Simulate, Texas aviation training company, expected to whip competition with FasTrakits computer-based training (CBT) curriculum for the corporate pilots. Instead, the new venture sent Simuflite in a nose dive. An analysis revealed that in the traditional ground-school training, pilots asked questions and learned from war stories told through classmates and instructors. But, with FasTrak, pilots sat in front of the computer for hours, trying to take up information. Their only interaction was to tap computer screen to give answers to questions, and that novelty wore off quickly. Pilots soon got bored with CBT ground school; as a consequence, it soon lost its effectiveness.
• What does Simuflite's experience suggest regarding the limitations of the interactive media and CBT?
• In which conditions is CBT most likely to be advantageous to the trainees?