Thanks in no small part to the dedication of the teaching staff, a multifunctional learning space has been created that can be used in a variety of ways thanks to its flexibility. The central objective was and is to bring the digitized world closer to young people and to enable them to meet the challenges it presents.
The interaction between man and machine was the focus of the planning work. Theoretical and practical areas were to be equally implementable and thus enable experimental, action-oriented lessons for the students. A modern and functional learning environment was created to strengthen the professional competence of the participants, taking into account the digital transformation in all professional fields.
The project began with the question of how to introduce young people to the digital world and equip them for the challenges it presents. The principal of the state vocational school in Lauingen personally took on the project at the time and ensured that the appropriate financial resources were made available. The aim was to create a modern and functional learning environment in order to strengthen the professional competence of learners, taking into account the digital transformation in all occupational fields.
At the state vocational school in Lauingen, around 2,000 students are trained in the professions of metal technology, mechatronics, electrical engineering and information technology, among others. These are all professions in which future skilled workers will face many new challenges due to the advent of Industry 4.0 and digital transformation.
The interaction between man and machine was at the center of the project's planning. Theoretical and practical areas were to be equally implementable and thus enable experimental, action-oriented teaching for the learners.
In their search for suitable premises in which the planned Industry 4.0 concept could be implemented at the school, the project managers from Festo Didactic noticed a break room. Very large, centrally located, nicely furnished, but hardly frequented by the students. The principal and also the teaching staff were enthusiastic about the idea of setting up a multifunctional learning room here that can be used for both technology lessons and theory and, in the ideal case, also offers a creative zone for self-learning phases or breaks.
In the back of the room is the heart of the lab, a cyberphysical system (CP Lab) with 6 stations. This system is an industry-grade networked production facility that allows learners to understand the interaction of digital linkages with mechanical and electronic components. The special feature here is that a complete production process can be simulated, from the order in the web store to the individual production steps to the storage of the finished workpiece. This also vividly conveys skills in new topics such as smart maintenance, machine learning, augmented reality and many more.
In the front part of the room there are 3 collaborative robot stations. Here, learners can gain experience working hand-in-hand with the robots. They also learn the correct programming of given tasks such as recognizing, picking up and moving workpieces. The knowledge learned can in turn be applied and tested on the collaborative robot integrated in the CP system during the ongoing process.
The room is completed with a theory area. In the immediate vicinity of the systems, it is possible to conduct frontal teaching, group work or even self-learning phases. Thanks to the flexible supply via the ceiling system (TecDesign) as well as the mobile system parts and furniture, this room can be rearranged as required within a very short time.
The choice of the room for the learning lab also has another advantage: the central location is accessible to all and thus all commercial departments also have the opportunity to use the room and the facilities when it comes to learning content such as EBP, webshop and e-commerce.
Goal achieved was the motto at the end of 2019! The multifunctional learning room was completed and since then offers the learners the opportunity to experience experimental, action-oriented teaching in a modern and functional learning environment. The teaching staff is also very satisfied with the complete solution from Festo Didactic.
Even after several years of intensive use of the learning lab, the feedback from both learners and teachers is consistently positive. They really enjoy using the room and are highly motivated when they are allowed to carry out process-oriented tasks on the two systems. Seeing how individual steps and decisions promptly affect the production process, and how changing individual parameters can also cause serious errors in the process, sharpens awareness and shows how important it is to apply things you have already learned correctly in practice.
The whole concept is rcompleted by digital learning content such as animations, videos, task collections and e-learning courses, which are used to teach the basics but also more advanced technical content. After the first positive experiences at the facilities, the learners' motivation generally increases. They want to spend as much time as possible in the learning room and are prepared to acquire the necessary theory in individual self-learning phases.