Work process oriented, interactively enhanced and APP supported learning and training in construction VET in Europe Erasmus Project

Project Title

Work process oriented, interactively enhanced and APP supported learning and training in construction VET in Europe

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 vocational education and training

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2016

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Open and distance learning; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; ICT – new technologies – digital competences

Project Summary

Work process orientation is one of the key factors in construction VET, which among others decides upon the success of an individual in the labour market. The better entire (holistic) work processes are understood by skilled workers, the better worker and company fit together. The degree of work process orientation as a pedagogic-didactic method in the initial vocational education and training (VET) on secondary level varies in a massive way in Europe. The scope varies from systems which base on conveying quite a high part of “only” theoretic knowledge and not highlighting the practical aspects, to systems with a big part of conveying practical knowledge and skills (work contract with a company before entering and while staying in VET). But most systems are based on classical media: print and DVD. So far there has not been anything existing in form of APPs for this. The existing catalogue of single working tasks to be conducted in VET by apprentices and VET-trainers/teachers should be adapted to the state of the art for mobile devices – smartphones and tablets. The suitability of these tasks´ catalogue is easy to explain, because there is always a self-contained task dedicated to the apprentice, starting with a customer´s assignment. Then the apprentice has to realize the entire circle of a business/production process on site. A more intense awareness of these single steps helps apprentices at an early stage of their professional career to also cope with the necessities of the future oriented method of Building Information Modelling (BIM), in which all steps in the working process have to be documented etc. The APP-development has incorporated versions for apprentices and VET-trainers/teachers. The new form (APP) copes with the need for updating the form of media and thus the acceptance to work with the contents and methods. Eventually this opens new chances for young people to enter the labour market and lower youth unemployment rates. For workers independent of their origin (also refugees) there is an easy tool for devices they own in far majority (smartphones), to get familiar with the method and also with pilot contents.
Objectives: IO 1 was not approved and thus not funded. In IO 2 the consortium developed 9 scripts in 7 languages
– IO 2 / A 1+2+9 in English
– IO 2 / A 3-8 in project partners´ languages plus English
After a considering and reflection phase for content selection which was based on questionnaires and interviews all partners started editing learning modules in form of scripts in English language along the professions masonry (IO 2 / A 3+4), tiling (IO 2 / A 5+6) and road working (IO 2 / A 7+8); always one for apprentices and one for VET-trainers. All scripts followed a six-step work process orientation and all were meant to include different media like pictures, videos etc. Scripts for IO 2 / A 1+2 are those explaining the meaning and method of work process orientation (WPO) for apprentices and VET-trainers and IO 2 / A 9 is meant to provide VET-trainers with hints how to exemplary apply WPO in their daily workshops. After an project internal clearing of contents, the modules were editied in “exeLearning” which is a free software tool to edit learning sections/modules. Once the edited modules had been finished they were tested in terms of structure, content and didactics (IO 3). The recommendations out of IO 3 were considered and where appropriate integrated in the modules. The media production (taking a huge number of pictures and making use of videos etc.) and integration was part of the programming (IO 4). This was done in close dialogue with the Open University / NL. The OU staff had built up an APP structure parallel to the IO 2 works. At this stage there is an ANDROID version for the APP only.
Participating organizations are 6, from which 4 are VET-centres, 1 chamber with VET-school and 1 university with faculty for pedagogy, media-pedagogy and media-design.
The main activities undertaken coincide with the meetings (6) on the one hand, during which recent and future steps in the product development were discussed and defined, and with a balanced scheduled work phase plan, that enabled all partners to more or less proceed with similar parts in the development of the IOs – main activities were 1) script production 2) internal testing 3) editing of modules 4) internal/external testing 5) re-editing and scripts´ translations 6) programming 7) integration into APP design 8) launching to the GooglePlayStore 9) Availability to public
The results 1) scripts and modules (IO 2) in 7 languages, 2) internal/external testing (IO 3) and 3) APP programming and launching to GooglePlayStore (IO 4) have been attained. As impact all partners reached a new quality of knowledge in WPO and also in self-designed digital learning units. In Germany there is a dialogue with the “Bundesinstitut für Berufsbildung” how to innovate the old catalogue by Uhe/Meyser to the digital era. This exchange is ongoing.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 263388,25 Eur

Project Coordinator

BILDUNGSZENTREN DES BAUGEWERBES EV & Country: DE

Project Partners

• FUNDACION LABORAL DE LA CONSTRUCCION
• CENTRO EDILE A. PALLADIO
• GOSPODARSKA ZBORNICA SLOVENIJE
• VIESOJI ISTAIGA VILNIAUS STATYBININKU RENGIMO CENTRAS
• OPEN UNIVERSITEIT NEDERLAND