Transportation companies have traditionally used videos for driver training. While video lightens the workload for fleet administrators, the learning medium often makes drivers less efficient, according to new research by instructional design and learning company Luma “Brighter Learning.”
“Efficiency” is a term learning theorists use to describe the performance and mental effort of the learner. By this definition, video can be the least efficient learning medium for drivers in many situations.
“Video is not inherently bad or inefficient, but you have to know the learner and under what situation it is going to be effective,” says Gina Anderson, Ed.D., chief executive officer of Luma and expert in adult learning.
Luma presents new research in a whitepaper, “Are videos the primary medium you use?” that explores the best methods to facilitate learning and development for professional truck drivers.
Finding the best fit
Video can be a highly efficient medium for psychomotor learning, which is the relationship between cognitive functions and physical movement, says Dr. Anderson. Examples of where video can be used effectively include training drivers to operate specific types of equipment and how to avoid common work injuries.
Where the medium often falls short is cognitive learning. Video is inherently linear, the whitepaper notes, and drivers can only get through the material by passively listening and watching. Drivers can quickly lose interest as well. Studies show the average attention span for adult learners with video is about 8.5 seconds.
