Practical learning at remote in the transport sector

We aim to respond to critical needs that emerged during the ongoing COVID-19 crisis and its impact on vocational education and training across Europe. The primary motivation was to modernise and e...

The project successfully achieved its objectives by responding to the evolving needs of training systems, meeting the challenges of the pandemic and contributing to the development of effective, inclusive and future-proof teaching materials and methods in the context of practical work. One of the major achievements was to ensure continuity of driver training even in the event of a lockdown. This was ensured by the creation of a training environment for VR for vehicle inspection. The trainees had access to the environment through Meta Quest glasses from their own location. The instructor entered the same environment from his workstation and was able to guide the student through speech and examples. Distance learning was therefore technically successful and made it possible, for example, to reduce travel between home and school, which met the ecological objectives and reduced the carbon footprint. The project also tested teaching materials produced using other technologies, such as 360 images and video. These were also tested successfully and learning was facilitated through remote access.

We undertook a comprehensive array of initiatives to address the urgent needs outlined. Firstly, we focused on modernizing and digitalizing education systems, particularly in response to the demand brought about by the COVID-19 crisis. During the distance learning period necessitated by the pandemic, we identified and addressed the lack of adapted tools and training materials. Recognizing the high dropout rates among young people and the challenges faced in practical education, especially in areas like Finland where early school leaving became a concern, we prioritized the development of practical exercises and training materials that could be accessed remotely. One critical aspect of our project was ensuring the continuity of driver training despite lockdown situations. Recognizing the strict legal regulations surrounding driver training and the current shortage of drivers in transport companies, we developed and deployed virtual workspaces, including VR/AR environments and virtual classrooms, to facilitate remote learning and practical exercises. Additionally, we aimed to increase independent learning by providing practical work tasks that could be completed remotely. This involved the development of guides to facilitate the use of training materials and the training process itself, as well as testing different practical training models in real-life situations. Throughout the project, we remained focused on providing effective and inclusive educational materials, tools, and teaching methods to ensure distance learning, continuous learner monitoring, and assessment. We recognized the need to allocate resources specifically to the development of distance and online learning for practical work tasks.

The project not only responded to the immediate needs created by the COVID-19 crisis, but also provided a framework for the continued development of distance and online learning in practical professional work. The project developed a set of tools to facilitate different learning modes, such as 100% distance learning and a combination of face-to-face and distance learning. Emphasis was placed on practical exercises to ensure consistency with pre-defined learning objectives and adaptation to different learning environments. The project successfully introduced and exploited virtual workspaces using VR/AR technology and virtual classrooms. These virtual environments enabled effective distance learning, allowing both teachers and students to collaborate remotely on practical exercises, in a future environmentally friendly way. The project enhanced independent learning by providing practical exercises that could be completed remotely. Learners were given the opportunity to participate in practical tasks either under the guidance of teachers or independently, thus promoting more self-directed learning. A portability guide and a RoadMap tool for the deployment of different technologies were implemented to meet the needs of trainers. These enabled trainers to evaluate the transfer of their own training topics to distance delivery.