TRAINING

THE POST COVID-19 CLASSROOM

What to expect from post-secondary education

BY BEN HART

The days of coming to school or work when you’re a little bit sick—but too stubborn to stay home—are gone. Gestures and behaviors that were once socially acceptable, such as a handshake may become taboo.

As I sit here and write this, I long for the days of normality; in fact, I haven’t even seen a classroom in months. This COVID-19 world we are experiencing has created more questions than answers and the same can be said for the future of post-secondary training. At this point, most institutions have moved current classes to a distance education format and temporarily suspended upcoming in person classes.

Training should resume in the fall, but how will that look? Every school has been exploring potential options. Some have already made the cautionary decision to only offer online education in the fall, although others are taking a pause to figure out their approach before deciding.

While some courses may be easily transitioned to online education, others are much more difficult. The theory portion of the uto Body and Refinishing trades can be adapted to online training while successfully fulfilling their outcomes. However, the difficulty lies in practical training. How can practical training be molded to a world where human contact must be limited?

One option is that personal contact is eliminated, at least temporarily. This requires critical thinking of the individual schools and educators to determine the best alternatives to practical education, such as video recordings of learners demonstrating the practical skills. Another option is to teach as much subject matter as possible online, then have the learners resume practical training when it is considered safe to do so. Alternatively, social distancing measures where class sizes are smaller, and individual classes may run at different hours of the day and evening could be utilized, particularly when PPE is mandated.

All of these scenarios are easily met with criticism. There are many possible solutions, but it will all come down to a balance of safety, learning value and expense.

In any case, all of the above are short term measures. The next question is, what will the long-term repercussions of COVID-19 be? Will we ever return to “normal”? No one has a definitive answer to those questions, but I do believe we will resume to some level of normality. I can see a greater inclusion of distance education software in the conventional classroom. I also see a greater need for cleaning and respecting health concerns. The days of coming to school or work when you’re a little bit sick—but too stubborn to stay home—are gone. Gestures and behaviors that were once socially acceptable, such as a handshake may become taboo. 2020 is a year of learning and adapting to these new normality’s, fraught with unprecedented change. Post-secondary education is in the process of adapting and evolving. Any school worth its weight will equally place safety and education at the forefront of their priorities when evaluating operational measures; however, I am optimistic that dedicated institutions and educators will be the catalysts for positive resolutions.

Ben Hart is a Red Seal certified autobody technician and refinisher with more than two decades of experience in the industry. For the past two years he has instructed apprenticeship programs at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology. He can be reached at ben.hart@sait.ca.

EASING ESTIMATION

Photo-based solutions are here to stay

As restrictions are lifted and Canadians get back to their adjusted everyday lives, the industry is preparing to shift into its ‘new normal.’ Insurers say photo-estimation will be a survival staple—but is your facility ready to make the switch? While the technology may not be 100 percent perfect, it offers a safe alternative for completing estimates amid social distancing protocols. Insurers have even said they are more likely to work with facilities implementing the service.

Moreover, it’s being touted as a way to accelerate claims as a fully digital claims environment comes to fruition, and some facilities believe post-pandemic photo estimation could help open doors for further business opportunities, such as 24-hour vehicle drop-off and delivery.

Check out some of the solutions that could help speed cycles along in your facility on the following pages.

esheets.ca E-SHEETS

E-Sheets is a new automotive virtual appraisal company that can employ a remote-workflow with a focus on bodyshop efficiency. While they currently handle some regional insurance claims their focus is as a remoteappraiser for best-in-class collision repair facilities. E-Sheets creates the appraisals inside your estimating systems under a separate ID that you assign. Your team then sends the picture-sets through CosmosSync. Based in Ottawa, E-Sheets is led by Steve Wade with 40+ years of insurance and collision experience and supported operationally and corporately by Doug Best and Bing Wong from Canadian Hail Repair.

mitchell.com MITCHELL INTELLIGENT ESTIMATING

Mitchell International says this data and cloud-based estimating system has the power to turn damaged vehicle images into component-level estimating lines. Images can be submitted to the program via carrier mobile apps or repair facility photo capturing tools. Vehicle images are submitted to the program and then Mitchell Intelligent Damage Analysis uses computer vision to identify damages and needed repairs. After estimate lines are created, they are converted to BMS files, enabling a fast and convenient estimate that allows the repair process to be initiated faster, according to Mitchell.

progi.com

solera.com PROGI PHOTO

ProgiSync, an online appointment planning program now allows access to ProgiPhoto. ProgiPhoto allows repair shops to receive photo assignments from participating insurance agencies and allows them to request photos from clients so estimates can be completed remotely. Being able to get an estimate online allows for proper social distancing as well as a consistent workflow for shops. Progi is well known for developing digital solution for insurers, body shops as well as parts sales markets.

SOLERA

Solera’s automotive claims workflow solution is powered by artificial intelligence and is said to have the ability to detect damaged parts, determine the type and severity of damage, define vehicle manufacturer repair operations and create an estimate based on these repair operations. The product’s AI is a combination of repairer science technology, 300 million claims, one billion historical images and 50 years of experience, says Solera, and this data feeds enhanced machine learning algorithms to drive efficiency and increase accuracy.

TRACTABLE PHOTO ESTIMATION

Tractable’s photo estimation tool is powered by AI technology and designed create a repair estimate within minutes. The company’s platform can handle almost every vehicle year, make, model and can process a wide range of photo quality levels, says Tractable. The program is cloud-based and therefore integration and implementation are not time or resource intensive. Interested shops and insurers can get in contact with Tractable at tractable.ai/contact.