International Journal

on Marine Navigation

and Safety of Sea Transportation

Volume 4

Number 1

March 2010

1 INTRODUCTION

Interaction between human and oceans are more in-

tensive in the present than the past. Oceans and seas

make possible connections between world states,

with a great value for economical changes and

transport activities. The maritime transport takes the

first place if we consider the transported quantity

over the world. The development of the maritime

transportation and its connected activities imposed

the necessity of having more trained people involved

in operation, able to act in different situation. This

ability can not be considered as a native one, and it

must be developed through specific training.

For this reason the training process, especially re-

lated knowledge and skills in operation, safety and

security fields, must be highly qualified. Taking into

account the fact that this training is covered in many

cases through academic studies, is compulsory to

have an academic staff able to assure a training pro-

cess at high level. This training includes both theo-

retical knowledge and also practical skills. In order

to persuade the trainees about necessity to be better

trained for an expandable work market and in con-

tinuous development, is necessary to prove, as

teacher or trainer, that you have in possession the

latest knowledge and equipment.

This ability is a difficult task for the younger

teachers, coming directly from the school, with a

good theoretical luggage, but with gaps in the practi-

cal area. On the other side, in the maritime academic

system is really difficult to bring people with a wide

practical experience in the background, due to dif-

ferent knowledge gain between onboard and on ta-

ble.

In order to cover the missing experience of a

longer practice on sea, our university developed a

project dedicated to initial and continuous training of

the younger lecturers, and not only, to make easier

reaching a teacher position and to fill up the gas re-

lated to new technologies used in the training pro-

cess.

2 THE MARITIME INDUSTRY AND

MARITIME ACADEMIC

2.1 The maritime industry

From the beginning of times, people have been at-

tracted by the sea, by the possibilities to interact

with other peoples, especially for trade and also for

Higher Performance in Maritime Education

Through Better Trained Lecturers

R. Hanzu-Pazara & P. Arsenie

Constanta Maritime University, Constanta, Romania

L. Hanzu-Pazara

“Ovidius” University, Constanta, Romania

ABSTRACT: The necessity to have good trained officer’s onboard ships today comes in complete accordance

with the present development of the shipping industry, materialized through presence of high technology and

computerized equipment. This is not just an IMO request, but is an imperative in order to have safer seas and

oceans and a cleaner marine environment.

The training level of present and future officers is directly connected with the level of training and knowledge

of trainers and teachers. For this reason we consider as compulsory to reach higher performance for the per-

sonnel involved in maritime education, especially in the academic field.

In this way, in the present, Constanta Maritime University is developing a project dedicated to initial and con-

tinuous training of younger lecturers, who are for the first time in contact with the maritime educational sys-

tem. Also, this project have parts dedicated to experienced lecturers with many years in the system, targeting

the goal of maintaining the level of knowledge already acquired, and bringing new training procedures and

techniques in accordance with the present necessity.

In the present paper we will describe the concept of this project, its principal goals and courses developed in-

side in order to have better trained trainers from their beginning activity.

social and cultural development. The main way of

transport used in trading relations is represented by

the maritime transport, first because of the quantity

transported, second due to the price. Once economi-

cal relations got wider, the maritime industry had to

adjust the capacity to satisfy these requests. The

growth of the ships capacities becomes obvious

starting from the 70’s and continues during present

time. This development requests increasing quality

of operability, bringing onboard the ship the newest

technology and people able to work in these new

conditions. The improvement of technology and this

presence of high technology onboard ships, is

changing the concept of classical sea transport and

in consequence requires people trained for this.

Not only one part of maritime industry has

changed, the ships, also they have changed the con-

necting activities during last decades. So, the port

operations, shipping company activities and others

have suffered changes and requested personnel

trained for the new conditions.

Even if technology evolved, the basic activities

and the operation of equipments are still human du-

ties. The maritime industry is based on human ele-

ment and, in this way, the necessity to invest in hu-

man factor must be a high priority. To have

personnel qualified according to technological

standards, is a request that can prove difficult if it

doesn’t exist adequate background training. A solu-

tion can be represented by the training onboard

ships, directly on the working elements, but can

have the inconvenience of missing knowledge’s in

case of changes.

Also, the technological changes impose continu-

ous updating of older employees, people familiar-

ized with the previous equipments, which have also

gaps into theoretical field related, not only into prac-

tical experience. Here, the difficulty consists in the

age of the employees, their position facing new

technology and, not in the end, the ability of achiev-

ing sufficient knowledge to assure a good and safety

operability.

