Energy Efficient Building Learning Application Erasmus Project

Project Title

Energy Efficient Building Learning Application

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for higher education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2014

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; Energy and resources; Open and distance learning

Project Summary

In Europe, the 2020 Energy policy for reducing CO2 emissions by 20%, raising the share of renewable energy resources by 20% and improving by 20% EUs energy efficiency, aims not only to fight against Climate Change but also to reduce EU energy’s importation. The construction sector plays a big role in these targets; as buildings are long-lasting products, they represent an enormous impact in the consumption of resources, energy, and CO2 emissions. Thus, an Energy Efficiency (EE) policy was designed in order to control the energy performance in buildings. Despite actions were taken, and buildings were built with some EE criteria, the only way to reduce impacts was acting on existing buildings. A new sector was created: the Energy-Efficient Building Retrofitting.

Are the businesses ready for the market? Are the new professionals ready for the sector? While the Energy policy was changing the construction sector, the training and education programmes related to this new field were still the same. The demands from the sector for skilled and qualified professionals in the energy efficient (ee) building retrofitting market have to be answered as the regulations and tendencies for reducing carbon dioxide emissions and energy savings are motivated by EU. nEBULA aimed to provide added value to the students and professionals with higher education levels in the areas of building, construction and energy with the skills and competences to upfront in a professional matter projects related to Energy Efficient Building Retrofitting. Thus, nEBULA developed a “mobile learning application” providing higher education students and (young) professionals with the knowledge, skills and competences they need to professionally design and execute projects and activities related to Energy Efficient Building Retrofitting.

The project was carried out by 6 partners from Turkey, Spain, Greece, The Netherlands and Belgium including universities, research institutions and SMEs. The project started with determining the methodology for needs analysis to employers of the learners and the capacity analysis to the students and trainers. nEBULA desk study, brainstorming with partners and advisors, it revealed a wide target group definition. Surveys and focus group meetings were conducted to these target groups, accordingly, the interface, the content of nEBULA app and its environment was designed. A total of 260 persons gave feedback for the needs and capacity analysis surveys. Thus, the nEBULA app was realized with respect to the needs of the ee-building retrofitting sector (mainly the future employers of the learners) and the background of the European students considered (selected as a sub-group of students from educational institutes and their graduates having less than 5 years work experience). The pilot testing was applied to a group of students chosen, the students were motivated to study a selected course material (same material for each entity), before-after quizzes were applied and surveys were given to those students that attended the piloting. Furthermore, feedback from the teachers who had experienced nEBULA app was also considered. A total of 172 students and 20 teachers gave feedback to piloting. Currently, the nEBULA app is available for education of students and young professionals and will be adapted to the interested higher education institutes’ curriculum.

The main impact of nEBULA on (future) engineers, architects and technical experts dealing with retrofitting was to increase their awareness on Energy Efficient Building Retrofitting and direct them towards design including the ee-concepts and regulations. By using the nEBULA app and through its networking they will be able to embed energy efficiency into their retrofitting designs, applications and/or related products and be able to access the guidelines and technical to-do tips during their professional life.

Expected long-term benefits of the project are; adaptation of the mobile learning application to different higher education institutes’ curriculum, increased number of course materials and increased skills and competence of the students/young professionals related to ee retrofitting and entrepreneurship, to get accustomed to ICT tools as teaching materials.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 279156,5 Eur

Project Coordinator

EGE UNIVERSITY & Country: TR

Project Partners

• UC LIMBURG
• CONSORCIO PARA LA GESTION DEL INSTITUTO TECNOLOGICO DE ROCAS ORNAMENTALES Y MATERIALES DE CONSTRUCCION
• Ergomec Private Company
• EOLAS S.L.
• TECHNISCHE UNIVERSITEIT DELFT