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Ship to Academe, Seafaring to Teaching: Seafarer Teachers in Maritime Higher Education Institutions in the Philippines

Received: 20 February 2020    Accepted: 6 March 2020    Published: 23 April 2020
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Abstract

Years of working onboard vessels as marine officers to teaching in maritime schools as full-time instructors entail a big transition and a sharp turn of events in a seafarer’s role and way of life. Translating expertise in the field into a flexible classroom discourse using appropriate pedagogical methods to ensure efficient and effective delivery of instruction is a far cry from supervising and training a team of ship’s crew in a structured, hierarchical environment onboard. This descriptive study aims to measure the level of commitment of seafarers-turned-maritime instructors on their roles as educators as well as to determine their level of competence as based on their self-assessment in reference to Lloyd’s list of key attributes for maritime educators, namely, subject knowledge and technical skills, communication skills, pedagogy, and soft skills. Data that were taken from a survey with 58 deck and engine instructors revealed that the seafarers-turned-teachers have a promising potential as mentors as they help mold future seafarers. The commitment to teaching is there, and the competence to transfer to knowledge and skills is also in place. However, to be able to maximize their teaching skills, they need to constantly be abreast of the continuing developments in the maritime industry to be able to provide up-to-date inputs and to make the teaching and learning process become more realistic and relevant. As maritime instructors, they should possess the passion to perform their multifaceted roles not just to deliver the goods but to deliver them well to inspire and to create a positive attitude among their students. This study was also able to identify the challenges that seafarer teachers experience in their transition from being marine officers into maritime educators. A customized set of training courses for professional deck and engine instructors was proposed as an offshoot of this study to address the gaps that have been identified.

Published in Higher Education Research (Volume 5, Issue 2)
DOI 10.11648/j.her.20200502.12
Page(s) 44-51
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Maritime Education and Training, Higher Education, Seafarer Teachers, Maritime Instructors, Teaching Competence, Soft Skills, Pedagogical Skills, Descriptive Design

References
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[2] Etman, E. I. The impact of STCW implementation on Maritime Administrations, MET Institutions and Shipping Companies. Retrieved on February 20, 2020, from 5045_69_1_STCW_implementation_dec_04.pdf.
[3] Cross, S. J. (2010). Competent staff essential to ensure competent seafarers. In 18 the Conference of the International Maritime Lecturers’ Association (pp. 1-8). Retrieved on February 20, 2020, from http://www.imla.co/sites/default/files/ProceedingsIMLA18.pdf#page=4.
[4] The Philippine Maritime Industry: Prospects and Challenges in 2013 and Beyond. Retrieved on February 19, 2020, from https://www.unescap.org/sites/default/files/0.Philippines-1.pdf.
[5] Cross, S. (2012). Competent Maritime teaching staff. In The International Maritime Human Element Bulletin Issue, No. 29, ISSN 1747-5015. Retrieved on July 24, 2016, at http://www.inglesemarittimo.it/SitoItaliano/Sicurezza/Alert%20bulletin/alert_29.pdf.
[6] Institutionalizing Maritime Faculty Development Program in Marino World, June 23, 2016, from http://marinoworld.com.ph/2016/06/23/institutionalizing-maritime-faculty-development-program/.
[7] Wei, R. (2013). Views from maritime education and training on the full implementation of the 2010 STCW amendments. Journal of Shipping and Ocean Engineering, 3 (1-2), 40.
[8] STCW: A Guide for Seafarers (2010). Retrieved on July 24, 2016, from http://www.mptusa.com/pdf/STCW_guide_english.pdf.
[9] Lloyd, J. (2012). Just being an experienced mariner does not make for a good educator and trainer. In The International Maritime Human Element Bulletin, Issue No. 29, ISSN 1747-5015. Retrieved on July 24, 2016, from http://www.inglesemarittimo.it/SitoItaliano/Sicurezza/Alert%20bulletin/alert_29.pdf.
[10] Pekcan, C. (2012). On being a maritime lecturer. In The International Maritime Human Element Bulletin Issue, No. 29, ISSN 1747-5015. Retrieved on July 24, 2016, from http://www.inglesemarittimo.it/SitoItaliano/Sicurezza/Alert%20bulletin/alert_29.pdf.
[11] The International Maritime Human Element Bulletin (May 2012), Issue No. 29 I, SSN 1747-5015, A Nautical Institute project sponsored by The Lloyd’s Register Educational Trust. Retrieved on July 24, 2016, from http://www.inglesemarittimo.it/SitoItaliano/Sicurezza/Alert%20bulletin/alert_29.pdf.
[12] Cerit, A. G., Zobra, Y., Deveci, D. A., & Tuna, O. (2004). Problem-based learning in maritime education: How to design curriculums. Dokuz Eylul University, Izmir, Turkey. Retrieved on July 25, 2016, from https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Yusuf_Zorba/publication/228540948_Problem_Based_LearningIn_Maritime_Education_How_To_Design_Curriculums/links/54b78bfd0cf2bd04be33a040.pdf.
[13] Mart, C. T. (2013). A Passionate Teacher: Teacher Commitment and Dedication to Student Learning. International Journal of Academic Research in Progressive Education and Development January 2013, Vol. 2, No. 1 ISSN: 2226-6348.
[14] Garrison, J. & Liston, D. (2004). Teaching, learning and loving. New York: Teachers College Press.
[15] Rowe, K. (2003). The Importance of Teacher Quality as a Key Determinant of Students’ Experiences and Outcomes of Schooling. Background paper to keynote address presented at the ACER Research Conference 2003, 19-21 October 2003. Retrieved on February 20, 2020, from http://www.acer.edu.au/documents/.
[16] Fried, R. L. (2001). The Passionate Teacher: A Practical Guide. Boston: Beacon Press.
[17] Gamil, Tarek, "Upgrading MET instructors: the skills and knowledge enhancement demanded by MET stakeholders" (2008). World Maritime University Dissertations. 406. Retrieved on February 20, 2020, from http://commons.wmu.se/all_dissertations/406.
[18] Polit D. F., Hungler B. P. (1999) Nursing Research: Principles and Methods (6th Ed.) Philadelphia, Lippincott.
Cite This Article
  • APA Style

