Agriculture equipment technicians play an important role in Saskatchewan’s ag sector
by ensuring the tractors, combines, precision seeding equipment, sprayers and other
equipment farmers use remain in excellent condition. As such, they must have a thorough
understanding of the complex mechanical, electrical and hydraulic systems which exist
in order to analyze and diagnose problems and carry out repairs and maintenance.
For those training to become ag equipment technicians, textbooks are the source of much of this understanding, points out Saskatchewan Polytechnic School of Transportation, academic chair (interim), Chris Thomson and Brent Auchstaetter, Agriculture Equipment Technician (AET) program head (interim).
“We rely heavily on textbooks because that’s where all the technical information exists,”
Thomson notes.
To complicate matters, most students keep their textbooks in their lockers between
classes. With campuses being closed due to the provincial state of emergency, instructors
had to figure out a way to deliver training in a creative way so that students would
be able to learn even though they could not access to their textbooks. And time was
not on their side.
This posed an additional challenge for instructors who suddenly need to transition
their classroom training to an online environment in a matter of days.
“If we say to (students), ‘Tell us how you would install a crankshaft or an engine,’
they would need to refer to their textbooks,” adds Auchstaetter. “The lockers were
full of books.”
The solution was to contact the publishers, some of whom are equipment manufacturers
with proprietary information. Instructors were aware that publishers had the content
available digitally, such as a speak-to-read format, to accommodate students with
learning disabilities. Working with Sask Polytech’s learning support personnel, the
program was able to get special permission to place textbook content on Brightspace,
the institution’s online learning platform.
Not only were the publishers receptive to help, Thomson says, but they also moved
quickly—within a matter of hours—to accommodate Sask Polytech’s request.
Today, more than 90 per cent of all Sask Polytech programs are being offered through
online or remote methods.
Although moving from in-person to online training creates challenges for a hands-on
program like AET, Thomson says staff “have really embraced this drive to technology.”
Thank you to the textbook publishers for responding to Sask Polytech’s request to
move content online to support student success so quickly. This is a great example
of how institutions are working together during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Published April 2020.