With the younger personnel, problems related to

accessibility to the new are less; they are living in

the technological era and have more resources to

comply these onboard ships. Also, if they are cor-

rectly trained and are open to latest techniques, they

will be able to help their older colleagues in achiev-

ing knowledge and skills in operating computerized

equipments.

Now, after the ships have been modernized,

armed with computerized equipments and high tech-

nology in order to provide a safety operation, to in-

crease protection of the human life and of the envi-

ronment, is the time to improve people capabilities.

These requests can be solved through a better

learning and a training period before taking respon-

sibilities onboard. During this period, they must be

teach about new ship types, their characteristic oper-

ations, the differences between different types, about

technology already onboard, configuration and oper-

ation, situations which can be met during a voyage,

organizing and managing of onboard activities and

duties and about everything is necessary to provide a

rightful and safe activity.

This is in our duties, as academic staff, to satisfy

the present requests and necessities of the maritime

industry, to provide people, both deck and engine of-

ficers able to work and react in different conditions

and situations encountered during activity.

2.2 Maritime academic role in maritime industry

As stated before the maritime universities have im-

portant duties and responsibilities near the maritime

activities. The maritime academics do not have only

one role, that of training, they are also formative in-

stitutions for maritime officers, including personality

modeling and developing a responsible behavior of

their actions. Is in human nature to borrow from oth-

er people’s personalities, from teachers or trainers in

this case. Being examples, the teachers have to show

only the better part of their personality, oriented on

their professional knowledge and skills and to cor-

rect the intention of the trainees to become a copy, to

help them develop their own personality, based on a

model.

For this, is important for teachers to use in the

training process their experience in working with

people, to complete theoretical knowledge with

practical examples and advices, based, if is possible,

on own experience on sea, if not, on studied cases.

To do these is necessary that teachers to possess an

adequate level of training and to have knowledge’s

from domains complementary to their teaching area.

Doing this, trainers training from the beginning of

their academic carrier, is a more acceptable situa-

tion, because of fresh theoretical knowledge ac-

quired during studies period. It will be necessary just

to introduce them in the teaching techniques, to use

different teaching materials and to teach them to tar-

get the maximal goal, in order to have at the end

good prepared people for their future professional

life. For teachers involved in training process from

many years, the scope is to keep them in line with

technological development, to convince them to pass

from classical teaching methods to the new ones, to

include in their activity the use of computerized and

simulated application, also distant open learning and

e-learning concepts.

Starting from these ideas, Constanta Maritime

University developed a project addressed mainly to

the younger lecturers, but also to all lecturers; inside

of it, it has been created a curricula of courses based

on actual requests for training level of trainers. It

have been covered knowledge and skills related by

using the training technologies, as simulators, the

development of an e-learning course, management

of knowledge, class courses curricula developments,

various pedagogical methods, how to create good re-

lations with your trainees and other objectives used

for becoming a better trainer or for updating with

technical advance.

3 THE “MARCON” PROJECT

3.1 The international context of the project

The “MARCON” (Improvement of Maritime Lec-

turers Competencies) project is based on politics and

strategies fated to support the European maritime

academic system position into the worldwide con-

text.

The project is develop according with Lisbon Eu-

ropean strategies with scope to make from European

Union a dynamic and competitive community with

an economy based on knowledge, with much and

better working places, increasing investment in edu-

cation and research activities. For these, the Com-

mission in relation with member states and universi-

ties will put in practice concrete actions related to

continue professional formation in educational field.

Starting from 2001, once the eEurope plan has

launch, through e-Learning initiative, the communi-

cation and computerized technology became an im-

portant element of educational system.

All of these strategies opened new possibilities

for universities and their staff, as increasing of quali-

ty in academic level, professional promotion to

easement the economical grow and develop of socie-

ty based on knowledge.

European Commission considers the maritime

transport development as an important element in

general economical growing. In this context, the

maritime training system is the part which offer

qualified work force on European market.

Also International Maritime Organization put ac-

cent on the level of training in the maritime educa-

tional system. With the latest intentions of changing

of the levels of training, in order to improve the

STCW Convention, has appear as necessary to be

known the actual equipments and technologies meet

onboard ships. These requirements need people

trained and familiarized with equipments, able to

train others.

3.2 Project objectives

The general objective of the “MARCON” project is

represented by multidisciplinary researches concern-

ing initial and continuous formative of the lecturers

from maritime universities and providing of ad-

vancement programs according with the maritime

industry requirements.

Achieving of this objective will lead to increasing

of maritime lecturers competencies and also will

make attractive for graduates to come in the system.

