Practical and flexible learning in the item Academy
New digital training offering from item
How do you plan an ergonomic work bench? How do you fit Diagonal Strut Set 8 to item aluminium profiles? item now offers answers to these questions and others about products and specialist topics in industrial production through the item Academy. This new e-learning portal provides a wide range of benefits for customers, partners and employees alike, who can extend their expertise in next to no time thanks to the compact, easy-to-follow learning materials. Users around the world can choose between the categories of online training and product guides. What’s more, there is an overview of the locations and dates of face-to-face training courses. All users have to do to get started is register.
Flexible time management – no travel costs – short courses. E-learning is a useful companion to traditional teaching methods. item now offers free web-based training courses in mechanical engineering, work bench design, automation and lean production. The content and focal points of these courses are constantly being revised and expanded. The item Academy is aimed at both experienced and junior staff interested in practical training. Once users have registered on the item website, they can immediately start taking advantage of everything the Academy has to offer. Not only that, but they can also access all other online services from item without having to register again. All users need is an end device with internet access and an HTML5-compatible browser. item uses the open-source software ILIAS to prepare and present its learning materials. “The ILIAS learning management system offers the perfect foundation for flexibly editing topics and adapting them to accommodate country-specific differences,” says item project manager Joel Hesse. “Our item Academy is currently available in six languages, opening it up to a large number of users worldwide.”
Learning by doing
The item Academy is divided into two categories – online training and product guides. The online training courses provide straightforward summaries of essential information and are made up of several sections. Users can either work their way through all the course units or select specific sections. The courses alternate between theory-based lessons and practical, interactive units. The product guides, which last just a few minutes, show users how to fit and machine item components. This provides fitters with direct support when it comes to carrying out their tasks. Ideally, they will follow the individual steps as they go about their work at their industrial work bench.
Looking ahead
item aims to pursue blended learning methods even more in the future. “We see a great deal of potential in combining e-learning and face-to-face training in this way,” explains Joel Hesse. “If registered users complete the online training offered by the item Academy beforehand, they’ll be at a much higher level by the time they start their face-to-face training course.” This helps level the playing field, as some participants may already have prior knowledge in certain areas, for example. As a result, the face-to-face training sessions can focus more on practical exercises and answering questions.
The item Academy has been online since early May 2019. item is unveiling its new e-learning module to the public at Motek 2019 in Stuttgart (7 to 10 October) at Stand 3103 in Hall 3. For more information, visit academy.item24.com.
Length: 3,515 characters including spaces
Date: 28 May 2019
Photos: 2
Caption 1: The online training courses provide straightforward summaries of essential information and are divided into theory-based and interactive units.
Caption 2: The product guides, which last just a few minutes, show users how to fit and machine item components.