What is Interactive Learning vs. Traditional for a Boater Education Course?

Whether you're learning about boating (and doing so safely) or anything else you're interested in, how you learn best can impact how well you retain the information and apply it in the real world.

When it comes to learning and applying really important habits (like safe practices while boating), it's crucial to choose a tool that helps in the way you learn best. 

That's why it's important to find an online course that works for you! It's also where an interactive boater education course could be ideal for your learning style.

Today, we talk about interactive vs. traditional online boater safety courses and the benefits of these courses for anyone who struggles with a more traditional style of learning.

A Changing Tide in Boater Education

To be clear, there's no right or wrong learning style when it comes to absorbing and mastering skills or information. The only wrong way to learn is in a way that isn't ideal for you.

So, when considering an interactive-style course vs. a more traditional course, whichever tool is best for you is the right way to learn. A traditional online course could be right for some boaters, while an interactive course may be better for others.

However, understanding the benefits and how you learn best can help you find the course that's ideal for you. Ultimately, the goal is for you to learn boating safety essentials and then apply what you've learned every time you hit the water.

What Is Interactive Learning?

So, when we compare two types of courses, we simply want to offer insights into each so you can make an informed decision for your time and the cost you'll spend on the course.

Let's look at some features of traditional courses and interactive online boating education courses to get a better understanding of the differences.

• Traditional boater education is typically a passive learning experience. A course will include short readings, videos, and end-of-unit quizzes.
  
  
• Interactive boater education courses transform the traditional model with immersive experiences that feel more like games than schoolwork.

With state-approved and Transport Canada-approved courses, like Boat-Ed, we're required to provide specific information through the material. So, no matter which format of a course you choose, you are getting the same required information (that meets the state's requirements) — just in a different format.

What Are the Benefits of an Interactive Boater Education Course?

Let’s look at how interactive courses can provide a deeper, more engaging, and effective learning experience to help you retain and apply what you learn. The more you can apply boating safety tips and habits, the safer you are on the water!

This is the goal of any course: to equip you with knowledge you can use to stay safe.

Engagement Turns Learners Into Participants

With a traditional Course, students (or learners) watch and read. This is what we refer to as "passively" consuming content.

However, with an interactive course, students do. You are typically involved in a game-type scenario where you make decisions, solve problems, and navigate scenarios with the information provided in the course.

This approach keeps users actively involved and less likely to get bored or distracted. Plus, you're having fun while learning!

Experience Real-World Application Through Simulation

With a traditional learning setup, it can be challenging for some students to visualize scenarios, situations, or processes. You're limited to static images or short videos showing boating scenarios, and that can be hard to translate into real-world uses.

When working through an interactive course, you'll be "in" simulated boating environments where you face real-world decisions, like weather changes, navigation, or responding to emergencies.

Our Boat-Ed course for Canadians is an excellent example of this! Students gain practical understanding, not just theoretical knowledge, that translates easily to actually being in a boat on the water.

Storytelling Enhances Retention

As we learn more about how people learn, it has become clear that presenting information with (or in) stories helps people retain that information.

For some students, information presented in a linear format (as in a traditional online boater safety course) is often forgettable. Whereas an interactive course incorporates storylines where a student plays a central role (i.e., helping a boat with passengers reach the dock safely).

Stories help boost memory retention by linking facts to context and emotion.

Challenge-Based Learning Builds Confidence

Reading something or watching a video could be all you need to learn a key aspect of boater safety. However, for many learners, working through simulations and challenges that require them to influence an outcome helps build the confidence they need to get out on a boat and operate it safely.

When taking a traditional course, you'll work through quizzes to test your recall. But with an interactive course, you'll also work through progressive challenges that simulate what you could experience when out on your own boat.

It's a great way to reinforce what you learn through repetition, decision-making, and feedback.

You Get Instant Feedback for Course Correction

An interactive course typically provides feedback in the moment. For example, if you need to take action to save a passenger who's gone overboard, you'll have instant feedback about the action you took and if it saved your friend.

Whereas quizzes in a traditional course may only tell you what’s right or wrong after you submit the quiz. For many students, this helps them better understand mistakes and correct the problem immediately.

Higher Completion Rates and Satisfaction

You're more likely to finish something if you're enjoying it, right? Even though Canada and most states require a boating license (or boater education card), there's no need not to enjoy the learning process to get it. 

That's not to say you won't enjoy a more traditional-style boater education course. With courses like the Boat-Ed traditional format, the goal is also to provide an enjoyable experience that helps you learn essential safety skills and obtain your certification.

However, many students may find that an interactive, gamified format is more fun and keeps them engaged to finish the course and get on the water safely (and legally) — faster.

When more people complete a course, that means there are more safe and responsible boaters on the water! When more people understand and apply good safety habits, we see fewer accidents, injuries, and deaths when boating.

Choose Boater Education That's Right for You

What is interactive learning? When it comes to this type of boater education course, it is typically a fun and very effective way to learn the information your state requires before operating a motorized vessel. By combining the structure of a game with the depth of real-world scenarios, these courses equip learners with skills that stick.

Because safety on the water depends on sharp decision-making, the interactive route can be the format that works best for many boaters to learn, retain, and apply critical safety practices.

Boat-Ed offers an interactive  Transport-Approved boater safety course for Canadians. It's fast and hands-on (plus fun) boating safety information that helps you pass the final exam to get your required PCOC (Pleasure Craft Operator Card).

In the U.S., take our traditional state-approved courses. And stay tuned for an interactive version of the course for the U.S.! (Coming soon).