Short description:

This manual brings together the basic principles of education and training, modeling, task description and analysis, and the pros and cons of simulation as a training method. It describes the method used to design appropriate teaching and training programs and presents a taxonomy of the main components of the simulator technology. As an example, an interlinked training program which has been carried out is presented, with vehicles and simulators for professional drivers. This is followed by several advanced training programs which have also been tested. These simulator training courses for professional drivers are based on optimized simulator-specific teaching and training matter, covering an economic, anticipatory driving technique as well as self-control, i.e. frustration-resistant driving.

The manual is rounded off by descriptions of scripts, learning strands, measurement values, questionnaires and analysis procedures to assess training success. Organizational forms, business management calculations and staff selection processes are suggested for the actual running of simulators. These are complemented by easy-to-understand profiles and instructions for "train the trainer" courses.

Long description:

A good decade after the temporary end of attempts to make driving simulation into an accepted, productive teaching and training technology, new possibilities and chances are on the horizon, motivated by current EU legislation. The author has been involved, in terms of technology and content, in the development of driving simulators and has tracked their progress. This book attempts to take driving si- lation seriously as a technology for teaching and training, to demonstrate possible paths for future development and to promote the formation of a community as a basis for future success. The author would like to thank all the institutions, companies and universities involved for providing him with material, and for their constant willingness to d- cuss matters. Special thanks go to Prof. R. Bernotat and the Research Establishment for Applied Sciences (Forschungsgesellschaft fur ¨ Angewandte Naturwissenschaften e.V.) in Wachtberg, Prof. H.-P. Willumeit and Berlin University of Technology, and all staff and students, for the years of factual, nancial, technological and personal support. On behalf of the above I would like to thank the translator, Anne Koth. Although the masculine gender has been chosen in the text for convenience, the information applies equally to the feminine gender.

Table of Contents:

Introduction: Demand and Reality.- Teaching and Training with Simulators.- Basic Smart Truck Driving Training Program.- Smart Driver Training Programs.- Concluding Remarks.