New learning approach to firefighting
One in ten employees need to know
What to do if smoke comes out of the kitchenette? Where are the emergency call alarms? How should the conversation with the security centre proceed? And where do the escape routes lead? These are all questions that, according to the Employer's Liability Insurance Association (BG), at least every tenth employee must know about. At AUDI AG, 3,600 employees have to go through the basic training, and another 3,000 have to complete the CO2 fire protection course.
Realistic representation of hazardous situations
The Audi Academy has developed a learning solution for AUDI AG that is not based on factual knowledge but on tangible, interactive simulations. The learning software contains texts, photos, graphics, simulations, animations as well as exercises, tests and other interactive elements. The realistic presentation of dangerous situations sensitises the employees more than text-based learning content. The implementation was done with the tts performance suite.
The learning units are not abstract, but depict realistic situations and tell a story. Raising awareness and recommending actions for employees are important.
Together with the colleagues from plant safety, the Audi Akademie discussed the scenarios to be presented in the learning modules. Carsten Freundl, Learning Design Consultant at Audi Akademie GmbH, together with Roland Mueller, Fire and Plant Safety Manager at AUDI AG, put together a team of three concept designers, three programmers, a photographer and video expert as well as numerous actors.
After a rough structuring according to topics and learning objectives, a fine concept with the concrete stories, the dialogues up to the definition of the clothing and the graphic presentation followed. The Audi Akademie launched the project in August 2010. A good year later, the first three modules were ready: Basic Fire Protection, Handling CO2 Extinguishing Systems and Working with Open Fire Appearances.
The latter concerns all employees and service providers who work with welding equipment or open fires. Currently, the fourth module is being implemented: the correct handling of fire extinguishers. Another module on the correct behaviour in the event of an incident at a nearby chemical plant is being planned.
In order to avoid an overload of content, the Audi Academy has limited itself to a maximum of five to six main pieces of information per unit of five to ten minutes. Since interactive elements increase the learning interest, there are exercises in which the learners have to plan an escape route themselves using the mouse. The didactic concept also includes interim tests, which, however, only serve the purpose of self-reflection.
The Audi Academy also conducts learning success checks: When someone has completed 80 per cent of the learning programme, the module is considered passed. Users have to visit each page and can only continue clicking in the learning programme once they have opened certain elements and content.
As soon as an employee has successfully completed a course, a green tick appears behind the corresponding module on the learning platform. Access to the learning modules is only possible via AUDI end devices: i.e. PCs and notebooks. Although mobile learning is being discussed intensively, it would currently still be too costly to make the modules available on smartphones as well.
AUDI AG has received the Comenius EduMedia Seal. With the Comenius Award, the Society for Pedagogy and Information (GPI) honours outstanding achievements in IT-based educational media every year. In the category DMP (Didactic Multimedia Products), the learning module "Basics of Fire Protection" received an award for the high didactic and media quality in the category "Vocational Education and Training/Adult Education".
The benefits for Audi
Today, thanks to e-learning, the annual target for fire safety training has already been met in July. This applies to the 6,000 to 7,000 employees who complete advanced training in the two most important topics (basic training and handling CO2 extinguishing systems).
Although the initial investment was quite high (CO2 flooding for demonstration purposes, actors, etc.), the costs are quickly put into perspective against the background that the material can be used in the long term and is available for an unlimited number of employees. By eliminating classroom training, the investment in professional videos and learning software has already paid off for AUDI AG.
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