Increasing the vocational action competences of rail traffic controllers by creating a virtual learning environment for trainees

Abstract

In Germany railway operations underlie a vast number of complex rules and regulations. Therefore rail traffic controllers, who are responsible for save and hitch-free railway operations, need a profound knowledge and action competencies to consider the regulations in everyday work. Before being able to work as rail traffic controllers, they have passed an apprenticeship of three years. In addition, because of local characteristics of tracks and infrastructure, a rail traffic controller needs an instruction phase for a couple of months, just to be able to work at one single signal box. To cope with the high demands of the job, a virtual learning environment for trainees was created to increase their vocational action competences, to enhance their knowledge and to ease the passage to job. A prototype of the software was created using a usability engineering approach. A strong collaboration with rail traffic controllers and potential users ensured the usability of the system. The final concept and prototype of the learning environment will be presented in this paper. It consists of three different learning sections and one test section, where trainees can check their knowledge.