The results of this project, the initial and continue

formative courses, are addressed to all debutants lec-

turers and also to older lecturers.

According with equal chances concept, can be

observed, that in an activity domain dominated by

the male, attendance of females is not treat as ab-

normality. As long women are presented onboard

ships, in many cases in managerial position, their

presence in the maritime universities is not treated

with skepticism.

The development of the maritime industry impos-

es the implementation of a framework for providing

of advancing programs due to continue changing of

this activity domain.

Beside general objective of the project, the spe-

cifically objectives are:

1 Increasing of lecturers competencies through

promotion of knowledge’s and technologies in

the academic maritime field.

2 Creation of a development, update and on-line

management framework for initial and continue

formative of the human resources.

3 Realizing of studies and analyze to define forma-

tive programs dedicated and an optimum correla-

tion of these with maritime industry necessities.

4 Increasing of access and participation of lecturers

to formative programs and to obtain a double

qualification.

5 Encouraging of lecturers to maintain a high quali-

fication level through participation at specialized

courses.

6 Introduction of carrier advancing opportunities

for younger lecturers.

7 Elaboration of 6 pilot courses and analyze of the

feedback.

8 Verifying of the process and teaching activities

through initial and continue formative programs

in scope of improvement of TIC using level.

All these objectives are based on premise than

continue learning is the main condition for restruc-

turing and development of educational and forma-

tive systems, for assuring of decisive competencies

during life and to realize the coherency between per-

sons involved in maritime academic system.

A high level of qualification has to be guaranteed

by the training institutions through modular and

flexible educational structures, completed with high

standard personnel.

The project square up many horizontal objectives

as durable development, innovation needs and trans-

national approach.

Durable development has as scope the give up of

traditional methods for lecturers formative. Will be

followed the alignment to actual and future require-

ments of the international maritime market, the ex-

pected result being represented by a next generation

of competitive seagoing officers. The formative ob-

jectives will be not state just in theory, it will be ex-

tend to objectives focused on knowledge, action, co-

habitation, personal and social innovation. In this

scope will be taken in consideration economical as-

pects, problems regarding environment protection,

right manage of human resources, all of these result-

ing in promotion of a durable global development.

The transnational approach of the project is give

it by the maritime sector characteristics, an interna-

tional one and due to teaching act results, the gradu-

ates, who will work onboard ships under different

nations flags.

This project tries to involve maritime lecturers in

international maritime transport framework, to put

them in direct contact with the end users of their

work, the companies from maritime industries and to

know exactly their needs. The international maritime

companies are the necessary source of information’s

regarding worldwide requests for employ of mari-

time personnel.

Collaboration with partners from maritime field,

as project objective, will be found on communica-

tion and information changes to identify and imple-

ment of adequate modalities to increase the number

of work places and to optimize these.

After completed realization of this objective has

as results the extension of integration opportunities

for future Romanian maritime officers in the interna-

tional market. For this reason will be looking for so-

lutions to cast away the impediments and to have an

objective and equal appreciation.

With these desiderates the transnational and inter-

regional approach will have as scope achieving of a

common denominator between national and interna-

tional requests in maritime transport, able to offer to

the future officers the chance to integrate without

problems in national, also international work market.

3.3 The target group

As is stated in the project name and objectives, the

target group is represented by the maritime lecturers,

mainly younger lecturers, beginners in the maritime

academic. In this category we are including all lec-

turers, staff of the university, with ages under 35

years old.

Also, older lecturers, are included in the target

group of the project, especially in continue forma-

tive part.

The attendance to the project courses can be

made at the beginning of activity in the maritime ac-

ademic or after a time, but to not exceed 35 years

old, for the initial formative part. Better solution will

be to attendance in the first year of the lecturer carri-

er, when knowledge’s received during classes is

fresh and capacity to catch new knowledge is higher.

According with this criteria’s, in the present, in

Constanta Maritime University, the teaching staff on

age levels is formed by:

− under 35 years: 22 persons, with positions as as-

sistant professor and lecturer;

− between 35 to 40 years old: 7 persons, with posi-

tions as assistant professor, lecturers and associ-

ate professor;

− 40 years old and after: 51 persons, with position

as lecturer, associate professor and professor.

This statistic show that 40 percent of the present

teaching staff of the university is mark as principal

target group, able to pass through all steps of the

formative program. In this statistic we take in con-

sideration as target on younger lecturers group staff

with ages between 35 to 40 years considering that

these persons are lecturers with experience on sea,

who start their carrier onboard ship’s at finishing of

study period and after they has become teachers or

trainers.

