Understanding the IPIMS Action Learning course structure

Available in this article are two formats, they both contain the same material explaining the IPIMS Action Learning Course Structure.  Choose the video version for a visually engaging presentation, or opt for the traditional text and images.

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)

• The links to the course sections, including the Pre-Assessment, the Assignments and the Post Assessment

For first-time users:

ABOUT THIS COURSE

Here, you will find the Course Description, Learning Objectives, Competency Statement, and General Assignment Instructions for every IPIMS Action Learning course.

BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE

As mentioned in the Background Knowledge tab, it is essential to have familiarity with the subject areas covered in the course to complete it successfully. Here, you will find links to IPIMS Background Knowledge that you can review to ensure you are adequately prepared for the simulated job assignment.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Read through both paragraphs to learn important information about the IPIMS Action Learning format, including the fact that the Pre-Assessment score is not counted towards the final course grade. It is simply meant to measure your current level of subject knowledge.

START LEARNING!

As a first-time user, we encourage you to go through these four tabs to ensure that you get the most out of the IPIMS Action Learning format. Your learning modules are displayed in a sequential order, beginning with the PRE-ASSESSMENT located at the lower part of the course introduction page.

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 84%. 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:”

How would you describe the flow conditions during the production test (1) in the body of the reservoir and (2) at the wellbore?

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.

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.