Abstract:

The new Activity Based Training (ABT) methodology was developed recently. The ABT method follows the industrial production process. During the training sessions the students produce a final product. The ABT learning environment facilitate 1) a just-in-time on-the-job production workflow competence and knowledge transfer approach, 2) a sound pedagogical model where theoretical training is always immediately followed by practical training, 3) coordinated use of advanced video technology, and 4) industrial quality assurance processes where students exchange their products several times during a course. ABT courses are structured in a number of work orders, each containing a number of work-packages. ABT principles may be utilized by in-company skills upgrading processes where the production workflow is divided into work orders and work packages.The experiences are now extended into the EuroMECCA and EduMECCA projects.

EuroMECCA is aiming at disseminating and raising the awareness of a new integrated blended learning environment that offers flexible and sound pedagogical delivery of level specific mechanical industry production process training to Vocational Education and Training (VET) schools, and in-company training organisations that deliver training to welders. The in-company training will be provided to adult students from mechanical industry in Norway, Slovakia and Hungary. The EduMECCA project expand learning skills by implementing an inquiry- and problem based blended learning ABT methods in two lifelong learning training sectors: welders and welder engineers in Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Sweden and Norway.

The training solutions provide quality assurance management designs of industrial oriented production process training. The new ABT methods strengthen industrial production process training in VET schools and companies. The new learning environment promotes modernization of the educational system. Instructors and students may optimize the cost-efficiency in production process by selecting different training paths that improve quality and reduce costs, thus avoiding welding defects by offering quality assurance during industrial training sessions. The methodology handle important production tasks as:
• to learn which technical parameters that are critical in the production process, e.g. visualization of the probability for cracking followed by mechanical failure
• to visualize the consequences of selecting different welding parameters, such that the training improves the quality of their own work by pointing explicitly out which parameters it is critical to fix, and which parameters that are flexible
• engage the students to observe how important it is to select the proper production technology, by simulating and displaying the cost efficiency in the production process

This paper outlines flexible system solutions for just-in-time transfer of mechanical industry production process know-how at the workplace that requires detailed transfer of technical production processes knowledge. ABT delivers theoretical content when it is needed just in front of the practical training tasks, linking directly theory and practice in order to promote relevance and motivate the student. The new training methodologies offer manufacturing industry a new market for trans-national on the job know-how competence transfer. European Community supports the work presented in this paper as pilot projects under the Leonardo da Vinci program.

Keywords:

activity based training, industry, problem based learning and training.