Liepāja State Technical School is developing innovative teaching materials for future construction industry specialists, the college’s communications specialist Maija Lakstīgala told the LETA news agency.
The school, in collaboration with the development platform “YOU+” and SIA “UPTK”, continues to implement the Erasmus+ project “Extended Reality for Green Skills Training in the Construction Industry,” which aims to develop innovative teaching materials for future construction industry specialists using extended reality (XR) technologies.
The aim of the project is to combine digital technologies and “green skills,” helping future builders to acquire professional skills in a modern, interactive way.
Last week, the project team visited a construction site on Vītolu Street in Liepāja, where an apartment building is being built. During filming, groundwork was being carried out at the site, and 360° video and photo material was obtained using a special camera attached to an employee’s helmet. This material will form the basis of an XR training tool that will allow students to virtually immerse themselves in the work environment, assess safety aspects, analyze work processes and quality, and make decisions in various situations. The filming process documents construction works and technological stages in various areas of construction, such as formwork preparation, reinforcement, concreting, curing and processing, quality control, transportation, storage, earthworks, material selection in accordance with the principles of the circular economy, demolition works, reinforced concrete construction, and others.
Augmented reality is an enhanced version of the real, physical world, achieved by supplementing the environment with objects, texts, sounds, and other sensory stimuli, creating the feeling that the integrated elements are part of the natural environment. Footage filmed in the real environment is integrated into XR glasses, where young people can familiarize themselves with the learning material. The interactive learning material is based on a scenario developed by experts and integrated into the Uptale platform. At appropriate moments, the XR glasses show the young person questions about what they are seeing, as well as explanations and additional information to deepen their understanding of work processes. During the learning process, young people will see objects from a construction engineer’s perspective at a 360° angle and will be able to answer questions and receive detailed explanations, reinforcing their theoretical knowledge in practice. The project plans to develop 20 training scenarios, one of which is “Use of materials with minimal waste.” and it emphasizes the efficient use of resources, time, and materials. Using the XR tool, students will be able to plan and implement the process of digging a construction pit, taking into account minimal soil, fuel, and equipment resources, as well as safety requirements, traffic organization, and preservation of the surrounding environment. Filming is planned in all partner countries – mainly in Latvia and Croatia, but some topics will also be filmed in Finland, Spain and Austria. Students from the Liepaja State Technical College’s vocational education programs “Building Construction Technician” and “Finishing Technician” will participate in testing the developed training material.
For LSTS, this collaboration is an opportunity to become one of the first vocational education institutions in Latvia to integrate XR technologies into the learning process, making construction industry training even more modern and attractive to young people, says project manager Kate Jēkabsone.
Link to the original article: https://www.liepajniekiem.lv/zinas/sabiedriba/liepaja-izstrada-inovativus-macibu-materialus-toposajiem-buvniecibas-nozares-specialistiem/
