OWM Completes Pilot Test of a “Blended” Course on Retail Motor-Fuel Dispensers

In October 2024, NIST OWM completed a pilot test of a “blended” course on Retail Motor-Fuel Dispensers (RMFDs) thanks in large part, to Paul Floyd, Director of Louisiana Weights and Measures, and a select group of his experienced staff. A blended course is one delivered using a combination of different instruction formats. The NIST OWM Blended Course on RMFDs included a blend of instructor-led webinars, self-study assignments, a self-paced narrated PowerPoint, and in-person instruction. This article shares how the RMFD Blended Course is designed, what we learned during the pilot, and reflections on how this “blended” training model might extend field inspection training to more OWM customers and stakeholders.

What is “Blended Learning?”

Blended learning is a term used to refer to a learning model that combines or “blends” in-person instruction with other forms of learning, such as webinars, self-study, and online materials and enrichment. The blended format here differs from a “hybrid” format in which some students participate virtually and some in-person for the same instruction. With a blended learning model, all students experience the same learning format for all course segments and activities.

How is the NIST RMFD Blended Course Designed?

It’s important to note that the learning objectives for the NIST RMFD Blended Course are the same as those for the entirely in-person NIST RMFD Short Course. In other words, students can achieve the same learning goals with either format. The instructional method is selected to best meet the needs of the student and achieve the learning objectives.

As with other NIST OWM inspection courses, the course was designed around the four elements of an official weights and measures “Field Examination”. This includes: 1) Inspection, or compliance with specifications and other technical requirements; 2) Pre-Test Determinations, which is the correct application of tolerances and test factors; 3) Test, or compliance with performance requirements, such as accuracy; and 4) Evaluation, which is the analysis of results to determine approval or rejection.

The pilot NIST OWM RMFD Blended Course was divided into eight segments (Part 0 to Part 7), covering all the important elements for weights and measures officials to properly (and safely) conduct an RMFD field examination. This course includes training on the four main elements of an official weights and measures field examination and also includes additional segments to address safety considerations relevant to the examination of RMFDs and pertinent notes for testing.

NIST RMFD Blended Course Overview

The RMFD Blended course was delivered using a variety of instructional formats, including:

• instructor-led webinars,
• narrated PowerPoint presentations (viewed by students independently),
• and in-person session with classroom instruction and field training.

Additionally, students completed pre-work for the course, including a self-study course on NIST Handbook 44 and they were given an independent assignment to practice applying knowledge and skills learned during the course. During Part 7 of the course, students conducted hands-on testing of an RMFD at a retail service station. Students also completed the same written final exam administered during the entirely in-person version of the NIST OWM RMFD Course.

A Team Effort

The NIST OWM RMFD Blended Course pilot test was rolled out over a year and a half with the same group of dedicated students. Segments were designed based on a model initially developed by Tina Butcher and modified as the course progressed based on feedback from participants and instructors. Course instructors and co-designers included OWM staff Tina Butcher, Scott Simmons, and John McGuire. Students included Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry Weights and Measures staff Paul Floyd (Director), Anna Greathouse, Erynn Heffley, Lee Mabile, Josh Moody, Shawn Waguespack, and Allicia Waller. OWM technical staff members Diane Lee, Loren Minnich, David Sefcik, and Juana Williams participated as their schedules permitted. We truly appreciate the commitment of time from each of these participants and their flexibility as we designed and adjusted the model throughout the process. We also thank Frank Campbell and Race Trac, Inc. for allowing us to conduct the field demonstration and test portion of Part 7 at their Baton Rouge, Louisiana, facility.

Why the Blended Model?

At this point, you might be wondering how the concept of a blended delivery model for NIST’s RMFD Course came about. Many are familiar with OWM’s traditional in-person training courses on laboratory metrology and field inspection, which have been offered since the 1970s to promote the uniform implementation of NIST legal metrology standards and test procedures. While OWM considered the idea of using virtual delivery for field inspection topics, it wasn’t until we faced the restrictions of the COVID-19 pandemic and began offering some of this training in a virtual-only mode that we realized the significant potential benefits of using this format.

Using OWM’s entirely in-person model we were reaching around 200 students per year for field inspection training. In the first year of the pandemic alone, OWM provided virtual training to more than 1000 students! Not only did OWM reach far more students with virtual training, but many students reported the training was their first opportunity to attend NIST training. Virtual training also reduced costs for participants and their organizations, required no travel, and offered more flexibility for students.

