When we sought educator feedback for our guideWELD® VR welding simulator, we learned a lot. For instance, we learned that our virtual reality welding simulator was great for introducing new students to welding and helping them learn basic techniques. Where educators told us they struggled, however, was in the welding shop. We learned that many times, welding programs have only a handful of welding bays for four times the number of students to use. Classroom management is often a concern. So is teaching a topic the educator themselves might not have personal experience in. We created the guideWELD® LIVE real welding guidance system to alleviate those concerns and others.
We recently spoke to Realityworks Vice President of Sales and Marketing and guideWELD LIVE co-creator Scott Jameson about why this unique training tool works. Here are three ways guideWELD LIVE makes a difference in today’s welding programs.
guideWELD LIVE offers individualized instruction in the welding booth
Research continues to show that personalized feedback and real-world experiences help today’s students learn and retain information. In fact, effective feedback can dramatically accelerate learner growth.
The guideWELD LIVE system provides personalized feedback during live welding through a series of icons inside the welding helmet. They occur in the user’s periphery vision, similar to the manner in which video games communicate information to players on-screen. With the guideWELD LIVE helmet in place, users see real-time guides on the right and left sides of their vision and can focus on those guides or their weld as needed during a weld.
guideWELD LIVE helps build student confidence
Confidence is important when learning new skills, but it can be problem among first-time welders. guideWELD LIVE helps build student confidence by acting as a “training wheel” of sorts for live welding.
In fact, Hutchinson Community College Welding Technology Instructor Greg Siepert told us how one of his students “just didn’t feel right” about his welds. So, Greg gave that student extra practice time with guideWELD LIVE.
“I had him work with it for 30 minutes,” Siepert said, “and he came back and said he got it – and his welds had vastly improved. So did his confidence.”
Read Greg’s complete customer story to learn how he successfully implemented the guideWELD LIVE system into his program.
guideWELD LIVE meets today’s students on their terms
As we discussed in this recent blog, demand for trade skills is increasing. So is pressure our school systems to get more students into trade skills career paths. One way that has shown to be successful is adding training tools that attract students to these programs, teach key skills and ideally, get students excited about participating in class and exploring potential careers.
Tools like guideWELD LIVE do exactly that. What’s more, they meet students on their terms with technology the way they like it – interactive, realistic and personalized.
Learn more
Looking for more information on the guideWELD® LIVE real welding guidance system? Consider these resources:
- Watch our on-demand webinar, “What is the guideWELD LIVE real welding guidance system?
- Read this case study, Welding Education in the 21st Century, to learn what instructors across the country are doing to engage their students in welding and manufacturing careers
- See the guideWELD LIVE system in action – and hear from real users – by watching this video:
