Stephen W. Parchman
Dan Dudley
John A. Ellis

Training in Basic Electricity and Electronics (BE/B) fundamentals constitutes the first instructional module in the curriculum of 21 Navy Class "A" Schools. Historically the BE/B material has proven difficult for students to learn and has resulted in high rates of both setbacks and attrition. In recent years, some A-Schools have experienced setback rates as high as 60% and attrition rates of up to 25% for the BE/B portion of training.

The abstract nature of the BE/B content raises questions about its relevancy to the jobs and tasks students perform after graduation. Recent research found that BE/B graduates failed over half of the items on applied skills tests derived directly from the BE/B course materials. This finding suggests that a primary deficiency with current instruction lies in its emphasis on electrical theory and the manipulation of equations. Mastering electrical concepts and mathematical expressions may have little linkage to the knowledge and skills needed for on-the-job preventive maintenance, corrective maintenance, and fault diagnosis.

A number of research efforts have demonstrated that complex content can be learned more efficiently and effectively if it is presented in the context of real world situations, tasks and jobs (Cognition & Technology Group at Vanderbilt, 1990; Collins Brown, & Newman, 1989; Duffy & Jonas sen, 1991; Gofford, Heimstra, Beecoft, & Openshaw, 1960; Johnson, 1951; Merrill, Li, & Hones, 1990; Shoemaker, 1960; Steinemann, Harrigan, & Vanmatre, 1967). A recent ONR sponsored workshop that reviewed basic electricity training recommended that 1. Real world circuits be used to train basic concepts, 2. That troubleshooting of real devices be taught from the beginning, 3. That qualitative reasoning skill be emphasized, and 4. That computational skills be taught in the context of real troubleshooting tasks.

Despite the potential benefits of these recommendations, three obstacles have hampered efforts to apply them to basic electricity classroom settings: (1) the cost of outfitting BE/B classrooms with the hardware and equipment needed to establish work-sample situations; (2) the greater time required for apprentice students to operate and troubleshoot actual equipment; and (3) difficulties in standardizing instructional delivery to ensure that students have equivalent opportunities for gaining and mastering necessary skills.

Recent developments in computer based training (Wetzel-Smith, Ellis, Reynolds, & Wulfeck, 1995; Bryson, 1994) now make it possible to simulate and represent devices and scientific relationships realistically on computers. Computer based training, in combination with contextualized instruction, has the potential for delivering BE/B instruction in a standardized and cost-effective manner. BE/B training could be substantially improved, and student attrition problems decreased, by implementing a technology based, contextually orientated training system.

This paper describes the initial phases of a project designed to determine the applicability of contextualized, computer based training to teaching Basic Electricity and Electronics (BE/B) fundamentals. The project focuses on computer based training and graphical simulations as media for delivering contextualized instruction in Basic Electricity and Electronics. An intelligent, interactive authoring system will be used to develop a curriculum emphasizing electrical troubleshooting and fault analysis in a job context. The outcome of this effort will be a new approach to BE/B instruction that is a classroom based, instructor led, computer driven training system that demonstrates the integration of advanced instructional technologies into a complete course curriculum. The instructor will have computer based tools which will display expository lecture materials and examples and in-class practice. The system will include the application of recent cognitive research advances in the methods of teaching and assessing scientific and technical knowledge and skills. The curriculum will emphasize high-fidelity simulations of real world systems which can be used by classroom instructors to teach basic electricity and electronics facts, concepts, troubleshooting procedures and principals. The curriculum will implement a new instructional model in which the instructor guides students in the classroom through intensive example and practice exercises delivered by an advanced instructional system. This approach will result a much greater level of student-instructor interaction than occurs in the traditional classroom environment. The system will also be configured for use in the Learning Resource Centers for individualized study and practice. The individualized version of the system will be available for implementation aboard ship or other distributed locations.

The steps of the approach are to (1) analyze the operational jobs and tasks performed by A-School graduates at their first duty assignment to identify equipment and skills common to all electrical ratings, (2) determine appropriate training strategies, content sequencing, course management requirements and assessment needs, (3) develop and apply a skills based training, and (3) evaluate the performance effects of this equipment based instruction.

For step 1, a training requirements questionnaire was administered to petty officer's in fleet and school assignments. The questionnaire was developed through SME interviews and from a similar analysis done by the Air Force. The questionnaires objectives were to determine the requirements for entry level technicians for mathematical knowledge, test equipment usage, and maintenance and troubleshooting proficiency. For step 2, the research literature and the results of an ONR workshop were reviewed to develop the primary training approach.

This paper presents the findings for steps 1 & 2.

Step 1
Table 1 presents the reported on-the-job mathematical knowledge usage for fleet and instructor personnel.

Table 2 presents the mathematical required for entry level technicians.

Table 3 summarizes the responses for test equipment skills for entry level technicians.

• Use a systems perspective appropriate to complex modern equipment
• Use concrete on-the-job circuit examples
• Tach troubleshooting of real devices for the outset
• Teach basic understanding of current/power in circuits
• Teach qualitative reasoning skills
• Teach knowledge and skills in the context of fleet job/task requirements
• Sequence courseware to maximize practice of skills

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