Case Study: Simuflite - Essay Example

Case Study: Simuflite Case Study: Simuflite What does Simuflite's experience suggest about the limitations of interactive media and CBT? “Learning is a social activity. Many people find solitary learning boring, so they don’t do it” (Documen Information Design, 2004). CBT does away with the human interaction that often occurs in a traditional class. They are therefore deprived of opportunities to learn from the experiences and insights of other people in a more traditional classroom setting.

From the case described above, “pilots asked questions … and learned from war stories told by classmates and instructor.” One can just imagine the excitement felt by the pilots as they listened and exchanged war stories with one another. In other words, they are more involved mentally and emotionally in classroom-based training. Definitely it is a far cry from solitary learning in front of a computer. As stated in the article by Documen Information Design, “high interactivity with other learners improves retention” (2004).

There is greater interaction between students and the instructor in classroom training and participation in discussions improves the ability of students to retain the points discussed. Another limitation of interactive media and CBT is its lack of immediate feedback. In classroom training or on-the job training, the instructor can offer personalized assistance; thus, the trainees’ needs are immediately acted upon. In classroom training, the trainer can easily determine whether the trainee understood what is being taught, unlike in CBTs.

In which situations is CBT most likely to be beneficial to the trainees? CBT will be beneficial to the trainees when they are allowed to work on their own pace and style. CBT can be adjusted according to the trainees’ pace; thus, it allows flexibility. A trainee who is a fast learner can finish the training at a lesser period of time because he is not dependent on the schedules of the instructors. It also makes the trainee feel more comfortable, especially those who are easily threatened by the trainers.

Trainees who get easily get embarrassed by trainers who call their attention to their mistakes would feel more at ease with CBT. The anxiety is somehow reduced. Trainees will benefit from CBT if the module could easily be navigated upon with ease (Chappell, n.d.). If the module is difficult to understand and learn, then the trainee will be turned-off making it harder for him to learn the task at hand. For trainees who do not want to travel to other places just to train, CBT will be an advantage to them.

Since they can train on-site, it will be less costly for them because of savings on travel and accommodation expenses especially if they have to shoulder a portion of the training cost. Most well-designed CBTs offer color schemes which are aesthetically pleasing and incorporated with great sound files. Trainees who are very much interested in high-resolution graphics and animations will be greatly motivated by these kinds of training materials. It will enhance his learning process and promote a better understanding of the material (Chappell, n.d.).

CBTs are also beneficial for trainees who are learning to operate equipments which are dangerous or too expensive such as the job of a pilot. In this case, CBT will benefit the trainees because the job hazards are removed and the trainees can repeatedly practice using the equipment without being too costly for the company. The trainees will not be afraid to commit mistakes because they know that it will not be dangerous for them. References Chappell, C. (n.d.). Computer-based training: Useful or useless?

Retrieved 20 May 2011. http://www.aandasoftware.com/CBT/ComputerBasedTraining.htm Documen Information Design, Inc. (2004). Issues in Web-Based Training. Retrieved 20 May 2011. http://www.documen.com/Issues_in_Web-based_Training.pdf