https://doi.org/10.53656/ped2023-6s.09

Резюме. The Training Record Book (TRB) is an essential document cadets use during their shipboard training. The TRB guides the student and the shipboard training officer, ensuring cadets attain the necessary competencies under the STCW Tables A-III/1 and II/1. The limitation of the TRB is that it is dominated by the psychomotor domain of learning. At a forum of the International Association of Maritime Universities (IAMU) in 2020, the most in-demand skill by 2050 is soft skills, followed by technological skills. This entails the development of not only psychomotor, but also cognitive and affective domains. In addition, the skills and competencies needed will go beyond the technical competencies stated in the STCW. The methodology utilized a qualitative design with an exploratory concept wherein the Book of Knowledge (BoK) was incorporated in the cross-referencing of the learning outcomes, and the TRB tasks develop a more holistic, comprehensive, and future-proof shipboard training.

Ключови думи: maritime education and training; training record book; global maritime professional; shipboard training

Introduction

According to the 2021ICS/BIMCO report, there will be an estimated shortage of 96,000 seafarers in 2026. The sustainability of the maritime workforce depends on the current training and education of maritime cadets. With the landscape of the maritime industry, the challenge to catch up with the competencies and skills necessary to keep up with the growing demands of the is the issue that is taking center stage (Bauk & Ilcev 2021). With the of the sophistication of technology, one might think that the demand for soft skills declining, which is not the case nowadays. The demand for the of a future merchant officer becoming a global maritime professional is also – complete with technical, technological, and soft skills in the three domains learning. With the recent discussions of maritime higher education institutions by IAMU, a survey was conducted regarding the most in-demand skills seafarers must possess by 2050 in order to be globally competitive and effective. Soft skills and technological competencies came at the top of the list. This is a testament to the changing demand and landscape of the maritime industry, especially in terms of the human element, as automation and the shift to green shipping is in full swing.

Here in the Philippines, the curriculum for maritime students under the BS Marine Engineering and BS Marine Transportation programs comprises two major stages. The first is the academic stage, in which the students undergo three years of academic instruction to develop the needed knowledge and understanding, as stated in Tables A-II/1 and A-III/1 for the deck and engine, respectively. The second stage comprises the shipboard training period, which serves as their on-the-job training in which they are allowed to board as cadets into domestic and international vessels, depending on the type of certification and capacity they are applying for their certificate of competency/proficiency. This constitutes 40 units of their baccalaureate degree or two semesters of the academic program1. There are essential documents that the cadets should accomplish as they undergo this program. The most important is the Training Record Book (TRB) and their Record of Daily Journal. Regarding the TRB, there are several providers of such as long as the administration approves it. The most common TRBs available are by the GlobalMET, the International Shipping Federation, and the International Chamber of Shipping3. A TRB is a guideline documentation and proof of training by the cadets as administered by their shipboard training officer. The TRB consists of the important particulars of the vessel that the cadet boarded, safety familiarization and training records, and most importantly, the different tasks that the cadets should be able to perform in the course of the training period. The accomplishment of the different tasks listed in the TRB is used as an assessment and evaluation tool of the shipboard training department of the schools on the competence and skills acquired by the cadets during the said period2. Aside from the TRB and the Daily Journal, sea projects are also required by the institution, along with the evaluation of the officers and shipboard training officer of the cadet. Overall, the aforementioned documents will comprise the final grade of the students for the 40 units covering the shipboard training period.

The TRB is an essential instrument that helps the shipboard training officer implement a structured shipboard training program in compliance with the STCW Code. This is also a very important tool in creating a uniform and standardized program for all cadets across different nationalities, companies, and types of vessels. However, there are limitations observed by institutions and instructors when it comes to the ability of the TRB to truly assess the competency of the student in a holistic approach. The content and methodology of monitoring the progress of cadets using a TRB are solely focused on the psychomotor domain of learning, with the tasks homing in on the actions performed by the cadet. With the increased automation and sophistication of ships, especially in the future, the development of the affective domain of learning, leading to the development of soft skills, and the cognitive domain of learning, leading to critical thinking and science and technology proficiency, is of utmost importance. This is the aspect where the TRB needs to be improved to ensure that a cadet that has undergone shipboard training develops the competencies needed holistically.

