“By using K-Sim Connect, I have been able to repeat, practice volumes and details as well as explore subjects on my own, at my own pace. This has resulted in a far better understanding of the profession as well as great flexibility”, says Mads Larsen.
He is a first-year bachelor student in nautical studies. When he graduates, he´ll qualify for leading positions both at sea and shore in maritime industries.
K-Sim Connect is developed by Kongsberg Digital (KDI) and operates as a marketplace where companies, educational institutes and others can explore and subscribe to a wide range of cloud-based simulation solutions.
USN has numerous KDI simulation products on campus as part of the university´s maritime education programmes. When the pandemic struck, students used digital simulation instead of lab lectures requiring physical attendance.
In their first year, Mads Larsen and his co-students has used K-Sim Connect to learn how to operate the different instruments on the ship´s bridge, specially focusing on operating the radar, explains Morten Bustgaard, assistant professor at the faculty of Technology, Natural Sciences and Maritime Sciences at USN.
He says his students appreciate the flexibility to adjust training to their own needs.“By using this technology, students can train anytime and anywhere it suits them. They can repeat the exercises as many times they want, being able to achieve volumes in training and working on details. There´s also potential for tailoring exercises to skill levels and elements where we see more training is needed”, says Bustgaard.
In terms of measurable learning outcome, more research and experience are needed to conclude, says Bustgaard, but feedback from his students suggests they find digital simulation training satisfactory. Both Bustgaard and his student Larsen believe and hope digital simulation technology like K-Sim Connect will become an integrated part of training.
"A combination of physical desktop lab and K-Sim connect exercises will make a good base for training, and I believe there?s great potential for this kind of hybrid learning" - Morten Bustgaard, assistant professor at the faculty of Technology, Natural Sciences and Maritime Sciences at USN.
