Click HERE to view Amatrol’s eLearning: Flexibility Enables Hands-On Training While Social Distancing as a multimedia presentation.
For many career and technical education (CTE) instructors, eLearning has allowed them to finish the spring 2020 semester without in-person contact with their students. But what will the fall 2020 semester hold? No one knows for sure, but few will be surprised if some sort of social distancing measures continue to be required or recommended.
How will instructors respond to this “new normal” situation? For CTE instructors, eLearning alone only goes so far. Hands-on skill building remains an essential element of a quality CTE program that prepares students for real-world jobs.
But will the eLearning instructors are using accommodate hands-on training while still following social distancing protocols? That’s the question instructors must answer. The new school year will be here before you know it, and now is the time to strategize and prepare.
Fortunately, those using Amatrol’s eLearning can rest easy. The COVID-19 global pandemic has revealed to instructors and students around the world what current Amatrol customers have known for a while: Amatrol’s eLearning offers flexibility that enables instructors to keep essential hands-on skill building as part of their educational plan while following social distancing protocols.
Students can enjoy the benefits of eLearning at home or on the go while scheduling their hands-on skill building with Amatrol’s real-world industrial training systems in a way that complies with any applicable social distancing guidelines. It’s a win-win situation for instructors and learners that keeps everyone safe while still allowing students to gain invaluable hands-on experience with the types of machines and components they’ll experience in the workplace.
Unparalleled eLearning
Although many students and instructors are experiencing eLearning for the first time because of the COVID-19 crisis, others have been using Amatrol’s eLearning for many years for one simple reason: it offers a superior learning experience for both instructors and students.
Amatrol’s eLearning offers a wide variety of benefits for both industry and education, including:
24/7/365 Access
Thanks to the Internet, learning today is a dynamic activity that can’t be confined to a particular time or place. That’s why Amatrol’s eLearning offers 24/7/365 online access.
Users can learn at home or on the go. Technical training can happen anytime, anywhere with an Internet connection. Students and instructors can set their own parameters that promote successful learning without a “one size fits all” approach.
Self-Paced Learning
In addition to its convenience, eLearning is simply a better way for students to learn. The Research Institute of America found that eLearning retention rates (25%-60%) far exceeded those of traditional, face-to-face training (8%-10%).
Why? eLearning puts learners in control of the learning process. Each Amatrol eLearning course features a modular design that breaks down major topics into manageable segments, each with its own series of objectives, activities, skills, and self-reviews. Learners can set their own pace as they progress through the material.
Moreover, they can revisit material they don’t yet fully understand, and they can retake online quizzes that reveal they need more instruction in a particular area. These factors result in a learning process with less pressure, allowing students simply to focus on the task at hand: learning the skills they need.
Amazing Depth and Breadth of Content
Amatrol’s extensive eLearning library features hundreds of courses offering thousands of hours of technical training for a vast array of subject areas, including: electrical, electronics, hydraulics, pneumatics, alternative energy, HVAC, CNC machining, industrial certifications, mechanical, process control, quality assurance, safety, STEM, industrial maintenance, and even advanced topics like automation, mechatronics, robotics, and Industry 4.0.
The impressive breadth of Amatrol’s eLearning is matched by its comprehensive depth. Each course begins with fundamental, basic concepts before progressing to more advanced material. The competency-based instructional design of Amatrol’s eLearning seamlessly integrates understanding and application to build industry-relevant skills learners will use on the job.
Amatrol’s eLearning also teaches highly-technical material in an engaging way that appeals to learners of all different styles and keeps them focused on the learning process. For example, Amatrol’s highly-interactive, multimedia format includes videos, animations, 3D graphics, voiceovers of all text, and interactive quizzes and exercises.
Hands-On Skills with Real-World Equipment
Amatrol’s eLearning is impressive on its own, but what really sets Amatrol apart is that its training systems pair eLearning with real-world industrial training equipment to teach learners valuable hands-on skills with the types of machines and components they’ll encounter on the job.
For example, it’s one thing to read about the proper procedure for connecting and operating a simple circuit to control a lamp with a manual switch. It’s another thing entirely to grab the wires and connect an actual switch to a real lamp to create a working circuit like you would in the workplace.
Amatrol also offers a variety of virtual trainers that simulate actual equipment, allowing students to replicate hands-on skills as if they were using real equipment. Virtual trainers are available for a variety of technical areas, including electrical, electronics, fluid power, machining, manufacturing processes, mechanical, and quality assurance.
Building valuable hands-on skills is what Amatrol’s training systems excel at, but learners need access to equipment to make this happen. How can instructors maintain this crucial part of training when social distancing is a concern? Amatrol’s flexible eLearning makes it easy. Instructors can take advantage of both virtual trainers and convenient equipment scheduling.
Equipment Scheduling Enables Social Distancing
With a CTE lab equipped with Amatrol training systems, instructors can set up a schedule that allows students to access the equipment at specific times and places. For example, students across multiple classes can navigate eLearning at their own pace at home or on the go. When it’s time to complete hands-on skill building exercises, they can schedule a convenient time to access necessary equipment.
In this way, instructors can maintain strict control over access to equipment. Not only can they ensure social distancing protocols by limiting how many students can use the equipment at any one time, but they can also regulate how often pieces of equipment are used to allow sufficient time for cleaning equipment between uses.
At this point, some instructors may be thinking this simple, common-sense solution can’t be as easy as it sounds. After all, an instructor would need to be present around the clock to walk students through their hands-on skill building exercises, right?
That would certainly be the case with other companies, but it’s not with Amatrol’s flexible eLearning. Amatrol’s eLearning features skill-building exercises that include step-by-step instructions that walk students through exactly what they need to do — without needing an instructor there to hold their hands.
Facilities can schedule an instructor — any instructor — to be present to monitor and facilitate student use of equipment and social distancing. However, electrical students don’t need to have their electrical instructor present. Amatrol’s step-by-step instructions will guide them through their hands-on skills on the equipment.
With Amatrol’s eLearning, instructors can focus on maintaining hands-on skill building while still keeping students safe by observing recommended social distancing guidelines. Students will appreciate gaining hands-on experience while still setting their own pace with Amatrol’s unparalleled eLearning.
Don’t Just Take Our Word for It
Amatrol’s eLearning is flexible and easy to use for both students and instructors. But we don’t want you to just take our word for it. We want you to try it for yourself.
Visit Amatrol’s eLearning page, click the “Request Info” button at the top of the page, and then fill out the “Contact Us” information on the right side of the page. In the “Message” box, simply indicate that you’re interested in a free eLearning demo. It’s that simple!
In the meantime, check out Amatrol’s eLearning video to see more samples of our many eLearning courses:
About Duane Bolin
Duane Bolin is a former curriculum developer and education specialist. He is currently a Marketing Content Developer for Amatrol, Inc. Learn more about Amatrol and its technical training solutions, including eLearning, here and connect with Duane on Amatrol’s Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube pages.