The Book of Knowledge (BoK) developed by IAMU under the Global Maritime Professional Initiative was developed to address the changing needs and demands on the human element of seafaring amidst the transition and sophistication. The BoK provides a comprehensive guide to developing learning outcomes for maritime institutions. The primary goal is to create a spiraling structure of learning with a holistic approach, developing the cognitive, affective, and psychomotor aspects of the learners. The BoK has four tiers that address the necessary learning outcomes from the operational level officers, management level officers, management level officers with postgraduate studies, and management level officers with advanced postgraduate studies. The approach was also to develop a future-proof global maritime professional with the necessary foundational skills, academic skills, technical skills, and professional soft skills. The guideline is beneficial in developing a curriculum that deals with the contemporary issues of the maritime industry as well as the developing technologies5.

In this study, a qualitative design was used in an exploratory manner where a new framework was developed from the existing policies and guidelines widely used, which involved the incorporation of the concept and the perspective of the BoK into the TRB as part of the mission to enhance the TRB into a holistic and future-proof training program. The study only concerns the infusion of the BOK to the GlobalMET TRB for the BS Marine Engineering program. Overall, the result of the study is to develop a TRB framework for the marine engineering program with cross-mapping with the BoK. Specific goals as part of the final output are the development and mapping of the levels of achievements and the learning outcomes matrix. As of the time of writing, there are no relevant studies regarding the enhancement of the TRB, but there are a few studies evaluating the efficacy of the TRB in the conduct of the shipboard training program. There are several feedback items from the shipboard training officer and cadets regarding the difficulties and challenges they faced in implementing the shipboard training program. The first one is the issue of the time constraint in which the time for the training of cadets coincided with the time for work. With the countless jobs to be performed onboard on top of the time allocated to the evaluation and training of cadets (Herrera & Cortez 2021, pp. 6-13), a limited amount of time can be tapped, leading to a compromised quality of training. The second limitation is the unfamiliarity of the assigned shipboard training officer in the proper implementation of the shipboard training program and proper evaluation methods. This results from the lack of orientation and training for the designated training officers regarding the proper conduct of the shipboard training program with the application of pedagogical concepts and knowledge of the STCW Convention. The third issue is the ability of the training officers to assess the progress of the cadets, which stemmed from the second issue of inadequate training and unstructured implementation of shipboard training by the administration (Demirel & Bayer 2016, pp. 12 – 22). There is also a study in which the documentation provided in the TRB was cross-checked with shore-based evaluation methods from the school. The primary findings were that the curriculum being implemented in the Philippines is misaligned with the TRB provided by the International Shipping Federation (ISF) and that the tasks accomplished by the students, as stated in the TRB, are not a guaranteed seal of acquisition of the specified skill. A particular task has been performed as documented in the TRB. However, the proficiency in the performance of that task is relatively unknown and needs to be reevaluated by the institution (Camarines & Ampong 2016, pp. 162 – 164). According to the comprehensive study conducted by IAMU, there are several aspects of shipboard training currently implemented that need to be improved, such as the assignment of a qualified and trained shipboard training officer, the structure of the shipboard program, implementation of the shipboard program, and the direst is the lack of shipboard training program on some ships4.

