Scaling up Technologies for Informal Learning in SME Clusters

Objective

It is hard to imagine everyday life today without mobile and social information and communication media: quite naturally, mobile devices and social networks are used to keep in touch with friends, search for information, shop, and organize our work. These technologies could also play a central role in informal learning. But only a few companies are also systematically using them in training and continuing education. Particularly beyond traditional training methods, there is great potential in informal learning: the quick help from colleagues, the short summary, or the video recorded on a smartphone that helps someone else.

While informal learning works well in a smaller circle of colleagues, it doesn't scale well to larger networks - and that's where LAYERS comes in. However, this scaling results in problems that LAYERS analyzes and aims to solve both conceptually and through easy-to-use technology. This involves developing primarily mobile solutions that provide quick and targeted access to other people's experience and facilitate the sharing, sharing, and collaborative development of materials (such as images, videos, or documents). The pilot users are clusters of small and medium-sized businesses in two industries where technology-enhanced learning in its previous form has tended to have little appeal: health care and construction.

website

• http://employid.eu

Project duration

• November 2012 to October 2016

Funding by

• EU (FP7)

Employees

• Prof. Dr.-Ing. Andreas P. Schmidt
• Nathanael Kautz