Simulator-based training for logging equipment operators

Burk, Erin Elizabeth (2022) Simulator-based training for logging equipment operators. Masters thesis, Northern Arizona University.

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Abstract

Logging equipment simulators offer opportunities for new operators to become familiar with operating logging machines as well as a promising solution to the high costs of training. These simulators are fairly new to the market, and we were unable to find much research regarding whether they can be effective training tools. In chapter one, we introduce the motivation behind the studies presented in this manuscript. In chapter two, we conduct a literature review with the goal of identifying effective ways to incorporate logging equipment simulators into an equipment operator training curriculum. While we were able to draw some important conclusions from the literature review, we found that no studies have directly quantified the extent to which skills transfer between simulated and real logging equipment. In chapter three, we present a summary of our controlled experiments to evaluate the effectiveness of simulator training compared to machine training for equipment operators in terms of operator performance, subjective operator experience, and cost effectiveness. In chapter four, we briefly summarize and synthesize what we learned in chapters two and three and discuss the broader impacts of the research completed for this thesis.

Item Type:	Thesis (Masters)
Publisher’s Statement:	© Copyright is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the Cline Library, Northern Arizona University. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author.
Keywords:	forest harvesting machines; forestry simulator; logging equipment operator; logging operations; simulator-based training; workforce
Subjects:	S Agriculture > SD Forestry
NAU Depositing Author Academic Status:	Student
Department/Unit:	Graduate College > Theses and Dissertations College of the Environment, Forestry, and Natural Sciences > School of Forestry
Date Deposited:	08 Jun 2023 16:54
Last Modified:	08 Jun 2023 16:54
URI:	https://openknowledge.nau.edu/id/eprint/5990

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