Abstract:

According to UNESCO, more than 3.6 million university students in the world study in a country that is not their own, and the number is increasing, as it is becoming more common for young people to travel to other countries for their education. As a result of this demand, universities, such as Harvard, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of Melbourne offer free online courses for their students. There are many platforms that give users the opportunity to undertake online training to learn about science and expand their knowledge. However the main drawbacks are the educational content offered related to core subjects like physics, chemistry, mathematics..., and the lack of platforms specialised on real working environments.

Eurostat published; in 2009 that 31% of the European Union (EU27) population used Internet to search information about learning, compared to 8% in 2007. E-learning has been around for a long time, but this concept is not keeping up with the needs of users, as they also seek a new system or learning methodology with which they can interact and simulate real situations and environments, and that is where iMAGING comes in. iMAGING will exploit the potential of the increase use of mobile devices (smartphones and tablets) to enable easy access to all the information, turning e-learning into m-learning (mobile learning), This will be offered to a large number of people interested in RFID technology (Radio Frequency IDentification).

iMAGING offers RFID learning in a simple, intuitive and, over all, interactive way, carrying out simulations and playing with the technology in a directed and interactive way, in order that users (students, company workers, unemployed people, etc.) gain skills and incorporate this technology into their companies.

IMAGING will support the acquisition of new skills and competences as well as the training through lifetime. Young people that are trying to enter into the labour market and also workers with difficulties to enter in the labour market are also concerned. Therefore, promoting basis and knowledge for future jobs and new opportunities is one of the rationale behind this project, where it will contribute to lifelong learning enabling users to acquire competences, adapt to new conditions and potential career shifts. The use of new technologies to sustain lifelong learning provides an extra added value in terms of training flexibility and adaptability combined with active work, satisfaction and motivation for the trainees allowing them to council work and family and social life, giving the possibility to learn anywhere at any time.

With iMAGING the user will interact, learn and achieve new knowledge in the application of the RFID technology with a new methodology in an interactive platform. The training content will be segmented into different sections; focused on generic information, interactive exercises and examples of RFID applicability in real environments and companies. All this will be available in a webapp for all kind of mobile devices (Android, iPhone, Blackberry, etc.). The learning tool will improve the business scope, in order to contribute to a Vocational and Educational Training (VET) more open and more tailored to labour market needs and society in general. The use of 5 languages, English, German, Polish, Portuguese and Spanish will help students to learn in other languages and make the learning contents more accessible to other people.

Project funded with support from the European Commission. Project no. 20131ES1LEO0566389

Keywords:

e-learning, vet, RFID, mobile, android, iPhone, Blackberry, european, labour market, unemployment, imaging, interactive, webapp.