Practicing Mechanical Engineering Online Erasmus Project

Project Title

Practicing Mechanical Engineering Online

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 : Partnerships for Digital Education Readiness

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2020

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Open and distance learning; Early School Leaving / combating failure in education; ICT – new technologies – digital competences

Project Summary

There is an increasing risk of dropouts in Higher Education because of incomplete digital learning environments. The problem with the traditional theory based distance learning is that students do not have natural social interaction with each other, and there is a risk of exclusion. In addition, learning outcomes may remain low. This is espesially true with laboratory exercises which are an essential part of engineering training. If these cannot be arranged at all due to COVID19 pandemic limitations, it will be impossible to perform the studies.
For this reason PRAMECO project is aiming to tackle these challenges. Thanks to the technical solutions and practices developed and implemented in this project, students and educators are prepared to meet current challenges caused by the COVID19 pandemic and will be able to successfully continue studies. Additionally, the combination of virtual and physical laboratory environments opens novel possibilities and insights for bigger change in engineering education, for example enabling better e-learning through shared virtual laboratories.

The objectives of the project are:
1. Creating high-quality laboratory videos enriched with interactive content and possibility to adjust process parameters, making it feasible for students to run experiments on-line.
2. Facilitating interactive live sessions together with students and laboratory staff.
3. Opening laboratory hardware for remote access in such a way that students can safely work with the equipment from distance.

PRAMECO partners, HAW Hamburg, Turku University of Applied Sciences, Chalmers and TalTech are higher education institutes and present four countries: Germany, Finland, Sweden and Estonia. This consortium has a valuable opportunity for mutual learning, sharing expertise, exchanging practices, developing and testing innovative approaches and resources to better support distance learning and tackle challenges caused by the global crisis.

The main focus of the project work is in four intellectual outputs:

IO1 Laboratory on Demand. The idea is that this laboratory environment is based on pre-recorded videos and tutorials, not bound to laboratory schedule and can be freely accessed, not limited by timing or availability of laboratory staff. This IO will create two products:
1. Digital learning platform and content for pneumatics and hydraulics
2. Digital learning platform and content for welding and cutting

IO2 Digital Live Laboratories. The idea is that this laboratory environment is based on live streaming of videos from the laboratory. This activity is more interactive and realistic than IO1. Live streaming sets boundaries for scheduling and attendance; students can only attend live or view the recording afterwards, in which case they lose interactivity. The products are:
1. Digital Live Laboratory session for welding
2. Digital Live Laboratory session for cutting
3. Digital Live Laboratory session for industrial robotics
4. Digital Live Laboratory session for mechatronical system control

IO3 Remote Hardware. The idea is that this laboratory environment is that it is based on actual hardware that student will control herself via online connection. Limited by hardware availability (only one student can access the hardware at the same time) but gives freedom with scheduling (some hardware setups can be accessed even during weekend and night). IO3 will create two products:
1. Welding robot that can be used remotely, accompanied by learning activities and study material
2. Remote access to Electro-Pneumatics and Electro-Hydraulics laboratory equipment, accompanied by learning activities and study material

IO4 Framework and Guidelines. This IO will create a pedagogical framework for all the created laboratory settings to ensure better learning outcomes. IO4 will create three products.
1. An analysis of learning modes associated with different kind of virtual hands-on learning
2. Mapping from learning outcomes to teaching and lab set ups
3. Design guidelines

A staff training about the created methods for all the partners will be organized during the project. Multiplier events will reach over 100 relevant local and international stakeholders and ensure the reach and durability of the results.
In a long term the tangible project results are expected to impact:
– Increasing in skills about practical digital distance teaching and learning in Europe
– Increasing more awareness about the challenges of distance teaching and learning and how to tackle them in partner countries and across Europe
– Networking, transferability and exploitation possibilities: all activities carried out will be a possibility to build a relevant network of educators, experts, and other stakeholders and open new possibilities for transferability and exploitation of the project’s novel approaches.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 244122 Eur

Project Coordinator

HOCHSCHULE FUR ANGEWANDTE WISSENSCHAFTEN HAMBURG & Country: DE

Project Partners

• TALLINNA TEHNIKAULIKOOL
• TURUN AMMATTIKORKEAKOULU OY
• CHALMERS TEKNISKA HOEGSKOLA AB