Understanding IPIMS Action Learning course structure

Example Action Learning Module:

Flowing Well Performance and Production System Analysis

The main thing to remember about Action Learning is that it is meant to simulate actual work assignments. This means that the user has to make assumptions, chase down information and answer questions based on engineering judgment (unlike, for example, our more traditional IPIMS Background Learning, where Assessments are built around questions that can be answered simply by reading through the learning materials).

Using “Flowing Well Performance and Production System Analysis” as an example, here is how the

course unfolds:

Course Introduction Page

This introductory page contains:

• The Assignment Instructions (the scenario that lays out the simulated job assignment)
• The Learning Objectives (what the user should be able to do upon completion of the course)
• “Tips for Success” (explains how the course is structured)
• The links to the course Subtopics, including the Pre-Assessment

Pre-Assessment

In an actual work situation, if I am putting together a project team I would like to know what skills and knowledge each prospective team member brings to the table. That is the idea behind the Pre- Assessment, and that is why the Pre-Assessment is the first thing that the user sees after the course introduction.

The Pre-Assessment typically consists of ±20-25 multiple choice questions designed to test the user’s existing knowledge of the subject matter. We ask the user to go through the entire Pre-Assessment, review the answers at the end, and then brush up on any areas where the results indicate that additional work is needed. The Pre-Assessment score is not recorded in the final course grade; it is simply meant to measure the current level of subject knowledge and provide a baseline for measuring how much is learned from the module.

For example, I took the Pre-Assessment for “Flowing Well Performance and Production System Analysis”

and got an 88%. Upon reviewing the results, this is what I see for the first question:

I correctly answered that the Production Separator is normally considered the farthest downstream point of a single-well production system. There is no need for me to study this any more, I already know the right answer.

But then on Question 2, I got a wrong answer.

Because I answered incorrectly, a Background Knowledge link appears to the right of the question. I can click on this link to brush up on what variables influence the rate of fluid flow in a reservoir rock.

….and so on through the rest of the Pre-Assessment. I now have a baseline of where I stand on my current level of knowledge, and I’ve brushed up enough so that I can now begin the first Assignment subtopic.

Assignment:

 The Assignment begins with a set of instructions:

Note that at the right edge of the screen are links to Background Knowledge (similar to the technical reference library that one might refer to while working at an actual job assignment), and References & Field Data. These links are accessible throughout the Assignment.

Background Knowledge:

The Background Knowledge includes all of the relevant IPIMS information that pertains to the subject matter. In keeping with the idea that this is a simulated job assignment, we do not hand-hold the user to find the information relevant to a particular question—just as I may have to go through a range of books and technical papers to find what I want in the real world, they have to be able to sift through technical references.

References and Field Data

This is where the “simulated work assignment” really kicks in. The user should be able to review these data, and working with the Background Knowledge references, answer each question in turn.

For example, looking at Question 1 in the first subtopic “Production Test Analysis, Part 1: IPR Determination:”

If I go to the Well TR-34 PVT Report Summary, I can see that:

• Average Reservoir Pressure = 2240 psia
• Saturation Pressure = 2120 psia

Within the reservoir, the average pressure is above the bubble point, and flow is therefore single-phase.

If I then go to the Well TR-34 Production Test, I see that the flowing bottomhole pressures for two different production rates are 1885 psia at 678 STB/D, and 1767 psia at 869 STB/D. Both of these pressures are below the bubble point, so we have two-phase flow at the wellbore. The correct answer is “C.”

….and so on for each question in the Subtopic, and for subsequent Subtopics.

At present, we do not include a Solution Set for the Assignment questions, although we may need to revisit this (the idea had been to have the user work with an IHRDC or company mentor in this regard,

but as the number of users has grown, it seems that it’s no longer feasible to provide this one-on-one assistance). Note, however, that IHRDC support remains available and that the user does get two chances to answer each question.

Post-Assessment

 Post-Assessment instructions are explained below. The idea behind the Post-Assessment is to see how much the user has learned over the course of the Assignment, and to incorporate this learning into a final course score.