Get me to the Dojo: An experiential learning experience

Abstract

The Toyota Technical Center wanted to implement a companywide safety campaign to discourage the use of cell phones while walking. However, the traditional posters and directives from management did not seem to be working and a new approach was needed. The goal was to create an obstacle course that would be interesting enough to assess situational awareness and be fun for the participant. Thus the “Walking Dojo” was created to demonstrate that cell phones and walking don’t mix. A known measure of workload, the n-back task, was used to provide a consistent surrogate task for texting. The Dojo effectively demonstrates that walking while cognitively loaded significantly increases the time to negotiate the Dojo and increases response time to the n-back task. The lessons of the Dojo can contribute to safe walking whether it is crossing a street or on a factory floor.