Though virtual training offers many advantages, many weights and measures professionals have shared that there is no substitute for “hands-on” training. While new tools and technology can help create interactive virtual experiences, such options are currently beyond our current resources. For inspection activities, it would be difficult to duplicate the real-world experience of conducting an inspection and test of an RMFD, from the discussion with device owners to the knowledge of encountering unique situations at a gasoline station.

The blended learning model seemed a possible solution to give more students access to training while maintaining an in-person learning element. It may also offer a way to provide NIST training on more topics than is presently possible with available resources.

Lessons Learned

Since completing the last segment of the course, Part 7 – Field Demonstration and Practical Assessment, at the end of October 2024, we have been reflecting feedback from participants, instructors, and OWM technical staff on the course and the blended model in general. In addition to specific suggestions for changes to technical content or the design of the RMFD course, some of the potential advantages and opportunities for using the blended model included the following.

• Potential Advantages
  • More students can participate in NIST training offered through virtual sessions.
  • Easier for students to schedule and participate in training events amidst other priorities.
  • Convenient to access and use materials and self-study resources when needed.
  • More cost-effective and less travel for students (and instructors).
  • Students may have access to more training topics.
  • Course content is broken down into manageable sections.
  • Allowing time between segments of the course enables students to better digest the material and can be less overwhelming to newer inspectors than a continuous session over a single or several consecutive days.
  • In-person classroom activities used in the course allowed students to practice certain skills more easily than would be practical in the field.
  • The opportunity to observe a live demonstration of an RMFD field examination, significantly helps students to understand and apply content from the course.
  • Students are able to practice conducting an RMFD field examination and receive coaching from an instructor.
• Opportunities for Improvement
  • Some students may still be unable to participate in any in-person segment offered in a blended course.
  • Face-to-face and informal interaction with other students is limited.
  • Some learners may have difficulty staying engaged during virtual training.
  • Some students may be frustrated and/or intimidated by technology and/or may not have access to necessary equipment.
  • Technical difficulties can detract from the learning experience.
  • Conducting “hands-on” assessments of each student was impractical (within the current design of the in-person segment).
    • Requiring each student to conduct a complete test during the field demonstration consumes a lot of time.  Consider allowing jurisdictions to decide how to proceed with further hands-on training and practice.
  • Too much time between virtual segments can detract from the continuity of the training.
  • Providing a short review of a prior segment at the start of each course segment would provide continuity and help students recall key points from prior material.
• Other Observations and Suggestions
  • Spacing webinar-based segments to about one per week (depending on the segment length) would allow more time for students to assimilate material between sessions.
  • Offering pre-recorded sessions of the webinar segments would allow students who missed a live, instructor-led session to still participate and would also give students a means to revisit key points they may need to review at a later point.
  • Breaking the pre-recorded segments into key topics or providing a list of the time stamps where key topics in the segment are covered would help students locate content to review.  This would be similar to how the OWM RMFD training video is offered on the OWM website.
  • Continuing to offer live webinars and/or alternating them with pre-recorded versions would help students stay engaged.
  • Class size for the in-person portion should ideally be limited to 10 per instructor.
  • Providing a high-level video of the inspection and test of a device that can be viewed at the beginning of a course would be very helpful in putting the content into context, particularly for newer inspectors.

An additional hurdle to address in the proposed design of the RMFD Blended Course is the limitation to conducting the in-person segment (Part 7) on a regular basis. Although the RMFD Blended Model proposed using a group of external trainers trained by OWM to overcome that hurdle, significant resources are required to develop and train those trainers. We will explore solutions to that issue, including reassessing the scope of the learning objectives for the course and possibly providing tools to support jurisdictions in delivering hands-on training outside of the OWM course.

What’s Next?

Once we have assimilated all the feedback from the course, we will reassess the blended model used in the pilot. We will begin by incorporating specific modifications to the design for the RMFD Course, including technical changes and suggestions for changes to format and delivery. We plan to prepare pre-recorded sessions for the virtual portions of the course and post those on our e-Learning Resources and Training Materials webpage for easy access.

We will also consider how we might use this model or variations of it for other OWM Field Inspection Training Courses. Each field inspection course has different constraints and may require different course designs. However, there may be opportunities to leverage virtual training to cover multiple areas. For example, given the similarity of procedures for the care and use of test standards and equipment for RMFDs, Vehicle-Tank Meters, Loading-Rack Meters, and Liquefied Petroleum Gas Liquid-Metering Systems, it’s possible that a single, virtual training segment could be designed to provide that training.

Our takeaway from this pilot training effort is that the blended course model has great potential to extend OWM field inspection training to more students. We look forward to continuing to refine this model and collaborating with the community to find the most impactful delivery modes to best meet the needs of weights and measures professionals.