BlueTea assists ANWB with a serious game for recertification exams
Recertifying approximately 1,500 employees for the NEN 9140 standard was the challenge that ANWB faced. BlueTea aided training specialist TTA International and ANWB Wegenwacht in developing a serious game based on its VirtualStudio platform.
In the Netherlands, the number of electric vehicles on the road is increasing. There are currently around 130,000 electric vehicles, and the number is growing daily. The growth of this electric vehicle fleet naturally presents challenges, especially when they encounter breakdowns.
Due to the high voltage of the built-in batteries in these vehicles, reaching up to 480V, dangerous situations can arise in breakdown scenarios, especially if there is also damage caused by a collision. This poses risks not only to the drivers themselves but also to various emergency services. Stranded electric vehicles must be handled with caution, particularly when they need to be transported to a workshop.
To ensure the safety of electric vehicles, the NEN 9140 "Safe Work on E-Vehicles" standard was established. NEN 9140 defines the procedures for securing electric vehicles for repairs and for towing them to workshops safely. The standard specifically targets non-electric mechanics in workshops or emergency responders who need to handle the safe securing of electric vehicles, such as ANWB Wegenwacht.
ANWB Wegenwacht and NEN 9140
ANWB Wegenwacht takes the arrival of electric vehicles very seriously. The assistance organization's employees encounter more of these vehicles on a daily basis. It is crucial for the roadside assistance providers, battery service technicians, and recovery drivers to be well-prepared and able to perform their work safely. Compliance with the requirements of NEN 9140 is highly important to ANWB Wegenwacht. Therefore, ANWB always offers its employees the best training programs.
New Methodology
In October 2019, a new release of NEN 9140 was introduced, requiring recertification every three to five years. This meant that ANWB Wegenwacht had to undergo recertification once again.
"In the past, employees were given a computer-based questionnaire consisting of 25 multiple-choice questions. The results determined whether they passed or not. This time, we wanted to approach it differently," says John van de Water, Coordinator of Technical Training at ANWB.
Collaboration with TTA International
In the search for a new examination methodology, ANWB partnered with TTA International, an international learning and development provider specializing in the automotive sector. Together with TTA International, a new method was developed to facilitate the recertification of all 900 ANWB roadside assistance providers, as well as 500 battery service technicians and recovery drivers.
TTA International proposed incorporating gamification into the new recertification method. Specifically, this involved creating a serious game in which participants are tested on their execution of the procedures outlined in the NEN 9140 standard for securing electric vehicles. The serious game has now become part of the training for new ANWB employees, allowing them to gain experience with electric vehicles.
Scenarios tailored to the target audience
"The serious game consists of eight scenarios," explains Freddy van Nispen, Account Manager at TTA International. "The scenarios are tailored to the target groups within ANWB Wegenwacht for recertification. These scenarios include testing the safe securing of electric vehicles that have overheated, sustained damage from a collision, or have a stuck charging cable at a charging point. Other scenarios address the safety of electric vehicles during workshop tasks."
"The different scenarios guide the employees through the entire process from the initial situation to the desired end result. With a little guidance, employees can go through this process according to their own judgment. They can make up to three incorrect actions to pass. Once they have completed the entire game, the final result determines whether they have passed the NEN 9140 certification or not."
Before participants can start this exam, they must complete an e-learning course and pass it with a sufficient grade. New employees also have to undergo a practical session to obtain NEN 9140 certification.
Benefits of Serious Games
Introducing a serious game into the recertification process for the NEN 9140 standard brought several advantages for ANWB. John van de Water explains, "The benefits we see are that gamification is a great tool for further digitizing the training of Wegenwacht employees. Gamification is particularly useful for recertification, as roadside assistance providers have to undergo this process regularly."
Furthermore, van der Water states that this approach makes it easy to expedite the recertification process. "During the initial recertification with this method, we managed to have 900 roadside assistance providers complete it within almost two months. So, gamification allows us to certify a large group of employees in a short period. Additionally, employees can independently practice with this game multiple times to become proficient in the procedures."
BlueTea's VirtualStudio
In the search for a suitable provider for such a serious game, TTA International ultimately chose BlueTea. BlueTea offers virtual simulations in which work instructions are simulated and taught within a 3D environment. This brings a certain practical situation closer to the participants, making it easier for employees to experience the theoretical concepts.
BlueTea's virtual simulations or "serious games" are created using their self-developed VirtualStudio toolkit. VirtualStudio is an innovative content management system for building scenarios in a way similar to visual programming. This means that each action in a scenario can be configured with pre-built interactions. This allows anyone to build scenarios, even without programming experience. Content experts can focus on the content, while the maintenance of the game's scenarios becomes sustainable.
Moreover, VirtualStudio helps content developers of digital learning materials adjust the simulations or serious games to evolving procedural needs without requiring programming knowledge or complex technology. The platform also monitors the participants' performance, providing insights into the progress for both the participants and the organization. This enhances the effectiveness of training and knowledge transfer.
The accompanying online portal provides statistics on aspects such as participant engagement, performance, and knowledge level. This allows individual participants to receive more attention in topics where they score low. They can also be rewarded for completing tasks successfully. The addition of gamification elements like experience points and trophies further stimulates replayability, which has a positive impact on knowledge transfer. Repetition is always key to building experiential knowledge.
Collaboration with BlueTea
"The scalability and expandability of the platform are the reasons we chose to work with BlueTea," adds Freddy van Nispen from TTA International. "When creating a serious game, the specific platform doesn't matter as much. The ability to quickly and easily implement upgrades is the most important factor. This is very straightforward with VirtualStudio. For example, replacing a Tesla model with the latest version in the serious game for ANWB Wegenwacht is simple. These 3D elements can be easily incorporated into VirtualStudio, ensuring the functionality of the scenario or storyline remains intact. Updating the scenario to a new car model becomes much easier and reusable. This was the main reason for choosing BlueTea."
Other reasons for selecting BlueTea included their collaboration and involvement throughout the entire development process of the serious game for ANWB Wegenwacht. The fact that BlueTea is a Dutch company, facilitating communication, also played a significant role in the successful collaboration.
Customization
"Thanks to BlueTea, we were able to deliver a high-quality product for ANWB Wegenwacht. It contains all the necessary functionality and is user-friendly. This means that all employees within ANWB Wegenwacht can use the game, including those who are not completely comfortable with digital tools. Fortunately, the game has an intuitive interface, making it easy for everyone to navigate," says John van de Water.
"We also requested some customization for this game. We wanted to utilize the data generated by the game. BlueTea made this possible and even included this tool as a standard feature in their releases. They constantly made improvements in other aspects as well, which is highly positive. Therefore, we plan to offer this solution to more customers," concludes Freddy Nispen from TTA International.
Effective Collaboration among all Parties
ANWB Wegenwacht was also highly satisfied with the delivery of the serious game for the recertification of its employees and the collaboration with BlueTea. "The entire development process took about nine months. During this process, we had ongoing and productive communication with BlueTea and TTA International.
Ultimately, this led to an innovative new way to recertify our employees, of which we are very proud. This ensures that ANWB Wegenwacht employees can perform their work safely and responsibly, and our members can rely on us when they need our assistance," concludes Johan van der Water from ANWB.