Last year, BlueTea developed a virtual simulation in collegial cooperation with CIVIL to support education in installation technology. The project was made financially possible by a contribution from Keyport and Sterk Techniek Onderwijs.
The goal of the game is to simulate electrical circuits in a virtual environment in the form of a puzzle. Why?
The student can then practice in a safe environment (before they actually make the circuit on a board)
Less instruction is needed (teacher can make digital instructional level*)
Less supervision is needed (progress is digitally monitored)
No tests are necessary ("score"=test)
The learner is challenged through gamification (=repeat=learn)
The student can practice many switching variations (levels)
The student can practice anytime and anywhere (location independent)
Less installation materials are needed
* Based on a web-based editor - called VirtualStudio® - the teacher can expand installation instructions or create new ones himself. No programming knowledge is necessary for this.
After hard work - in collaboration with the students and teachers of Gilde Opleidingen - BlueTea was allowed to present the Beta release at CIVIL on March 29. The game was received with great enthusiasm after which students and teachers gave their feedback. It is now up to the team of Jorian (BlueTea) to finalize the simulation and Anamaria (BlueTea) to further explain the use of VirtualStudio in workshops.
Over CIVIL:
Civil is Gilde Opleidingen' center for innovative craftsmanship in installation technology Limburg.
Companies want employees who can handle any job. Students gain a lot of knowledge during their education, but in practice, things often work differently. At CIVIL, students are well prepared for work practice. They also set up activities to ensure that more young people opt for installation technology and they oversee the continuous learning and knowledge sharing of VO-MBO-HBO.
About Sterk Techniekonderwijs:
The national Sterk Techniekonderwijs* organization supports schools and regions in creating and implementing regional school plans. They provide support, data, inspiration, tools, and information to help regions in forming the partnership, the planning process, and implementation.
*The support team "Sterk Techniekonderwijs" is a collaboration between SPV (Stichting Platforms vmbo) and Platform Talent for Technology on behalf of the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science
From September 2018, an average of 100 million per year will be invested extra in technology education at Vmbo's. In 2018 and 2019, money is available for Vmbo schools with which they can invest in, for example, machines, materials, and people. From 2020 - 2023, the funds will be used to implement regional plans of Vmbo schools, Mbo institutions, businesses, and regional government. The objective is to work towards a sustainable, comprehensive, and high-quality technical education.
About Keyport, the regional economy booster:
As a region, Keyport Southeast Netherlands occupies a key position thanks to its central location between the Ruhr region and the world ports and between seven technical, agricultural, and medical campuses. A central region with good accessibility by road, rail, water, and air.
Characteristic for Keyport is the small-scale and versatile Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs), an important part of the Keyport DNA. These SMEs act as the region's job engine in which various sectors are naturally strongly represented. Besides the leading manufacturing industry and agribusiness, logistics, leisure & retail, and healthcare are well represented. Because SMEs serve as the flywheel for the overall economic structure, Keyport is fully committed to further strengthening SMEs. Keyport does this with a focus on the themes of innovation, entrepreneurship, and labor market optimization.
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