Jamie Garroch built a user-friendly, flexible sales presentation for a team
Paul Franklin teaches university students using a interactive slide shows
Paul Kinney gives excellent customer service by tailoring his talks on the fly
Herb Romer heavily relies on interactivity when instructing military students
Canadian Military Interactive Presentation: Herb Romer
Herb uses interactive presentation teaching aids developed in PowerPoint 2003 to help students troubleshoot electrical systems in military aircraft—what are known as Automatic Flight Control Systems (AFCS).
"The challenge," Herb explains, "is that my apprentices must learn how to troubleshoot and repair all aspects of an AFCS, yet at this stage of their learning, they are not ready to work on an actual aircraft. Therefore we simulate the real experience with interactive PowerPoint presentations instead. Students 'measure' voltages and connectivity values and work through fault-finding exercises by selecting test points within various simulation tools and interactive wiring diagrams (see video below).
"I believe strongly these methods must be instructor lead, to maximize the learning benefit, because otherwise students tend to treat these simulations like a game and not as an educational tool. We start by giving them paperwork explaining the problem and then ask them to formulate a plan of attack. Eventually they must explain reasons for their actions."
Play the video below (3 minutes) or scroll down for screenshots.
"Students start with a problem situation: some piece of equipment isn't working properly.
"Figure 1 shows a typical problem they might encounter while testing, with additional detail explained in accompanying paperwork.
Figure 1
"Students then use interactive wiring diagrams like the one shown below to check voltages within various circuits. They formulate a plan of attack to diagnose what might be causing the problem.
"Figure 2 shows the available interactive elements:
Wiring diagram sheet selection (upper left corner)
Sheet section selection (upper right corner)
Test points
Wire continuation (gray box with red line)
Figure 2
"Clicking a small yellow check point displays a simulated voltmeter with the voltage at that point. The meter in Figure 3 displays 28 Volts DC—the correct voltage that should be present if no problems exist. Therefore, this test point is OK. Clicking return button on this slide takes the user back to the previously viewed slide, in this case Figure 2.
Figure 3
"Figure 4 shows a selected test point having a value of 0 VAC rather than the expected 26 VAC. That's a problem and it gives learners an important clue. Ultimately, they must hypothesize what combination of variables might cause such a failure."
Figure 4
If you would like more information on how this system works, Herb has graciously agreed to answer questions or provide details. Contact him at: Herbert.D.Romer@gmail.com
