3 questions to... Dr. Effi Baumgarten about the new Blended Learning offer of the Fraunhofer IFAM

Ten participants successfully completed the first blended learning course of the Training Center for Adhesive Bondng Technology become a DVS®/ EWF Adhesive Bonder took place online for the most part. This online phase was supplemented by a three-day presence phase at the institute, during which the theoretical knowledge previously learned was put into practice. Dr. Effi Baumgarten is responsible for the blended learning offers in the Training Center for Adhesive Bonding Technlogy at the Fraunhofer IFAM and provides an insight into the new course concept.

Dr. Baumgarten, in the blended learning course for DVS®/ EWF Adhesive Bonder, the theoretical contents were mainly taught online. How can you imagine this?

In principle, we have digitally processed what the trainers explain and present in the classroom courses and recorded it in the recording studio by professional speakers. The participants can either read or listen to the content themselves or both at the same time - depending on their individual learning style. In a forum they can ask the trainers questions or discuss with other course participants. The various lessons are supplemented by interactive learning controls, in which the previously learned material is directly queried and applied. This online phase covers the contents of two days of attendance, with the only difference that the participants can of course learn completely independent of time and place. What we are very pleased about is that the exam results of the blended learning course were even slightly better than those of the classic course!

Blended Learning combines the advantages of classroom training and e-learning. The online phase is followed by a presence phase. Why do you still attach great importance to having parts of the course on site?

First of all, the guidelines stipulate that the training course should provide practical content. And that makes sense! The bonding practitioner will later be in production and will carry out bonding work himself. The participants should learn what they will need in their daily work afterwards. But the theory is also repeated in the attendance phase. On site it is easier to put everything learned into a large, comprehensive context. In addition, the examinations take place on site as usual.

What are your plans for the future? Will the Fraunhofer IFAM expand its blended learning offerings?

Yes, definitely. Our first blended learning format has now been successfully launched and we are planning to transfer this concept next to the DVS®/ EWF adhesives specialist, our 3-week course. The more extensive the training format is, the more content can be covered by an online phase. The potential is therefore also enormous for the bonding specialist or even the bonding engineer! Until then, the next attendance phases of the blended learning course for DVS®/EWF Adhesive Bonder will take place in May, September and November.

Further information about the blended learning course for DVS®/ EWF Adhesive Bonder and registration can be found here (Course language:only german): www.weiterbildung.ifam.fraunhofer.de/de/klebtechnik/kurse/blended-learning.html

Thank you very much for the interview!