ABSTRACT
Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has changed the paradigm on how training should be delivered. Training, an embodiment of human activity, was constrained to be delivered virtually. Delivery of virtual training almost sprang overnight as countries implemented strict border controls and restrictions to movement and domestic travel. While virtual training presents a viable alternative to face-to-face training, there are topics or subjects that could not be delivered effectively, if, at all, in a virtual setting; for example, training that involves deployment of oil spill equipment.
Delivery of face-to-face training on Shoreline Clean-up Assessment Technique (SCAT) requires course participants to complete an Oiled Shoreline Assessment (OSA) form as they survey the shoreline. This proves to be challenging in a virtual setting. Utilization of live ‘videoblogging’ from a trainer surveying a shoreline seems an ingenious methodology to overcome the limitations of virtual training delivery. In this approach, course participants complete the OSA form as the trainer surveys the shoreline and provides live video footage – this promotes real-time engagement between course participants and the trainer, with the course participants staying in the comfort of their homes. The delegates are free to prompt the trainer surveying the shoreline on what to look for, such as sensitivities, presence of wildlife, amenities, etc., among others.
This paper aims to appraise: 1) benefits brought by using live videoblogging as a tool in delivering virtual SCAT training; 2) challenges encountered prior and during the delivery; and 3) methodologies implemented to mitigate the said challenges. The paper also provides commentary on how videoblogging could be a useful tool to support andragogy in a virtual setting. This approach and study by Oil Spill Response Ltd. (OSRL), while a showcase on the use of videoblogging in SCAT training, endeavors to provide recommendations on implementing live videoblogging in virtual training, and highlight potential applications, e.g., feeds from the field to Incident Command Post (ICP) during actual response. Furthermore, the intention is to share useful learning points for other organizations which are engaged in the space of training and development, in the hope that the methodologies are further refined, improved, and developed into set of good practice in virtual training (Oil Spill Response Limited, 2021).