By André Odermatt

When I read an article titled “Students can learn how to weld in underwear,” by Andrew Sharp, I became encouraged to share an opinion about welder training in virtual reality and online training. Moreover, in recent months I received several questionnaires about the subject of virtual welder training.

Not everybody learns the same way. According to Hoagies’ Gifted Education [www.hoagiesgifted.org] there are over one hundred different factors identified by researchers that contribute to learning styles.  People have various predominant learning styles such as visual, auditory and kinesthetic. Visual learners like to use pictures and diagrams but need to practice listening. A majority of individuals in our part of the world belong to this group.     Auditory learners like to hear what is said but need to practice knowing that things look right. According to the same source, this is the second most preferred learning style. Kinesthetic learners like to “do” in order to learn but need to practice listening.

Most people who like to learn how to weld fit the category kinesthetic learners. According to Grace Fleming, they typically can’t sit still for long, like to study in short blocks, are not great at spelling, do not have great handwriting,  like to take breaks when learning, and like to study with others, to mention just a few of the typical characteristics of kinesthetic learners.

Hobart Institute has designed and refined its training materials and training methods for the various welding processes with kinesthetic learners in mind. Classroom theory is limited to about twenty percent of the total course time and consists of lecture and discussion with audio visual aids to introduce key concepts. As the student progresses he has to pass up to 36 tests based on AWS D1.1 and ASME Section 9, which makes them the most desirable welders in industry.  

Moreover, students may elect to take a test to become an AWS QC7 certified welder.  The students name will then be added to the American Welding Society’s National Registry of QC7 Certified Welders.

I had seen the first electromechanical welding training aid many years ago at the Paton Institute in Kiev [http://paton.kiev.ua/eng/inst/inst.html]. Since then, several approaches have been made in various countries using different technologies to design training devices for welders without using an arc. With the help of today’s computers, sensing and feedback controls, and weld bead geometry predictions using neural networks, “dry” training systems have improved dramatically over time.

At HIWT, students obtain marketable welding skills after completing 21-weeks of structural or 36-weeks of the Combination Structural and Pipe Welding Program. Our renowned training methodology is based on many years of experience teaching people of all ages to weld. We believe that there is no substitute, at this time, for being taken by the hand of an experienced instructor and shown all the proper movements and geometries of the puddle and explaining body positions.

One of the things I hear often from HIWT graduates is that learning how to read the puddle early on was the key to being able to pass the required test the first time!  The key to a perfect weld is to learn how to manage the puddle.  There is no substitute for learning how to work safely with the helmet and proper protective clothing in different positions, feeling the heat of the arc, listening to the arc and observing and influencing the flow of the molten metal. The environment and conditions welders work in are simply very difficult to simulate.      

References:

“Students can learn to weld in underwear,” by Andrew Sharp.  The Lantern, 24 May 2007. The Ohio State University. http://media.www.thelantern.com/media/storage/paper333/news/2007/05/24/Campus/Students.Can.Learn.To.Weld.In.Underwear-2907487.shtml

 http://www.wikieducator.org

“Virtual Reality Welder Training,” by Nancy C. Porter, J. Allan Cote, Timothy D. Gifford, and Wim Lam.  Journal of Ship Production, Volume 22, Number 3, August 2006 , pp. 126-138.