Since the lockdowns due of Covid19 started early this year, online learning has become a norm. Almost all industries are gravitating towards e-learning, although aviation industry has embraced it more than most.
Learning management systems (LMS) are the core of all e-learning programs in the aviation industry. There are several training solutions for aviation which include simulation, ground refreshers, recency and recurrent training. At this time, most airlines as well as defence organisations around the world are using eLearning to train their staff and engineers.
This blog will focus on LMS based ground training for pilots, especially CPL and ATPL exams. But what is a LMS? According to Wikipedia, “a learning management system (LMS) is a software application for the administration, documentation, tracking, reporting, automation and delivery of educational courses, training programs, or learning and development programs.”
There are hundreds of LMS in the world, but the better ones are designed to identify training and learning gaps. They use analytical data and reporting for this purpose. A modern LMS delivers and manages all types of content, including video, courses, and documents. It will also have provisions for instructor facilitated learning, a discussion board, a resource library and can deliver training utilising a syllabus.
Since modern LMSs are web-based, they transcend geographical and time barriers of a traditional class. A wide variety of integration strategies for embedding content into LMSs are used which include AICC, xAPI, SCORM and LTI). A typical LMS is now offered as SaaS (software as a service).
A LMS may be excellent, but eventually it is the content and the learning strategy and algorithms which make it effective. The course is created by teachers who are qualified and also understand the workings of the LMS. Ideally, teachers will create and integrate course materials, list study objectives, align content and assessments, track studying progress, and create customised tests for students. Thus, learners can see in real time their progress and instructors can monitor and communicate the effectiveness of learning.
One of the best LMSs in the world is Its Learning. Its Learning AS is a Europe based company and was established in 1999. Being a leading LMS provider it has millions of users worldwide. Being cloud based, it has an uptime of 99.99%
Nordian AS is a well-established Norwegian provider of training material and e-learning solutions to Airlines, Aviation Training Organisations (ATOs) and Military Training Organisations around the world. Nordian training material and systems are used for Traditional Training (tuitions in class), Blended Learning (tuitions in class and programmed Self Study) and Distance Learning.
Nordian was initially a Norwegian Government funded Aviation Training Organisation established in 1989 which trained pilots for direct entry to SAS on behalf of Royal Norwegian Air Force. The company now specialises in development of high-quality ground training material and distance learning courses.
The Nordian E-learning System consists of the content and two seamlessly integrated systems:
1. A Learning Management System (LMS)
2. An Evaluation & Reporting System
Students log in to the LMS, but benefit from the features of both systems. The system backbone is the Its Learning LMS. The second system is an Evaluation & Reporting system developed by Nordian specifically for aviation training. The combination of the two results in a powerful LMS customised for use in aviation.
The course content which is written by the KLM Flight Training Academy is available from the LMS platform. After login, the student will find detailed Study Instructions which tells the students what to study with reference to the books or CBT/animations, and where to find Self-Assessment tests, Progress tests and School exams. 15 e-books aligned to EASA aviation subjects are available as a complimentary resource.
Flightrule Aviation has recently partnered with Nordian AS and now distributed the LMS in India, New Zealand, Australia and the UAE. Students find the LMS absolutely top notch and get a clear understanding of subjects especially as videos and animations are seamlessly integrated in the course content. With a equation bank of over 10,000 questions any serious student will find getting pass scores in CPL/ATPL examinations relatively easily.
A common problem in aviation studies is lack of quality textbooks, fast changing technology and the expense of ground school. The Nordian ground school addresses each of the problems. Students get licensed ebooks with one year of updates and the pricing model is cheaper than what most would imagine. It is therefore possible for a student to carry 15 high quality books, questions, exams, videos and animations on any device 24/7/375 at a fraction of the cost of what it would take to enrol in a leading international school.
