Download A Target Group-Based Approach for the Use of Learning

The 5th International Scientific Conference eLSE eLearning 2.0 and
Innovative Practices with eLearning, Bucharest, April, 9-10, 2009
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
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.
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
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
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 groupbased 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”
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
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
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
o
o
o
o
is an open source Learning Management System;
supports learning content management and can be used for the
design of web-based e-learning.;
provides the possibility to export learning objects into other
LMSs ;
is published under the GNU General Public License (cf. ILIAS
Information Centre 2009);
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
o
o
o
gives the user the possibility to customize the software for his
own requirements;
provides a lot of features for collaboration and organisation of
e-learning courses;
allows the implementation of different multimedia applications
(e.g. video, audio, simulations and pictures);
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;
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 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;
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]
Daniela 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
EVERYWHERE…
ANYBODY…
ANYTIME…
Thank you for your attention!
EWITA - European Web Platforms and Training Concepts for Intermodal and Inland
Waterway Transport funded in the Marco Polo