Peter Sjøstedt

The full benefits of investment in simulator-based training are achieved only when development of the simulator instructor’s pedagogical competence accompanies the acquisition of advanced technology. In spite of this, the instructor’s pedagogical competence often is not well developed. Courses for simulator instructors that address their experiential instructional skills and their understanding of adult participants' learning processes are rare. Lessons learned about the instructor’s role that focus on the relationship between instruction and learning are seldom reported. Simulator instructors’ pedagogical competence appears to be an area afforded insufficient attention from the simulation community. Based on lessons learned from our four-day pedagogical course for naval simulator instructors in the Danish armed forces, this paper presents a framework for instructors’ pedagogical competence development. It explains why the subjects of the course are 1) the instructor’s various feedback tasks, 2) knowledge about how to ask questions, 3) the likelihood of conflicts and how they can be managed and 4) cooperation between the learners and the instructor as a leader and facilitator of learning. The paper addresses how this course – based on the particularly experiential nature of simulator-based training – differs from general courses on teaching and instruction. The participants' reactions are reported and discussed and finally, possible adjustments and perspectives for the future of the course are outlined. The purpose of this paper is to make those teachers and leaders responsible for simulator-based training aware of the value of pedagogical competence development and to provide inspiration for how a course can be planned in their academies and organizations.