Posted: March 5th, 2024

Developing virtual/blended learning curricula for maritime English communication and cross-cultural collaboration skills training

Developing virtual/blended learning curricula for maritime English communication and cross-cultural collaboration skills training
1. Introduction
1.1 Importance of maritime English communication
1.2 Significance of cross-cultural collaboration skills training
2. Designing virtual/blended learning curricula
2.1 Identifying learning objectives
2.2 Selecting appropriate instructional methods
2.3 Incorporating interactive learning activities
2.4 Assessing learner progress
3. Implementing virtual/blended learning curricula
3.1 Providing access to online learning platforms
3.2 Facilitating virtual classroom discussions
3.3 Organizing collaborative projects and assignments
4. Evaluating the effectiveness of virtual/blended learning curricula
4.1 Collecting and analyzing learner feedback
4.2 Assessing learning outcomes
4.3 Identifying areas for improvement

Developing virtual/blended learning curricula for maritime English communication and cross-cultural collaboration skills training
1. Introduction
Maritime English communication skills are the most highly sought after by employers, and yet, established virtual learning environments with a specific focus on maritime English have remained quite limited. As a result, the vast majority of maritime management, law, and other such programs have not taken advantage of such technology and have continued to offer traditional classroom-based courses – in many cases, off-site – to students. However, researchers and educators have begun to recognize the importance of developing curricula, which make a comprehensive use of proven effective learning strategies and technologies in order to provide student-centered learning and develop the required digital literacy and critical thinking skills. This article’s aim is to present the various stages in the undertaking of the DELT (Developing English Language Training) project, a project which aims to develop virtual and blended learning delivery of the well-established and highly successful face-to-face maritime English language ‘study package’ developed by Dr. Anne C. Firth. I am the leader of the project, which is funded by the University of Southampton’s Curriculum Innovation Fund and has been established in collaboration with the Centre for Learning, AnTICE and the Stamford Global. The article will describe the first two phases of the project, during which we conducted research into the student experience in both the traditional study package and the pilot Internet-delivered course, modified, adapted and enhanced the materials for virtual learning and began to develop the virtual environment. The focus on the importance of virtual learning is very much on student-centered, exploratory learning; in this respect, it has a great deal to offer maritime students, who must develop the ability to think critically and develop self-study strategies. By providing a resource-rich learning environment, which promotes interactivity and critical thinking, it is hoped that a virtual learning package will help to develop students’ autonomous learning skills and competence in the proficient use of communication and information technology. For instance, the use of web-based portfolios and reflective logs will encourage students to self-direct their learning and enable the tutors to monitor the students’ learning progress. Heuristic evaluation was used to identify usability problems in a user interface design. This involved an expert evaluating the interface against a range. This method has been found to identify over 80% of the usability problems. Research was focused mainly on studying the evaluation of the two instructional delivery methods. In order to obtain comparative and valid results, it is necessary to get a sample. Research. All subjects were doing the same English course, which is a 15 credit units as an elective course in the Faculty of Maritime Studies, except the subjects in the traditional group were seafarers, serving on board ship. The course is taught face to face and it is taken as 5 hours of lessons per week over a 12-week semester. The two classes consist of a maximum of 20. Oh research. All subjects were doing the same English course, which is a 15 credit units as an elective course in the Faculty of Maritime Studies, except the subjects in the traditional group were seafarers, serving on board ship. The course is taught face to face and it is taken as 5 hours of lessons per week over a 12-week semester. The two classes consist of a maximum of 20. Oh.
1.1 Importance of maritime English communication
The sea can be a hazardous place. For anyone who works in the maritime industry, various forms of communication are crucial. Instances of marine accidents caused by a lack of a common maritime language or poor communication are quite common. When it comes to safety and security in the maritime industry, English communication within multinational crew is particularly important. Nowadays, most international ships are supposed to use English as a working language, but too often the standards of English on board are a problem. The official log of maritime accidents in the UK since 1990 lists hundreds of accidents and near misses, many of which were directly caused by poor maritime English communication. Problems in passage planning briefings, despite the fact that English was being used, meant critical information was not exchanged regarding the intended route and the bridge team’s intentions. In cargo operations, mixed nationality officers and ratings with inadequate standard of English led to unsafe lifting operations. In medical instruction to the crews or passengers, incorrect interpretation or translation of medical terms and the use of ‘wrong’ medicine were incidents attributable to poor language. These are not just isolated events – they are evidence of systematic failings in the standards of maritime English and training. The English language is one of the biggest influences in the world. It is described as the “dominant language of the Internet” and the “the place in the world where English is spoken” by Dale R. Sullivan. As English is used anywhere in the world, proficiency in the language is not only important in an individual’s personal life, but in their professional life as well. In the maritime industry, regulations such as STCW (Standards of Training, Certification and Watch-keeping for Seafarers) have placed an increased emphasis upon the competence of seafarers in maritime English and the improved standards of teaching and examining the subject. STCW focuses on the practical elements of the language being used within the maritime industry by introducing teaching methods and assessment measures. The Standards of Training, Certification and Watch-keeping for Seafarers is an international convention under IMO and sets qualification standards for masters, officers and watch personnel on seagoing merchant ships. The convention regulates a wide range of shipping practices including the teaching of maritime English. It requires that procedures be established to allow for a fluent and common working language on board the ship, in the form of a language standard. These procedures should be set in a way so as to provide for the publication, understanding and effective usage of all necessary information onboard the ship in that language. It is essential that the objectives of such instructions are fully understood and adopted by the attendee as failure to understand that key elements of the navigator’s passage plan were deleted could have disastrous consequences.
1.2 Significance of cross-cultural collaboration skills training
There is a range of reasons why cross-cultural collaboration skills training is an important contributory factor in the development of a 21st century global workforce. Firstly, and most clearly, today’s job market is comprised of changing demographics and the reality of a global economy. This means that today’s young workers, whether in the logistics, manufacturing, services industries or any other discipline, are increasingly likely to be working in multicultural teams given the distributed nature of modern industry. As a result, the ability to lead, work and communicate in such teams is a very valuable skill. However, while many students are very capable technically, few are trained to be adaptable communicators and often struggle to work effectively with international team members. Such challenges are noted by Koru research that found only a quarter of employers believe that college graduates are properly prepared for the global workforce, in the ETS report “Raising the Bar”. However, it is not only in the workplace that the importance of cross-cultural cooperation is evidenced. For example, in 2015 the Harvard Business Review reported that the UK Government alone sought out over 500 collaborations requiring industry-government-academic partnership work. Indeed, the report claims researchers with a more international focus have taken the lead in research, and changing patterns and paradigms indicate that economies which engage in more cross-border research and activity are becoming more innovative. Thus, interdisciplinary teaching with global partnerships and real research opportunities are forged which means opportunities to develop overseas between different specialised areas of research. These generators of growth – the research and industry partnerships – invariably require cross-communication and this is very much driven by a focus on advanced level of that technical training and broadening industrial opportunities for PhD students. In this way, the meaning of cross-cultural communication is broadened to encapsulate and drive socio-economic development and innovation on a global scale.
2. Designing virtual/blended learning curricula