students who never climbed into a truck before. Some students may be on a break from university studies, while others in the same group might not have finished secondary school. There may also be students who have a different native language.
All of these students are expected to gain the same knowledge in the same amount of time. Is this even possible? As a minimum, it requires skilled instructors.
Everyone in the training chain benefits from quality, thorough e-learning.
Different learning styles taken into account
Another drawback to classroom instruction is that people actually learn in different ways. In simple terms, educators usually talk about three different learning styles:
- Visual. Learns by seeing and reading. Usually independent; sits with their task for a long time.
- Audiatory. Learns by listening. Involvement is important. Must work at own pace. Not as much endurance as the “visual” learners.
- Tactile. Learns by touching and doing. Involvement is important here as well. Often restless; does not like sitting still for more than a short period of time.
Classroom instruction in forklift truck operation works relatively well for group 1 (provided that the environment is calm and quiet). BUT, the two other types of learners would most likely not be able to learn in a way that is suitable for them. These two groups generally represent an absolute majority of the students.
We’ll discuss how well e-learning and e-Truck suit the learning styles a little further down.
E-learning today
Today, e-learning is growing worldwide, both in volume and within new areas. E-learning is being used to train doctors, pilots, military personnel, security personnel, etc. It is also very common for the theory portion of driving licence courses to be done via e-learning. In all of these examples, the quality requirements are just as high as for forklift truck training.
How does e-learning compare?
There is currently a lot of educational research being conducted around the world to measure the effectiveness of different education systems. The findings can be generally summarised as follows:
- E-learning has economic and environmental advantages over classroom instruction.
- E-learning results in greater learning on the part of students compared to equivalent classroom instruction.
- E-learning requires less time for the students to absorb the same amount of information than with classroom instruction.
Why is this the case? The economic advantages may be the easiest to understand. E-learning works just as well for a class of 200 students as it does for a class of two. The flexibility results in lower costs. The need for classroom space is eliminated to some extent. Environmentally, the reduced amount of travel required is considered a benefit.
But, how is it possible for the students to learn more in a shorter amount of time – as shown in study after study?
It’s here we come back to learning styles. The key is that the students work at their own pace:
Visual learners can sit as long as they need, read without the disruption of others, and often finish relatively quickly.
Auditory learners do not have to read. The text is instead read aloud. If there is a storytelling element (an element incorporated to a great extent in eTruck), it works very well with the group’s need to get involved and experience situations.
Tactile learners work at their own pace – often short sessions with several breaks. If more time is needed to finish, it’s not a problem.
For this group as well, the storytelling and the spoken text are important elements that help them achieve good results. (For this group, the practical training – the hands-on element – is always the most important element.)
Good and bad training
There are good and bad teachers. Their teaching will produce different results. It’s the same with e-learning. There are both good and bad e-courses.
Generally, try to avoid “PowerPoints on the web” that masquerade as e-learning. You should instead look for e-courses that are varied, that offer both written and spoken text, that contain different types of exercises, and (perhaps most importantly) that get the student involved. Just like a good teacher does.
Training contractors, instructors and students all win with e-learning
Everyone in the training chain benefits from quality, thorough e-learning:
The training contractor gets better training at a lower cost. One of the biggest reasons is that student absence from regular operations is shorter.
The instructor monitors the students’ progress during the e-course and knows what weaknesses to focus on when the class later meets as a group. This enables the instructor to focus on what’s important and unique in their role – for example, conveying an understanding of how important it is to have the right attitude towards risks – rather than simply providing factual information.
The students get training tailored to their own way of learning, and a more engaging course – one that they can do at their own pace.