Contribution of Leonardo Projects to Education in Technical Fields

Abstract

Since its beginning from 1995, Leonardo da Vinci programme has been significantly contributing to engineering and vocational education. This paper comprises of four Leonardo projects which authors involved between 2006 and 2012 in different technical fields with primarily engineering applications. The common feature of these projects is the use of e-learning platforms that integrate the functions of systems such as LMS (Learning Management System) and LCMS (Learning Content Management System). The project products were produced by international partnerships, and hence satisfied the needs of target groups in many European countries. The WASTE-TRAIN and PROWAT project's training materials were designed as blended learning. ACES project's training materials were designed only for e-learning. PM4WAT project's training materials are primarily designed for e-learning. However, the simulator training in PM4WAT was performed with face to face concept. As part of each project a pilot testing were performed in order to get an evaluation and feedback of the user groups and experts about the training materials and the training approach. The responses of Turkish participants were presented and discussed here. The results showed that participants are interested in especially about blended learning approach.