Relating Planner Task Performance for Container Terminal Operations to Multi-Tasking Skills and Personality Type

Planning the operations within a container terminal is a complex task. It requires planners to demonstrate adaptive behavior while handling stressful, complex, and unexpected situations in today’s dynamic and technology dependent workplace. This paper aims at investigating the role of multi-tasking ability, moderated by an individual’s personality type, in predicting planner task performance using simulation gaming methods. Hierarchical regression analysis results demonstrate that the direct effect of multi-tasking ability on performance is positive and significant. With one exception, the personality traits do not significantly intensify or lessen the impact of multi-tasking in predicting task performance. The personality trait, openness to experience, significantly lessens the impact of multi-tasking ability on performance. Our results suggest that container terminal operators may benefit by considering the above-mentioned results while allocating planning tasks to their employees and new recruits. The instruments used in this research could also be used for evaluating and training candidate planners

Shaping The Future: Developing Principles for Policy Recommendations for Responsible Innovation in Virtual Worlds

As Extended Reality (XR) technologies continue to evolve at a rapid pace, they hold the promise of transforming the way we interact both with digital information and the physical world. Whilst Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), and Mixed Reality (MR) technologies offer unbridled opportunities for social connections, productivity, and play, these rapid technological advancements also pose critical challenges to ethics, privacy, accessibility, and safety. At present, there is little policy documentation that directly addresses the novel affordances posed by XR technologies, leading to a ‘policy void’ in this space. Having clear and effective policy frameworks prior to the widespread adoption of technology encourages and enables responsible and ethical innovation of XR technologies. This workshop is therefore dedicated to developing forward-thinking principles to guide policy recommendations that address potential future vulnerabilities posed by the widespread adoption of XR technologies whilst simultaneously encouraging the responsible innovation of new advancements within XR. To ensure these policy recommendations promote responsible innovation, the workshop will assemble multidisciplinary academics, industry developers and international policymakers. Our goal is to ensure that all perspectives are considered such that we can collaboratively chart a responsible and sustainable course for the XR landscape

Training mental imagery skills of elite athletes in virtual reality

Mental imagery practice is widely used to help athletes prepare for competitions, as it can produce motor actions that enhance performance. The goal of imagery training for athletes is to create realistic images in their minds and to familiarize them with certain procedures, environments, and other aspects related to competition. Traditional imagery training methods use still images or videos, and athletes study the pictures or watch the videos in order to mentally rehearse. However, factors such as distractions and low realism can affect the training quality. In this paper, we present a Virtual Reality (VR) solution and a study that explores our hypotheses that H1: high-fidelity VR systems improve mental imagery skills, that H2: the presence of elements such as virtual onlookers or photographers in the VR environment arouse stronger emotional reactions and affect, and that H3: the presence of elements such as onlookers or photographers in the VR environment results in better mental imagery skill improvement. For that purpose, seven elite snow sports athletes were exposed to three training methods, Video, VR-Empty, and VR-Crowded. Our results show that a VR simulation with virtual onlookers (VR-Crowded) can significantly increase heart rate, which can induce increased emotional arousal. The results from validated questionnaires show no significant difference for the three training methods in terms of mental imagery and affect, but the results show an ascending trend for the athlete’s arousal from Video to the VR-Crowded condition. Gaze detection heat maps of interest areas for the two VR conditions support hypothesis H2 that environmental factors such as the presence of photographers, staff, and onlookers can increase head and eye movement, possibly indicating an increase in emotional arousal during imagery training. According to verbal feedback and interviews, athletes are more likely to use innovative training methods (e.g., the high-fidelity VR method) than traditional video-training methods

Simulation games for workplace learning

In many industries, methods to improve employee and organisational performance are primarily through teaching and training staff. These methods include formal training, such as classrooms, seminars and predefined (online) courses. However, in some contexts these conventional forms of professional learning may not lead to improvements in work performance (for example, see Chapter 1 in this text). This is partly because these learning activities are not directly linked to employees’ routine work tasks (Van Merrienboer & Kirschner, 2012). This problem is exacerbated by the fact that formal learning settings lack the flexibility and agility to accommodate the rapidly-changing demands around how and what people learn evident in contemporary organisations. Even in settings where formal learning is effective, additional and/ or alternative forms of learning can be helpful. One such alternative is informal learning

Fokussierung, Strukturierung und Vernetzung informellen Lernens in Unternehmen

Informellem Lernen wird in Arbeitszusammenhängen immer größere Bedeutung zugemessen. Die hier vorgestellte Methode des Microtraining beschreibt einen Ansatz, informellem Lernen mithilfe von Kurzlerneinheiten eine ansprechende und motivierende Struktur zu verleihen, so dass kooperatives Lernen mit dem Arbeitsalltag verbunden und der Wissensaustausch mit anderen forciert wird. Microtraining unterstützt zielgerichtet das selbstgesteuerte Lernen und befördert somit die gesamte Entwicklung des Unternehmens. (DIPF/Orig.

Data Analytics of Mobile Serious Games: Applying Bayesian Data Analysis Methods

Traditional teaching methods in the field of resuscitation training show some limitations, while teaching the right actions in critical situations could increase the number of people saved after a cardiac arrest. For our study, we developed a mobile game to support the transfer of theoretical knowledge on resuscitation.  The game has been tested at three schools of further education. A number of data has been collected from 171 players. To analyze this large data set from different sources and quality, different types of data modeling and analyses had to be applied. This approach showed its usefulness in analyzing the large set of data from different sources. It revealed some interesting findings, such as that female players outperformed the male ones, and that the game fostering informal, self-directed is equally efficient as the traditional formal learning method

Gaming as a research method in humanitarian logistics

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present a methodology for research through game design and discuss how simulation games can be used to bridge the gap between operational exercises and simulation or analytical modelling and to provide guidelines on how simulation games can be designed for different research purposes in the context of humanitarian logistics. Design/methodology/approach This paper combines a literature review on gaming as a research method with an analysis of requirements for humanitarian logistics research methods. Starting from this theoretical framework, the authors develop a design thinking approach that highlights how games can be used for different research purposes. To illustrate the approach, the authors develop two different game set-ups that are of increasing fidelity and complexity. Finally, the authors discuss the results of the evaluation of both approaches, reflect on the design choices and provide recommendations for research and practice. Findings Gaming is a suitable research method to explore and analyse behaviour and decisions in emergent settings that require team work and collaborative problem solving. Especially when safety and security concerns may hinder access and experimentation on site, gaming can offer a realistic and engaging quasi-experimental environment. The aspects of engagement and realism also make gaming a suitable tool to combine training and research. Originality/value Although the use of games has attracted some attention in commercial supply chain management and crisis response, there is no systematic overview of gaming as a research method in humanitarian logistics. This paper is set to make a headway in addressing this gap by proposing a concrete approach to design games for humanitarian logistics research