Development of mechatronics skills and innovative learning methods for Industry 4.0

"A World Bank survey showed that a lack of digital and mechatronics skills within production companies is inhibiting “urgent needed” investments in Industry 4.0 technology. Most companies have trouble defining exactly what skills or set of certifications they will need for Industry 4.0. Industry 4.0 is going to demand that teams of people work together to solve interrelated challenges. An integrative view across the Industry 4.0 technology allows the identification of some generic skills requirements. Cross-discipline or multi-discipline skills are needed. One of these requirements relates to the convergence between mechanical/electronic/software systems. Specialists will still be required but they will also have to broaden their knowledge base with digital and mechatronics skills. MIND project is focused on the development of mechatronics skills and innovative learning methods for Industry 4.0. With the advent of Industry 4.0 the future of learning will be dramatically different. These changes will require employees who are 4.0 specialists and possess interdisciplinary skills uniting mechatronics qualifications with IT knowledge and high levels of social competence. In order to address the employment needs in the next 5 to 10 years the Universities must prepare the students and develop interdisciplinary skills that put together mechatronics qualification with IT knowledge and higher social skills in order to create 4.0 specialists. The project specific objectives are:1. Mapping out the latest common and specific mechatronics skills needed for Industry 4.0 in the countries represented in the partnership in the first part of the implementation period.2. Enhance students' employability chances and relevant knowledge and competences, required by Industry 4.0 companies, through the creation of a new/improved Mechatronics 4.0 course, which will consist of (i) a new curriculum, (ii) a course support and (iii) collection of didactic video materials that will facilitate the educational process for university students3. Improving the learning experience for professors and students by building a specific Industry 4.0 online e-learning platform that will support VR and contain state of the art course materials like: desiging circuits, interfacing systems, programming controls, etc.4. Creating cross-sector synergies through cooperation between higher education institutions and private sector representatives, in order to close the gap between the demand and offer of qualified workforce.Through MIND project, we'll consolidate the cooperation between higher education institutions, it promotes the modernization and development of the organizations from different countries and develop business relations between institutions and private sector. Also, a new curricula (named Mechatronics 4.0) and educational methods will be created in order to cover the needs of Industry 4.0 in what concerns the labor market expectations. An update proposal of the curricula for The National Register of Qualifications in Higher Education – RNCIS (and similar bodies from partner countries) will be provided. The advantages of new curricula Mechatronics 4.0 will be that the students will gain knowledge and competences specific to Industry 4.0, they will be more adapted to the labour marked needs and will fit the requested skills needed by Industry 4.0. For academic staff among partners, the new curricula Mechatronics 4.0 will help to attract new students, will increase the number of joint projects with companies from industry and will lead to development of the relations with industry to have a larger and bigger impact on the social-economic level, better trained academic staff. Mechatronics 4.0 curricula will comprise as well updated syllabus and description of the new introduced lectures. We believe that the learning together and from each other – peer to peer learning will dominate, and teachers will work more as facilitators. During the project it will be developed the MIND platform and a system that help track student progress. MIND integrates and provides a greater variety of modes of study, most important through the new form of personalized learning, the use of virtual learning platform. As VR is more engaging than video and textbooks MIND platform will contain the new innovative learning methods for Industry 4.0 (for example Virtual Reality models developed in MATLAB/Simulink for simulation of mechatronic systems) used in the project. The VR models can be designed precisely for human interaction for very specific reasons to create experiences not otherwise possible. ""The immersive nature of virtual reality brings depth to educational content by engaging the senses and allowing exploration to a degree that would be difficult to duplicate within the confines of a classroom, making it an ideal catalyst for true learning."" (source: IBM)"