DSC08643The 8th workshop on Training and Assessment, a two-day program of presentations, panel discussion and interactive dialogue on collaborative training, education and operations in the maritime domain, took place from 19-20 September 2018 in the city of Tønsberg and university of south-eastern Norway (USN), campus Vestfold.

The event brought together some of the topmost discerning and insightful individuals from both academia and industry to present and discuss variety of topics in maritime field. It also provided a valuable networking opportunity and set the stage for further cooperation among participants.

The workshop commenced with opening remarks and welcome speech by Petter Aasen, the rector of University of South-Eastern Norway (USN) and a professor in educational science and also Anne Kari Botnmark, the head of the department of Picture2maritime operations with an overview of the rapidly expanding higher education needs in maritime studies, ongoing research projects and TARG’s splendid contributions in bringing value to the department and USN. 

Subsequently, the event continued by Salman Nazir, associate professor and the head of Training and Assessment Research Group (TARG) with a summary of previous workshop and future action plan.

Diversity of international participants in terms of profession and background distinguished this workshop from previous events. Representatives from University of Oslo, Nord University Business School, Chalmers University of Technology, Antwerp Maritime Academy, Coventry University, University of South-Eastern Norway (USN) as well as  participants from maritime industry such as Kongsberg Digital and Norwegian Coastal Administration (NCA) enriched the quality of this workshop.

Picture4Covering a wide range of topics and advancements in the industry with strong focus on the needs for collaborative learning; the featured speakers reflected on the workshop theme from divergent perspectives; making this event a unique opportunity
for participants to enhance on already great ideas. The 8th workshop on Training and Assessment embraced number of engaging subjects in collaborative training, education and operations in maritime domain including Computer Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL); novel opportunities in collaborative training with the recent wave of digitalization; similarities and differences  between the mainstream maritime recruitment and training programs, future challenges and possibilities; emergency response system training and cooperation; benefits and drawbacks of simulated visual environments and information overload on navigation simulators.

Picture3Moreover, participants had the opportunity to visit Simulation Park located in the
campus of Vesfold at University of South-Eastern Norway (USN) to have a closer look at the training facilities and realistic simulators. Finally, the workshop came to an end with a panel discussion with appointed panelists; Rigmor Baraas, Scott Mackinnon, Helga Van Noten and John Huddlestone; to address the remaining questions in depth and reach to a comprehensive conclusion on the debated topics.

Overall, the 8th workshop on training and assessment was a successful event in gathering intellectuals and practitioners from various fields and paved the way for further collaborations.