The development of the framework for the TRB enhancement starts with the mapping of the level of achievements of the BoK applicable to the program. Since the TRB is geared toward acquiring the skills and competencies for an operationallevel officer, tier A was selected. The level of achievements for the four focus areas with 28 sub-focus areas was mapped under Tier A for the three domains: cognitive, affective, and psychomotor. Afterward, the intended learning outcome (ILO) matrix under Tier A was mapped out under each domain of learning. The tasks indicated in the GlobalMET TRB for engine cadets were mapped out with the cognitive, affective, and psychomotor ILO from the BoK. The appropriate and necessary ILOs were analyzed with the guidelines stated in the STCW and the Procedures, Standards, and Guidelines released by the administration. The resultant map is the cross-referencing of the TRB Tasks with the different ILOs from the BoK. The framework can be used to develop additional tasks for monitoring the progress of the cadets in the cognitive and affective domains. It can also be used as a guideline for the assessment of the shipboard training officer onboard. Lastly, the framework can also be used as the basis for enhancing the TRB or for developing a new version of TRB with three domains of learning.

The concepts of the BoK relevant to the TRB

With the structure of the TRB focused on attaining the practical knowledge needed for certification as officer-in-charge of the watch, the tasks indicated in the TRB are more on the psychomotor aspect. It is structured in such a way that it resembles a checklist of the task needed to be performed and accomplished.2 The structure is patterned after the STCW Table for the officer-in-charge of the watch based on the functions, competencies, knowledge, understanding, and proficiency (KUP). With the concepts and guidelines provided by the BoK, the tier was determined to be tier A since the graduates of the BS Marine Engineering program are poised to become officers-in-charge of the engineering watch. The level of achievement under each focus area is determined by mapping the level of learning they need to attain. Since the operational level officers are primarily tasked with the direct operation, monitoring, and supervision of the different machinery in the engine room, the level of learning is comparatively lower than those of tiers B, C, and D, with the average level of learning at three. Tables 1, 2, and 3 show the mapping for the levels of achievement in the cognitive, affective, and psychomotor domains, respectively.

Source: Global Maritime Professional: Book of Knowledge.

Source: Global Maritime Professional: Book of Knowledge.

Application, adopting, and guided response are the highest levels of learning that need to be attained on certain sub-focus areas in the cognitive, affective, and psychomotor domains, respectively. This is because the four higher levels are under the responsibilities of the management-level officers. In the psychomotor domain, only two areas need to be addressed, namely, the STCW-based competencies and situational awareness, preparedness, and response6. These are the sub-focus areas that are of utmost relevance in the actual work that involves onboard ships. The level of the achievement maps provides a guideline on the level of competency expected in the different domains of learning from the cadets. The level of achievement also serves as the basis for the method of training and assessment. A derivative mapping as a result of the level of achievement mapping is the ILO matrix. The ILO matrix provides the specific learning outcomes expected on the different levels of learning. Tables 4 – 6 show a representative table of the ILO matrices for cognitive, affective, and psychomotor, respectively. Tables 1 – 3 show the extensiveness of the matrix for an overview perspective since presenting the complete table in an editable form is impossible due to format limitations.

Not all the focus areas have corresponding ILOs for each level of learning since only the appropriate focus areas with measurable and attainable outcomes suitable for a particular domain are provided with such. The learning outcome statements are general but with a concrete output intended for the trainee to accomplish in a certain condition to a given standard. The learning outcomes are guide statements for the trainer to formulate additional tasks or improve the task provided in the TRB. The task to be given should be in line with the STCW and the TRB as a whole.

The influence of BoK in the enhancement of the TRB

With the aim of the BoK to develop global maritime professionals adept in the three domains of learning (cognitive, affective, and psychomotor) of foundational education to soft skills, ILOs are provided for each level of learning and tier. The BoK can be used by any educational institution to formulate its program and courses to ensure a holistic approach to education and training5. One such application is in the enhancement of the TRB tasks. Once the levels of achievement are properly mapped and analyzed, the ILO matrix was easy to develop. The next procedure was crossmapping the ILO matrix with the TRB tasks indicated in the GlobalMET TRB. The resultant map is a two-axis framework in which the TRB tasks are lined up on the y-axis with the appropriate ILOs lined up at the x-axis. There are three tables since each domain of learning has its respective mapping. The framework can then be used in shipboard training to develop new tasks and assessments given to the cadets during their shipboard training or modify and supplement the given tasks to make them more holistic and comprehensive. The resulting framework can be the groundwork for future improvement of the TRB to address the limitations that the current TRB has and to produce a truly global maritime professional at the onset. Table 7 shows the representative of the resultant framework for function 1 under the cognitive domain of Table A-III/1 of the STCW Code. An overview is shown in Тables 4–6 to show the extensiveness of the framework under the cognitive, affective, and psychomotor domains, respectively. Each domain will have its enhancement matrix to ensure a holistic approach to the implementation of the training.

