Last year, I emphasized how maritime education and training needed to change, as well as the need for our students to become more flexible, in responding to a rapidly changing world. At that time, no one could have fathomed the changes maritime education and training would undergo in a matter of months due to COVID-19.
Similar to colleges and universities across the country, maritime academies quickly transitioned to remote instruction using available (albeit previously underutilized) technologies. Instructors and students were required to adjust rapidly to a new normal. The pandemic served as a means of prompting us to develop innovative ways to deliver academic programs and provide student support services for incoming and current students.
Many of the changes implemented will remain in a post-pandemic environment, as they provide increased participation and interaction. For example, it was necessary to cancel in-person career fairs and hold virtual information sessions with prospective employers. These virtual sessions, which have proven meaningful for companies and our students, engage more students, provide an abundance of information, and offer highly interactive discussions, and they will remain in place when we once again offer in-person career fairs.
Despite readjusting, the supply chain for future mariners has been disrupted. Maritime academies are still struggling to provide the required in-person instruction and assessments. When the COVID-19 pandemic prevented our training ships from sailing on their regular cruises, our students were unable to complete their at-sea training requirements, delaying the completion of their programs and graduation by as much as ten months.
While we have made adjustments to deliver our academic programs and support our students through the COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic again illustrates the need I highlighted last year to modernize maritime education and training. Alternatives to the required face-to-face instruction and assessment, as well as at-sea training, need to be explored and developed. These alternatives should include virtual-reality and augmented-reality training, cloud-based simulation, and remote delivery of instruction and assessment.