(Technology) education has many challenges. There is a shortage of subject teachers at many courses and there is not always time and space for training in all the different situations and circumstances from practice.
May 23, 2024
BlueTea, experts in Game Based Learning, and Wij Techniek joined forces and together developed a new way of learning (for the sector). Playfully. BlueTea co-owner Ruud Dullens and Marijn Zaal, project manager at Wij Techniek, talk passionately about the benefits this method of training offers.
Hydronic balancing
Wij Techniek has chosen 'water-side adjustment' as the first training theme within this project. Marijn: “With the rise of heat pumps and new central heating boilers, the theme of water-side adjustment is topical again. The right knowledge helps to realize energy savings. We have therefore not only chosen this subject for training prospective installers, but it is also ideally suited for further training of workers and teachers on this theme. All the knowledge we have in-house on this subject has been included in the product. We based this on existing training videos and a list of process steps developed by experts. BlueTea's development team includes experts who contribute what is needed to make this method more effective in practice.
Because there are too few teachers, knowledge transfer in education can be jeopardized. New (professional) teachers are not easy to come by, but with a different method of training you can improve the quality of education. By using Game Based Learning, the computer can guide the students and the teacher can focus on practice. Our project is truly an addition to existing education. We would like to implement this at all levels of education.”
Game Based Learning: A bridge between theory and practice
Ruud: “Learning in practice is very effective. Yet it has three limitations, access, cost and security. Not all situations can be affordably simulated in practice. Or on the right scale. But you also don't want to continually expose students to unsafe situations such as explosions or overpressure. This costs money and it is unsafe. Game Based Learning closes a gap between theory and practice.”
Game Based Learning means challenging and playful learning. An existing learning methodology in the market. In the virtual learning environment developed by BlueTea, students learn based on levels in a game. This can be done anywhere you have access to a laptop, so easily without the use of VR. Ruud: “Because it is virtual, the situation is always safe. The game adapts to the user's behavior and is built on the basis of the master-apprentice principle, as we know it in practice. Instead of giving very strict instructions, the game is exploratory and challenging. You will be guided in a playful manner if you run into something or do something that is not allowed. That is also the power of this learning tool. You bridge the gap between theory and what is possible in practice. Or even what is possible, but which you should not do. You learn the consequences of certain actions and you put them into practice. The virtual mentor in the game helps you and the program records what you did, but also what you should have done but didn't. And the great thing: you can play a certain level again and again and it is different every time. That keeps you on your toes.”
Further development
Ruud: “We are now about to enter the final phase before we deliver the game. We will then introduce people in a number of regions to what we have jointly developed. In the current phase we are already thinking about further development. We already knew that there was a future in this, but Wij Techniek is now also convinced. You can train large groups of people very quickly this way. The next step we are going to take is about the theme of heat pumps, which ties in with water-side adjustment. We are addressing this with the installers, suppliers and educational institutions.”
Marijn adds enthusiastically: “I really see a world of possibilities. As an industry we face enormous challenges, such as the F-gases certificate. I would really love it if we could let people get that certificate through a game. If you could fully prepare this and arrange it 'fraud-proof', that would be great. It will be a huge operation to issue all these certificates, so if Game Based Learning can contribute to this, even if only in the preparation, it would save a lot of time. I really see a future in this way of learning!” Would you like to be kept informed of developments in Game Based Learning within the sector? Want to sign up to use the game when it hits the market? Or would you like to discuss future themes that will be addressed? Please contact Ruud via Blue Tea or email Marijn .