Abstract
The upcoming research investigates the impact of virtual training for seafarers and the challenges in that way. This research has three goals in mind: firstly, to identify the challenges in virtual education especially seafaring courses, secondly, to identify the obstacles leading to marine accidents, and thirdly, to provide suggestions to improve the service efficiency of maritime schools. In this regard, an exploratory mixed method has been used to collect information. In this way, first, the data was collected qualitatively, and then it was measured with existing formulas quantitatively. It should be noted that, qualitatively, observations and interviews with experts and using the data theory of the foundation have been used. Then, in the quantitative part, a questionnaire (on a Likert scale) was used for the target statistical population. The validity of the questionnaire is content. The reliability of the questionnaire has been confirmed using Cronbach's alpha (in SPSS software). Then, statistical tests such as Kolmogorov-Smirnov have been used to determine the normal or non-normal distribution of the data. In the next step, the t-test parametric test was used to test the average of the population. In the end, the obtained components were ranked using hierarchical analysis. The general result of this research refers to three effective categories in the virtual education of seafarers and each category has sub-categories. 1. Human factors (including the need to attend the course, exorbitant course and subsistence costs, and weak educational services), 2. Equipment factors (including inappropriate educational equipment, inadequate infrastructure, and lack of many educational resources) and 3. Conventional factors (non-compliance with educational standards, lack of effective laws, and lack of progress towards global standards). In the next step, the hierarchical analysis process has been used to determine the ranking of the components and effective factors obtained on the subject under investigation. In the end, suggestions were made to improve the current situation and suggestions for researchers to conduct future research.
1. INTRODUCTION
Today's world is progressing at every moment and one of the basic foundations of this progress is the use of technology in various industries. Education is not an exception to this rule, and it must always be adapted to modern technologies to attract people. Various industries, including the maritime industry, have taken advantage of virtual education to continue their education. A change in the traditional teaching method and its matching with
the virtual method has advantages and disadvantages. In his thesis evaluating the crew training system of vessels under 3000 tons and providing solutions to improve the quality of the system (case study: Bushehr province), the failure to update the level of training quality of seafarers according to the international maritime transport standards is one of the problems in this field. Considering that more than 90% of Iran's imports and exports are carried out by sea, therefore it is necessary to train seafarers to up-to-date their knowledge. According to statistics, more than 90% of the vessels owned by the country are under 3000 tons and the important issue in the field of these types of vessels is the lack of attention to the quality of training of the crew of these types of vessels by maritime training institutions (Mehrabifard, 2015). The services of maritime training institutes in Khuzestan by using the importance-performance analysis method in the dissertation titled Measuring and evaluating the quality of maritime training institutes has been evaluated (Alaei, 2013).
2. MATERIALS AND METHODS
In this research, first, the qualitative method and then the quantitative method will be used. In this way, as much as the data from the qualitative measurement is important, the data from the quantitative part is also important. The three main ways of collecting information in qualitative research include interviews, observations, and the use of documents (Zohoor and Karimi Moonaghi, 2003). To gather information and identify the factors affecting the training of seafarers, as well as the factors affecting the safety of sea transportation, observation and interview have been used. Interviews are conducted with experts and finally, the collected components are coded. Then the obtained data are categorized through conventional coding in the fundamental theory. It is worth noting that the last revision of the STCW convention was done in 2010 at the Philippines-Maritime Conference by the International Maritime Organization. Since then and in the situation of the Corona pandemic, this is the first time that the subject of virtual training of seafarers has been raised. Therefore, the subject of research refers to an unknown problem. In this regard, the information of two experts has also been used. In this way, due to the novelty of the subject under investigation, the Grounded theory has been used.
3. RESULTS
After conducting the interview, the contents are recorded on paper and the texts are presented in tables. In these tables, each item is assigned to a raw data. During the collection of raw data, a common code is obtained by matching. Common codes are also formed in the community with each other. Common concepts also integrate and create categories. After coding, conceptualization, and categorization, in the end, 3 factors affecting the virtual training of officers of vessels under 3000 on the safety of shipping in the Persian Gulf were identified in Abadan schools. According to the method used in this research, which is the method of foundational data theory, the steps of collecting raw data, creating polytheistic codes, creating concepts, and finally categorization were done in order. The result of this work was to obtain a figure of about 105 raw data during the interview with experts, and due to the lack of obtaining more data, the process of collecting raw data was completed. In the following, 23 common codes were extracted from the mentioned raw data. In the continuation of the work, 9 concepts were evaluated. Finally, 3 important categories and an abstract of dozens of factors affecting the virtual training of officers of vessels under 3000 tons on shipping safety were obtained.
4. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION
Finally, the 3 general categories obtained, including human factors, equipment factors, and conventional factors, with hierarchical analysis and using the matrix for data weighting, the indicator level of each of the factors on the subject of the research was ascertained. According to Table (2) in the human factors section, the weakness of educational services is the most important factor with a 0.42 score. High costs of training courses and daily expenses with a 0.33 score ranked as the second item in importance and the necessity of attending the course with a 0.23 score ranked as the third item. In the equipment factors section, the first rank with 0.47 is assigned to inappropriate educational equipment, the second rank with 0.35 for inappropriate infrastructure, and the third rank with 0.17 for the lack of many educational resources. In the category of conventional factors, non-observance of educational standards with 0.45 is in the first place, lack of effective laws with 0.34 is in the second place, and non-use of international standards is in third place with 0.2.
REFERENCES
Alaei, M., 2013. Dissertation on the evaluation of the training system of the crew of vessels under the thesis of measuring and evaluating the quality of services of maritime training institutions using the importance-performance analysis method, Thesis, Khorramshahr University of Marine Science and Technology, Iran. 105p. (In Persian).
Mehrabifard, Y., 2015. Evaluation of the crew training system of vessels under 3000 tons and providing solutions to improve the quality of the system (case study: Bushehr province), Thesis, University of Maritime and Marine Sciences of Chabahar, Iran. 120 p. (In Persian).
Zohoor. A. R. and Karimi Moonaghi, H., 2003. Data Analysis in Qualitiative Studies. The Quarterly Journal of Mental Health, 6(19), pp. 107-113. (In Persian).