eCampus offers online training for employees in the plastics industry

Knowledge is power – this also applies to the plastics industry. But training courses cost time and tie up participants, although they are actually needed elsewhere. So that companies do not have to do without employees for entire days during such training courses, the SKZ has developed the eCampus together with Hanser Verlag. There, basic knowledge about plastics is built up and existing knowledge is deepened.

In this interview with K-MAG, Markus Hoffmann and Matthias Ruff explain why eCampus can be used regardless of different levels of knowledge, what advantages participants and companies have from digital teaching and how learning goals are guaranteed to be achieved.

Which courses are offered at eCampus?

Markus Hoffmann: The eCampus courses are based on the numerous reference books on plastics technology published by Hanser Verlag. Since we only recently launched eCampus, a course on materials science is currently available. In this course, participants first learn the chemical basics and polymer synthesis as well as the structure and classification of plastics. Then the individual types of plastics are introduced. These include standard plastics as well as engineering thermoplastics, high-performance plastics and biopolymers. The participants learn about the most important properties and areas of application and find out how plastics can be modified with fibres and additives. In the second quarter of 2022, another course on materials science will go online. Among other things, thermal, rheological and mechanical properties and testing methods will be taught here. Finally, another new course on the preparation and processing of plastics will go online in autumn of this year. The topics will be continuously expanded and deepened in the following years.

For whom are the courses suitable?

Matthias Ruff: In principle, the courses are suitable for all employees who work with plastics. This could be someone from sales who wants to sell their products competently or a technical centre employee who should know why plastics behave the way they do during processing. Over the next few years, the courses will become increasingly specialised so that skilled workers can also benefit.

How are the courses constructed, how can learners with different levels of knowledge be reached equally?

Hoffmann: Access to the eCampus is by subscription, so that all courses are available to all registered users at all times. The modular structure of learning content on the one hand and knowledge checks on the other also enables personal prioritisation. A Learn Management System from the Danish company Area9 Lyceum runs in the background. The platform is characterised by adaptive learning. This means that the learning method automatically adapts to the needs of all learners. This is done by means of artificial intelligence, which prescribes individual learning paths based on the learners' self-assessment. In this way, learners with prior knowledge receive different questions and focuses and may have passed the course faster than users from outside the subject area who have to acquire more knowledge.

How can you guarantee that the learning objectives are achieved?

Ruff: The goal of eCampus is always that all learners have the same level of knowledge after passing the course, regardless of their prior knowledge. Newcomers to a subject area have the information from the Hanser reference books available as a learning tool. Specialists, on the other hand, can use the learning content for targeted refreshing of knowledge and mainly answer the knowledge checks. The Refresh modules, which can be revisited some time after completion of the course, are also helpful.

What are the advantages of the courses for participants and for companies?

Hoffmann: The advantages for the learners are clearly the time- and location-independent learning as well as the shortened learning time, which of course accommodates the work-life balance and the increased use of home offices or mobile working.

On the other hand, the focus is clearly on cost savings for companies, as employees do not have to be sent to basic seminars for entire days. Especially companies with several, perhaps even international, locations benefit from this. The learning content can be accessed from anywhere. For concrete and specific training topics, a seminar with direct contact to a trainer is of course still the right choice. However, the eCampus can provide a uniform basic knowledge here, so that learning in the seminar is much easier for the employees.

What are your future goals for eCampus?

Ruff: Together with Hanser Verlag, we would like to continuously expand eCampus and offer new courses. Companies in the plastics industry should see the eCampus as an investment in their employees. In this respect, the eCampus is a logical extension to the imparting of knowledge through reference books. Especially in the practice-oriented further education of the plastics industry, learning from books is not equally suitable for everyone. With eCampus, we can bring the fun back into learning and at the same time make a contribution to digitalisation.