Piloting with AchSo and getting feedback on Learning Toolbox – Part One: Bau-ABC apprentices work with AchSo
In my recent blogs on the EU-funded Learning Layers (LL) project I have mostly focused on our pilot activities in the construction sector – and in particular on the introduction of the toolset Learning Toolbox (LTB) in the training centre Bau-ABC. This week we are again having field events in Bau-ABC but the main emphasis is given on the introduction of the complementary tools AchSo and SoAR that are presented by our colleagues from Aalto University (Finland). Alongside these activities our colleagues from the University of Innsbruck (UIBK) have been organising focus group meetings to get feedback on the use of LTB in the pilot groups that started with this toolset in March. In this first post I will focus on the introduction of AchSo and how it was received by Bau-ABC trainers (Lehrwerkmeister) and apprentices (Azubis).
Development of and piloting with AchSo in Finland
Whilst the Learning Toolbox (LTB) has been developed in the context of the co-design process in construction sector – and Bau-ABC as the main pilot environment to support the process – the development of AchSo has mainly been promoted in Finland. The LL partner Aalto University (later on referred to as Aalto) has taken further the video annotation tool that was so far developed by RWTH Aachen. With the name “AchSo” the developers want to highlight the usability of a video annotation tool in the context of (informal) learning at workplace. This is achieved by the functionality for shooting short videos, for visual tagging of details and for adding short written comments.
As has I have reported earlier on my blog and on an article on the LL website, the Aalto team has piloted with the AchSo tool with a Finnish construction company, regional vocational school centres and with the Finnish Construction Workers’ Trade Union (see my blog of the 27th of March 2015 and the article of the 7th of July 2015 on the Learning Layers website). In the Finnish construction pilot the users of AchSo were trainees in full-time vocational schools that were completing their workplace learning period (Praktikum) in construction companies or apprentices that had switched from full-time education to apprentice contract. In both cases the vocational school teachers were responsible for the final assessment of the learning of trainees and apprentices. By using annotated videos the trainees and apprentices could document their working and learning tasks and demonstrate their learning gains.
Introduction of AchSo to apprentices and trainers in Bau-ABC
Now that we – the had got the pilot activities with the LTB started and some progress had been made, it was an appropriate time to introduce the AchSo tool and explore, how it could be integrated into the ongoing piloting with the LTB. For this purpose two colleagues from Aalto – Sanna Reponen and Matti Jokitulppo – came for a three-day event to introduce AchSo to different groups of apprentices. During the first day they presented AchSo to a group of well-builders (Brunnenbauer) who had already used LTB when being trained in their own trade. Now they were receiving training in the neighbouring trade of machine- and metal techniques. In this context the Bau-ABC colleagues chose to add the work with video annotation as an additional feature to the apprentices’ projects.
We started together with the group of apprentices when they were beginning their first mini-projects (duration one day) with metalworking. Firstly Sanna Reponen gave the background information on AchSo and how to use it. In this context we also clarified the data protection, privacy and sharing-related issues when using such tools. Secondly the apprentices installed AchSo on their own devices or got spare devices from Aalto for the session. Thirdly the Bau-ABC trainers introduced the project task – cutting a metal plate to a measure, filing the edges and marking spots at given distances for further processing. This ‘project’ is a traditional elementary exercise with which apprentices and trainees are guided to pay attention to appropriate use of tools and to paying attention to quality requirements. After the introduction the apprentices started working with the tasks and – once they had made some progress – shooting videos of each others’ work at different phases. Parallel to this, one of the trainers also shot some videos on the work of apprentices.
It appeared that some apprentices shot only one video, whilst some others tried to cover all major phases of work with short video clips. One of the videos showed deliberately inappropriate use of tools. Others tried to portray good practice. At the end of the day the videos were shown as a gallery and some exemplary videos were played. In particular the videos with comments were shown. After this viewing we had a discussion on the benefits of the tool, on possible improvements that apprentices would wish and on the prospects for using it in the training at Bau-ABC and in the companies (with which the apprentices have their apprenticeship contracts).
Immediate feedback on working with AchSo
On the whole the apprentices were positive about shooting videos – although it was an additional task and required cooperation, whilst the project task was individual and each one had to complete it on his own. In the discussion the apprentices emphasised that they paid more attention to different phases of work when selecting, which of them to be documented with videos. The trainer emphasised that videos shot by apprentices gave him a better overview on the work of apprentices (instead of just going around the workshop and monitoring them individually in the short time). Secondly, it was agreed that such a documentation of training that takes place in Bau-ABC workshops makes it easier to inform the vocational school teachers of the the tasks that have been carried out in the training centre. At the moment the apprentices agreed that it was easier to start using the new tool with such elementary exercises. Yet, they saw more potential and more challenges in integrating the use of annotated videos into the more complex projects in well-building (Brunnenbau).
We also discussed some hurdles and limitations for using AchSo in real work situations (these were very similar to the issues that came up with feedback on LTB, so I will take these up in my next post). However, the trainer of the well-builders, Lothar Schoka, expressed his interest to get from his apprentices annotated videos from construction sites of their companies. These could highlight specific working tasks that could be observed on joint visits of the whole group or discussed more thoroughly in training sessions in Bau-ABC.
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Altogether, we had the impression that the introduction of AchSo in this group worked well. However, we became aware of some technical issues that need to be observed when proceeding from such initial introduction to wider use of the tool. Yet, it appears that the use of AchSo as a complementary tool to LTB is not a problem to the trainers or to the apprentices. In my next post I will report on the feedback that we got in the sessions organised by the UIBK colleagues alongside the work with AchSo.
More blogs to come …
