The effect of virtual environment training on participant competence and learning in offshore emergency egress scenarios

Abstract

Within the offshore and maritime industries, simulation training can enhance conventional safety training by providing orientation training before workers have been deployed offshore and by improving the workers’ level of preparedness for emergency situations. As a precursor to simulation transfer studies, this research aimed to determine the level of competence in basic offshore safety gained through a virtual environment training program, investigate the training time required to achieve competence, and develop a strategy to assess human performance in simulated offshore emergency situations. The experiment demonstrated that offshore egress learning objectives can be taught using the virtual environment training program with some limitations. Basic offshore safety competence was not demonstrated for all learning objectives. Time to competence for some learning objectives was achieved within the study but for other learning objectives the time to competence is still unknown. Due to individual differences in spatial and procedural learning, some individuals required more exposure to the virtual setting to ensure knowledge retention. Modifications to the training and technology design are recommended in order to prepare for future transfer studies and offshore applications.