3.4 Project development

Initial and continue formative activities for academic

staff supposed training in modern teaching tech-

niques, IT domain, simulation applications and in

human resources management.

In this direction will be create courses for lectur-

ers, with topics as “Teaching curricula develop-

ment”, “Using of simulation techniques during train-

ing process”, “Advanced concepts in virtual learning

method”, “Human resources management in mari-

time academic”, “Maritime academic system devel-

opment in knowledge management context”, “Use of

new technologies for research purpose”.

These courses has importance in the context of

changes in the maritime training system, where in

the present it seen the tendencies to pass from theo-

retical base to theory-practice combination.

“Teaching curricula development” is a course

dedicated to familiarize younger lecturers with actu-

al premise requested by maritime field curricula

which must contain IMO requirements, as compul-

sory, also new elements imposed by technical devel-

opment in the sector. Here are explains modalities of

curricula conception, contents, compulsory ele-

ments, hours repartition on course and practice, de-

tailing of each course and practice class, trainer and

trainee manual elements, use of electronic course

development and ways to be delivered to the trainees

and other aspects characteristic to each curricula.

The second course developed, is one of the prin-

cipals, here is describes the actual simulators used in

the training process and present in the university

possession. There are included simulators of ship

handling and navigation, liquid cargo operation, en-

gine operation and crisis situations.

Using of simulators during training process, in a

correctly way, can reduce the missing of practice

experience of the first years students, they are able

to find and be familiarized with the future equip-

ments use in the daily activities on board.

But, for a right use is necessary trainers trained

accordingly with scope of training. Is obviously that

not all courses need simulation application. But,

courses related main activities onboard, as naviga-

tion, ship handling, engine operation and cargo op-

eration, depend by the use of simulators during train-

ing.

Simulators are new teaching techniques intro-

duced in the process. Once appear these request per-

sons trained for their use. The increased necessity of

simulator training asks for more persons able to use

it. For this, younger lecturers can be the ideal solu-

tion to become simulator trainers and the present

project course let them to enter in this area of train-

ing and provide knowledge’s and practice in simula-

tion.

“Advanced concepts in virtual learning method”

is a course created according with the European ini-

tiative to improve the education system through a

better communication between actors using the ad-

vantages offer by the latest technologies, the virtual

world. The concept develop in this course is over the

present idea of virtual learning, treat as a web based

systems, where are posted materials with scope to be

downloaded or accessed to be read on the web. The

next level in this trend is to create the “virtual teach-

er”, a technology based on interaction between

teachers and students on a virtual platform.

To realize this concept is necessary as teacher to

know to control the virtual platform, to create mod-

ules on this and to keep it up to date with the latest

researches in the domain. Interactivity offer possibil-

ity to transfer data on interested subjects between

teachers and students, help both participant to im-

prove their knowledge’s. Here, teachers bring latest

researches, as scientific and students can explain the

practical experience, own lived and how is possible

to accomplished the training process to the real ap-

plicability.

Human resources concept in the present project is

built on actual strategies in the maritime academic

regarding management principals of human ele-

ments. The system changes made in the last period

affect also the human resources manage, dividing

personnel in sectors of activities, as teaching and re-

search areas. Management of resources in teaching

area supposed capabilities to organize academic staff

on university curricula, to nominate right trained

person to according course, to lead activities during

course period, including student management on

curricula activities.

In the research area, human resources manage-

ment has main goal the people selection in order to

create a good and devoted teams inside projects de-

velop by the university or in collaboration with other

educative institutions or with partners from econom-

ical field.

Knowledge management represented a creation,

maintain and consolidation process of knowledge’s

inside of an organization, for their use in the most

adequate modalities to create values and to generate

competitive advantages.

In the new approach, users are producers and

knowledge managers, not only consumers,

knowledge management being seen as a cyclic pro-

cess, implicating three correlative activities as crea-

tion, integration and dissemination of knowledge’s.

Organization flexibility, adaptation capacity, real-

ized through new knowledge’s accumulation have to

be organization basic characteristic for it evolution.

Knowledge management system is a specific

technological system designed for the management

of functional bringing in of distributed elements of

hardware, software and network compounds in a

single functional unit, which sustains knowledge

production, acquisition and transfer processes inside

one organization. In order to realize this design of

knowledge management system in a virtual commu-

nity is imperative to have a profound understanding

of cooperation inside groups or organizations, this

implying both artifacts and social conventions. This

field consists beside computer sciences (knowledge

engineering, distributed artificial intelligence, user

interfaces) of some other disciplines: psychology,

ergonomics, linguistics, sociology, organizational

and management sciences.

