New Learning Ahead – A Target Group-Based Approach for the Use of Learning
Management Systems in the Education of Professionals for Intermodal Inland
Waterway Transport
prof. Corina Guiţă *) Daniela Leopold **)
Sabine Piribauer **)
*) Romanian Maritime and Inland Waterways Training Centre, Galaţi, Romania
**); ***) Via Donau, Vienna, Austria
The 5th International Scientific Conference eLSE eLearning 2.0 and Innovative Practices with eLearning, Bucharest, April, 9-10, 2009
EWITA - European Web Platforms and Training Concepts for Intermodal and Inland Waterway Transport funded in the Marco Polo
A Target Group-Based Approach for the Use of Learning Management Systems
I. Introduction
a. What are LMSs?
Learning Management Systems (LMSs) are software implementations or (web-based) platforms developed for the use in an educational context.
These include the didactical illustration of learning content as well as the management of courses (e.g. collaboration tools for students, administration of students).
EWITA - European Web Platforms and Training Concepts for Intermodal and Inland Waterway Transport funded in the Marco Polo
A Target Group-Based Approach for the Use of Learning Management Systems
LMSs are commonly used:
to make course documents available;
to administrate homework and;
to create courses with specific content for students.
EWITA - European Web Platforms and Training Concepts for Intermodal and Inland Waterway Transport funded in the Marco Polo
A Target Group-Based Approach for the Use of Learning Management Systems
b. EWITA project Proposed in the 1st call of the Marco Polo-II Programme of
the European Commission
Project Duration: 01/06/2008 – 31/05/2010
9 Partners:Via Donau (AT), Imagination (AT), CERONAV (RO), SPB (NL), EIA (int), FH Steyr (AT), Imagination (AT), PBV (BE), ROC Zeeland (NL), Schiffahrts-Verlag Hansa (DE)
36 Participants within Industrial and Educational User Forums
EWITA - European Web Platforms and Training Concepts for Intermodal and Inland Waterway Transport funded in the Marco Polo
A Target Group-Based Approach for the Use of Learning Management Systems
b. EWITA project
EWITA consists of two different platforms: INeS (Inland Navigation eLearning System) Danube
(for the Danube corridor)
INeS RMS (for the Rhine-Maas-Schelde corridor)
Languages: English, Romanian, German and Dutch
The platforms will be available at the beginning of 2010
EWITA - European Web Platforms and Training Concepts for Intermodal and Inland Waterway Transport funded in the Marco Polo
A Target Group-Based Approach for the Use of Learning Management Systems
b. EWITA project
INeS Danube and INeS RMS will be used in schools, training centres and universities with special focus on nautics and logistics, as well as by practitioners who wish to be informed about the latest developments in this field.
They will provide IWT-specific content presented in learning modules.
A Target Group-Based Approach for the Use of Learning Management Systems
c. Identification of target groups
Freight forwarders (trainees and employees of the dispatch)
Ports (sales assistants)Manufacturing industry Shipping companies (skipper, sales, dispatch,
trainees)Educational institutions (universities, shipping
colleges, training centres)
EWITA - European Web Platforms and Training Concepts for Intermodal and Inland Waterway Transport funded in the Marco Polo
EWITA - European Web Platforms and Training Concepts for Intermodal and Inland Waterway Transport funded in the Marco Polo
A Target Group-Based Approach for the Use of Learning Management Systems
II. The didactical design of the target group-based approach
The target group-based approach is based on the diversity of the potential users
The target group-based approach facilitates a deductive approach for the transfer of content
The user gets a general introduction in the field, and in a next step he is confronted with the content tailored for the target group
EWITA - European Web Platforms and Training Concepts for Intermodal and Inland Waterway Transport funded in the Marco Polo
A Target Group-Based Approach for the Use of Learning Management Systems
2.1 Basic level• General information about intermodal inland waterway
transport will be consolidated within a basic level • The user might be familiar with some of this content, but this
is part of a deductive approach • It aims the formation of common knowledge within a group of
learners, to assure that the basics have been addressed, before getting immersed with the customized content
• The complexity of content in this level has to be elementary,
but diversified • The level of interaction and use of multimedia has to be very
high, using a lot of pictures, simulations and videos.
EWITA - European Web Platforms and Training Concepts for Intermodal and Inland Waterway Transport funded in the Marco Polo
A Target Group-Based Approach for the Use of Learning Management Systems
II. The didactical design of the target group-based approach
2.2 Target group-based access
It is assumed that the user has knowledge regarding the general information outlined in the introduction
The focus will be on the content and not on pictures or videos
The content will be handled differently in the target group-based access
EWITA - European Web Platforms and Training Concepts for Intermodal and Inland Waterway Transport funded in the Marco Polo
A Target Group-Based Approach for the Use of Learning Management Systems
II. The didactical design of the target group-based approach
The topics will be very specific and more complex than in the basic level.
