Oh my goodness Martin you just brought back some very distant memories! Thank you (I think

). about 8 years ago I ran into the same problem with six sigma training. Everyone waited for the excel spread sheet to provide the statistical results, yet were not interested where the statistics came from just the number. Ergo their ability to solve the real problem was severely diminished!
I think we might have similar backgrounds with automotive networks which would include passenger cars and trucks.
Richard, it's almost uncanny how conversations can lead to common memories and experiences, that often identify or discuss places, buildings or people whom we haven't been able to locate for years.
BTW, in my reply above, I did update it with my old logarithms books and a few others that I brought to Canada when I immigrated in 1974.
If challenged by a student when explaining a concept long displaced by a computer or calculator, I simply ask how they could get the result in the event of a power loss or battery failure, when a calculation must be made. I know that working through Ohm's Law calculations, it can be difficult for some to grasp the concepts.
Discussing how technicians use Ohm and Kirchhoff's when working on vehicle systems to understand the characteristic relationships of amperage, resistance and voltage, then challenging it all with on vehicle or mock-up activities, makes it clear.
Beyond my first 12 years in the trade after I exited engineering, I spent 23 years as a technician at a local GM dealership here in BC. I followed with 15 years leading our GM ASEP apprenticeship for my current employer BCIT, before returning to the Product Service Training Centre in 2018, where I am the Department Head and instructor for BC GM dealership technician training.
Beyond my mechanical expertise, vehicle networks are very much a focus in my work, with CAN, CAN FD, MOST, Ethernet and LIN bus, being the current areas of network training.
BTW, when I edited my earlier reply, it somehow got duplicated. I will figure out where the delete button is a little later, but my wife is waiting for me to install a new blind in the kitchen window!
Martin