Up-to-date training and work processes are barely imaginable without digital technologies. The training association ‘ABV – my job’ relies on integrating digital aids into apprenticeship training. What the project partners are already happy about: the apprentices’ reflective skills have improved significantly.
The project “DigLeh – career with DIGITAL teaching” was launched in close cooperation between the ABV companies, Campus02, Know-Center and LFI Styria. The project has been implemented in the ABV learning workshop for a year and a half. Digital tools and innovative concepts complement the “classic” apprenticeship training.
Into the digital training workshop with “ABV digital”
Apprentices of the ABV companies complete training blocks of several months during the ABV learning workshop, with practical learning tasks and digital learning formats are combined in the process. They log into the knowledge and learning platform “ABV digital,” access teaching modules online and document their practical learning tasks digitally. Documentation, quizzes or video clips exist for each module. They are supposed to assist the apprentices with consolidating the knowledge they have acquired during practice. In addition, work logs or work orders can be created and retrieved.
The “Reflection Guidance” chatbot “Rebo,” which represents an exciting new learning technology, was developed at Know-Center. The chatbot is intended to encourage apprentices to reflect on their learning experiences.
Improved reflective skills of apprentices
The application of “Rebo” proved to enhance the reflective skills of apprentices. In order to measure these skills, the apprentices were given the task of writing two free reflection texts. They wrote the first text prior to interacting with “Rebo” and the second thereafter. The results spoke for themselves: the first texts contained solely job descriptions. In the subsequent texts they assessed their work results independently, described their feelings and were able to express in a rather structured manner what they have learned and what future application possibilities they envision.
Viktoria Pammer-Schindler Research Manager of Area Data-Driven Business at Know-Center is certain about this: “Such technologies can support the learning process, but learning itself is up to everybody themselves.”