2.3 Learning path In order to motivate the learner to use the e-learning courses
the target group-based access will include several “learning paths”
A Target Group-Based Approach for the Use of Learning Management Systems
Examples of learning paths :
for the target group of the freight forwarders, a problem-based scenario can be developed. This means that the learner is confronted with a problem; he/she gets information needed to solve the problem and reflects about the content through solving the problem;
a deductive approach; giving general information about this topic first and then explaining the topic in a more detailed manner.
EWITA - European Web Platforms and Training Concepts for Intermodal and Inland Waterway Transport funded in the Marco Polo
EWITA - European Web Platforms and Training Concepts for Intermodal and Inland Waterway Transport funded in the Marco Polo
A Target Group-Based Approach for the Use of Learning Management Systems
III. Implementation of the target group-based approach in the LMS “ILIAS”
ILIAS:
o is an open source Learning Management System;o supports learning content management and can be used for the
design of web-based e-learning.;o provides the possibility to export learning objects into other
LMSs ;o is published under the GNU General Public License (cf. ILIAS
Information Centre 2009);o is characterized by the open access philosophy of GNU;
EWITA - European Web Platforms and Training Concepts for Intermodal and Inland Waterway Transport funded in the Marco Polo
A Target Group-Based Approach for the Use of Learning Management Systems
III. Implementation of the target group-based approach in the LMS “ILIAS”
ILIAS:
o gives the user the possibility to customize the software for his own requirements;
o provides a lot of features for collaboration and organisation of e-learning courses;
o allows the implementation of different multimedia applications (e.g. video, audio, simulations and pictures);
o was selected to build the framework for the implementation of the “target group-based approach” in EWITA project.
EWITA - European Web Platforms and Training Concepts for Intermodal and Inland Waterway Transport funded in the Marco Polo
A Target Group-Based Approach for the Use of Learning Management Systems
IV. Conclusions
The implementation of pan-European e-learning platforms will help harmonizing the knowledge in different sectors – in the case of EWITA, intermodal inland waterway transport;
Two platforms (INeS Danube and INeS RMS) will be created accordingly to the various needs of the different user groups;
EWITA - European Web Platforms and Training Concepts for Intermodal and Inland Waterway Transport funded in the Marco Polo
A Target Group-Based Approach for the Use of Learning Management Systems
IV. Conclusions A high level of using multimedia elements and modern
learning technologies will be made for the needs of the target groups (e.g. animations, interactive elements, streaming video and sound);
It is one of the major aims of EWITA project to learn about the needs of the potential users, the target groups of the platforms, right from the start;
IV. Conclusions
The “target group-based approach” is the solution for an e-learning platform which has different groups of users;
The first element of the target group-based approach - basic level includes general information in the field and is an introduction to the e-learning platform for every user;
A Target Group-Based Approach for the Use of Learning Management Systems
EWITA - European Web Platforms and Training Concepts for Intermodal and Inland Waterway Transport funded in the Marco Polo
EWITA - European Web Platforms and Training Concepts for Intermodal and Inland Waterway Transport funded in the Marco Polo
A Target Group-Based Approach for the Use of Learning Management Systems
IV. Conclusions
The target group-based access element contains specific content for the different target groups which is divided in topics and the topics are defined with the help of the user-forum;
Learning path -the third element of this approach defines the composition of the learning objects.
EWITA - European Web Platforms and Training Concepts for Intermodal and Inland Waterway Transport funded in the Marco Polo
A Target Group-Based Approach for the Use of Learning Management Systems
Miscellaneous
In EWITA project: the implementation of this target group-based approach will be
finished beginning of 2010;
the e-learning platforms INeS Danube and INeS RMS will be available for anyone interested in intermodal inland waterway transport as well as for the educational and industrial target groups.
For further information about the project, please visit www.ewita.info
EWITA - European Web Platforms and Training Concepts for Intermodal and Inland Waterway Transport funded in the Marco Polo
A Target Group-Based Approach for the Use of Learning Management Systems
Contact
Corina Guiţă, [email protected] Sabine Piribauer, [email protected] Leopold, [email protected]
www.ewita.info www.ceronav.ro
www.via-donau.org
EWITA - European Web Platforms and Training Concepts for Intermodal and Inland Waterway Transport funded in the Marco Polo
ANYBODY…ANYBODY…
EVERYWHERE…EVERYWHERE…
ANYTIME…ANYTIME…
Thank you for your attention!Thank you for your attention!