a target group-based approach for the use of learning management systems

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).



LMSs are commonly used:

to make course documents available;

to administrate homework and;

to create courses with specific content for students.



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



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



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.


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)




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



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.




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




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”


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.




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;



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.



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;



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;





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.



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



Contact

Corina Guiţă, [email protected] Sabine Piribauer, [email protected] Leopold, [email protected]

www.ewita.info www.ceronav.ro

www.via-donau.org


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Thank you for your attention!Thank you for your attention!

a target group-based approach for the use of learning management systems

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