Knowledge and Skills on Lightweight Materials for Professionals
The world has faced unprecedented challenges, and this has also affected the running Education projects. LightRight, a project led by Fraunhofer with a consortium of nine partners, has developed professional training courses on the subject of lightweight construction materials.
Corona has not only stopped our lives. It also forces us to re-conceptualise professional training, because face-to-face events in an international context have become a challenge today.
Beate Brede, Project Coordinator at Fraunhofer IFAM
The modular Lightweight Professional course offers participants the opportunity to be trained at three qualification levels to become a lightweight professional and be certified as such according to ISO 17024. After the Introductory module (basic level), participants at the advanced level can choose from seven different course modules, each of which covers one lightweight material; the expert level, with innovative concepts, is currently in preparation.
Course overview
The course was designed in blended learning format, with an e-learning part via the learning platform Moodle. In addition, the classroom course with practical parts takes place at the partner location. After a successful start with the introductory module in 2019, 13 participants passed the first material module on composites in Bremen.
But then, with the sudden lockdown, the blended learning format became obsolete. The consortium course restructured the concept completely, redeveloped the didactic design to be and the methodology. For instance, they developed scripts for videos to replace the illustrative practical part of the attendance phases. Moreover, they tested and selected tools for online exams.
Materials are asked to be light for innovative constructions designs. We have been asked to be fast and flexible. And we managed in a very short time to switch the courses to 100% online.
Beate Brede, Project Coordinator at Fraunhofer IFAM
Lightweight Professional fully online
The e-learning course, i.e. each individual module, extends over a period of four weeks. The participants get access to course materials in the form of instructional videos, texts, slides and self-assessments via Moodle. In addition to these asynchronous self-learning phases, regular intervals by synchronous meetings with the instructors and all participants happen. At the end of each module, there are intensive online revision phases to prepare for online exams, which are also compliant with the ISO 17024 standard.
Registration for the new fully online Lightweight Professional training is open.