    Emeliza Estimo. (2020). Ship to Academe, Seafaring to Teaching: Seafarer Teachers in Maritime Higher Education Institutions in the Philippines. Higher Education Research, 5(2), 44-51. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.her.20200502.12

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    ACS Style

    Emeliza Estimo. Ship to Academe, Seafaring to Teaching: Seafarer Teachers in Maritime Higher Education Institutions in the Philippines. High. Educ. Res. 2020, 5(2), 44-51. doi: 10.11648/j.her.20200502.12

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    AMA Style

    Emeliza Estimo. Ship to Academe, Seafaring to Teaching: Seafarer Teachers in Maritime Higher Education Institutions in the Philippines. High Educ Res. 2020;5(2):44-51. doi: 10.11648/j.her.20200502.12

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  • @article{10.11648/j.her.20200502.12,
      author = {Emeliza Estimo},
      title = {Ship to Academe, Seafaring to Teaching: Seafarer Teachers in Maritime Higher Education Institutions in the Philippines},
      journal = {Higher Education Research},
      volume = {5},
      number = {2},
      pages = {44-51},
      doi = {10.11648/j.her.20200502.12},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.her.20200502.12},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.her.20200502.12},
      abstract = {Years of working onboard vessels as marine officers to teaching in maritime schools as full-time instructors entail a big transition and a sharp turn of events in a seafarer’s role and way of life. Translating expertise in the field into a flexible classroom discourse using appropriate pedagogical methods to ensure efficient and effective delivery of instruction is a far cry from supervising and training a team of ship’s crew in a structured, hierarchical environment onboard. This descriptive study aims to measure the level of commitment of seafarers-turned-maritime instructors on their roles as educators as well as to determine their level of competence as based on their self-assessment in reference to Lloyd’s list of key attributes for maritime educators, namely, subject knowledge and technical skills, communication skills, pedagogy, and soft skills. Data that were taken from a survey with 58 deck and engine instructors revealed that the seafarers-turned-teachers have a promising potential as mentors as they help mold future seafarers. The commitment to teaching is there, and the competence to transfer to knowledge and skills is also in place. However, to be able to maximize their teaching skills, they need to constantly be abreast of the continuing developments in the maritime industry to be able to provide up-to-date inputs and to make the teaching and learning process become more realistic and relevant. As maritime instructors, they should possess the passion to perform their multifaceted roles not just to deliver the goods but to deliver them well to inspire and to create a positive attitude among their students. This study was also able to identify the challenges that seafarer teachers experience in their transition from being marine officers into maritime educators. A customized set of training courses for professional deck and engine instructors was proposed as an offshoot of this study to address the gaps that have been identified.},
     year = {2020}
    }
    

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    AB  - Years of working onboard vessels as marine officers to teaching in maritime schools as full-time instructors entail a big transition and a sharp turn of events in a seafarer’s role and way of life. Translating expertise in the field into a flexible classroom discourse using appropriate pedagogical methods to ensure efficient and effective delivery of instruction is a far cry from supervising and training a team of ship’s crew in a structured, hierarchical environment onboard. This descriptive study aims to measure the level of commitment of seafarers-turned-maritime instructors on their roles as educators as well as to determine their level of competence as based on their self-assessment in reference to Lloyd’s list of key attributes for maritime educators, namely, subject knowledge and technical skills, communication skills, pedagogy, and soft skills. Data that were taken from a survey with 58 deck and engine instructors revealed that the seafarers-turned-teachers have a promising potential as mentors as they help mold future seafarers. The commitment to teaching is there, and the competence to transfer to knowledge and skills is also in place. However, to be able to maximize their teaching skills, they need to constantly be abreast of the continuing developments in the maritime industry to be able to provide up-to-date inputs and to make the teaching and learning process become more realistic and relevant. As maritime instructors, they should possess the passion to perform their multifaceted roles not just to deliver the goods but to deliver them well to inspire and to create a positive attitude among their students. This study was also able to identify the challenges that seafarer teachers experience in their transition from being marine officers into maritime educators. A customized set of training courses for professional deck and engine instructors was proposed as an offshoot of this study to address the gaps that have been identified.
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Author Information
  • Research and Development Center, John B. Lacson Colleges Foundation, Bacolod City, Philippines

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