Routine duties undertaken during watchkeeping

The framework is of enormous help in improving the shipboard training instruction and assessment by having an overview map wherein the necessary criteria can be confirmed at a glance. The framework can also be used as a development tool in the overall outcomes of the shipboard training itself to paint a broader picture and goal of what the trainees will be at the end of the training duration.

Conclusions and summary

As a result of the cross-analysis of the BoK and the TRB, the tasks provided in the TRB can be assessed and further developed, considering the learning outcomes provided. The TRB column will then be split into three with an evaluation of the cognitive, affective, and psychomotor aspects of learning. In the mapping for the levels of achievement, not all levels of learning for the three domains are applicable for the operational level officers. In mapping for the ILO matrix, the learning outcomes are also analyzed to determine if they are measurable and suitable for the focus area and the domain it is measuring or teaching. Lastly, with the crossmapping of the ILOs to the TRB tasks, further analysis and confirmation of the suitability of the ILO to the particular tasks and domain should be performed. In addition, future-proofing of the TRB will be enabled by considering the focus areas. The resulting TRB will enhance the traditional form currently used. The BoK also provided a guideline for improving the current TRB by providing a framework and map which the trainer can use to craft additional tasks and assessment methods to be given to the trainees. The framework can then be used as the groundwork for improving the TRB in the future. A holistic approach will be implemented to contribute to realizing the global maritime professional initiative.

NOTES

1. COMMISSION ON HIGHER EDUCATION – MARITIME INDUSTRY AUTHORITY, 2022. Revised Policies, Standards, and Guidelines for the Bachelor of Science in Marine Transportation and Bachelor of Science in Marine Engineering Programs (JCMMC 01 s. 2022). In: CHED-MARINA Publications. Manila: CHED-MARINA Issuance.

2. GLOBALMET, 2011. Engine Cadet Structured Shipboard Training Programme. In: Anglo-Eastern Ship Management Publications. Hong Kong: GlobalMET Documents.

3. INTERNATIONAL CHAMBER OF SHIPPING; BALTIC AND INTERNATIONAL MARITIME COUNCIL, 2021. Seafarer Workforce Report. In: ICS Publications. London: ICS/BIMCO Reports.

4. INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF MARITIME UNIVERSITIES, 2020. Development of Measures to Ensure the Quality of Onboard Training as Part of the Mandatory Seagoing Service Required by the STCW Convention. In: Sub-Committee on Human Element, Training and Watchkeeping, 7th Session, Agenda Item 10. London: Pre-Session Public Release.

5. INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF MARITIME UNIVERSITIES, 2019. Global Maritime Professional: Book of Knowledge. Tokyo: International Association of Maritime Universities (IAMU). ISBN 978-4-907408-26-8.

6. INTERNATIONAL MARITIME ORGANIZATION, 2017. STCW international convention on standards of training, certification and Watchkeeping for seafarers: Including 2010 Manila amendments; STCW convention and STCW code. London: International Maritime Organization (IMO).

Acknowledgment

The author would like to acknowledge the employees and management of the Maritime Academy of Asia and the Pacific for their overwhelming support.

NOTES

1. BAUK, S.; ILCEV, S.D., 2021. The 1st International Conference on maritime education and development: ICMED. Switzerland: Springer Nature. ISBN 978-3-030-64088-0.

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