At the end, but not in the last, the research activi-

ties are very important in lecturer formation and to

this the project includes elements to help our young-

er colleagues to become good researchers. The sci-

entific activities are based on the technological ad-

vance and the use of these is essential in many

research fields. To be able to initiate and complete a

research project suppose to know necessary technol-

ogies for it scope. Also are included techniques of

research, ways to realize it and how to evaluate re-

sults in order to disseminate realizations to the scien-

tific world.

We thing that all these courses will be profitable

for persons who come for the first time in contact

with the maritime educational system and it process-

es, helping them to integrate easily and to reach nec-

essary competences to push forward the maritime

educational process. For already involved person in

the system these can update some aspects related to

new approaches, technologies and currents in the

maritime academic.

Beside of courses developed by our university in

the project, the attendant person’s have possibility to

participate to courses developed by “Ovidius” Uni-

versity from Constanta, as psycho-pedagogical train-

ing for lecturers, World Maritime University, in the

Maritime English field or provided by other institu-

tions with duties in training of lecturers competen-

cies.

3.5 Project complementary

The project is in direct consonance with the EU pol-

icies for maritime university level, expresses through

documents as “An Integrated Maritime Policy for

the European Union”, issued in 2007 and “Green

Paper on a future Maritime Policy for the EU”,

2006. In this way, the project objectives and activi-

ties are elaborated according with the European pol-

icies for development of human resources in educa-

tional field.

Inside of “MARCON” project objectives can be

seen complementary elements with different Leo-

nardo da Vinci projects, as “Developing the compe-

tencies of maritime lecturers”, which objectives are

the identification, analyze and description of the bet-

ter educational system for teaching personnel in aca-

demic level and to consider the formative and in-

formative educational system as professional

experience.

Another complementary project is “e-Marine”

from Leonardo da Vinci program, axed on creation

of two learning centers, real and virtual, dedicate to

maritime and port operation training. Inside of this

project has been identified and elaborated national

standards for seven professions, also has been creat-

ed two training centers, one virtual, for online train-

ing, in maritime field with topics in pollution pre-

vention, increasing of safety of navigation and

maritime security, another, as formative center for

professions in port operation field.

The “MARCON” project is also in consonance cu

the Waterborne Technology Platform program strat-

egy, which objectives are: safety, support and opera-

tions efficiency; European maritime industry com-

petitive in order to facilitate increasing and even to

change the pattern of actual maritime commerce.

3.6 Expected results

Through this project is expected to create competen-

cies for younger maritime lecturers and to improve

the competencies of the older lecturer’s.

The creation of courses bilingual, Romanian and

English, permit other lecturer from national and for-

eign universities, maritime particular, to take part to

these with impact in the number of person’s includ-

ed in the program.

Taking acknowledge of materials contained dedi-

cated to initial and continue formative of maritime

lecturers and after to reply with own evaluation,

consideration and proposals for improvement of

courses will lead to a better correlation of lecturers

competencies with maritime industry needs.

4 CONCLUSIONS

The world economy is changing, the maritime indus-

try, as part of it, is changing too and the require-

ments and necessities are remodeled. To achieve

these new challenges is necessary to redesign the

training system, the approach principles and people

involved.

It will not be easy to change the actual format of

maritime training system, mentalities or main topics

approach. The transition must be started from the

new lecturer’s generation and completed with older

lecturers through programs for initial and continue

formation.

This program’s idea has the advantage of mobili-

ty, the ability to reach to different generations, to

shape up the content according to present require-

ments and to apply that parallel with the daily activi-

ties. Being based on printed and virtual components,

it can be accessed by own personnel and by the out-

side personnel, from other universities or from eco-

nomic field on interesting fields.

The courses developed in the “MARCON” pro-

ject are created in the actual trend of maritime edu-

cation and come to help lecturers to improve their

competencies or to create new ones, particularly

those related to the use of latest technologies, com-

puterized and simulation procedures.

The competencies and qualification achieved at

the end of the teaching processes contained by the

project, will make the maritime academic system

more attractive, with competent personnel and able

to provide to the maritime industry, well trained of-

ficers to face the new realities in the field.

The collaboration relationships developed in the

project context between the training system and mar-

itime companies will help the rightful deduction of

the maritime industry necessities.

According with its structure and concepts, the

“MARCON” project can be included in the Europe-

an project ideas dedicated to the maritime training.

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