Challenge
Professional wastewater disposal plays a central role for health and the environment. Despite this enormous importance, the profession of wastewater technology often receives little recognition in society. Companies see the digitalization of wastewater practice as an important factor in increasing the attractiveness of the profession.
Solution
The AZUBOT project is therefore developing a digital learning environment and an AI tutor for the profession of “environmental technologist for wastewater management”. The AI tutor evaluates the trainees' answers to authentic professional work situations in the learning environment and asks further questions based on these. In this way, trainees are constructively and directly alerted to missing knowledge and learning materials are recommended to close specific knowledge gaps. As a basis for the digital components, a competency model is developed for the training occupation that maps the required skills. The following added value is created for the trainees: they receive personalized support in the independent learning process and can access attractive and partly interactive learning content regardless of time and place. The didactic preparation of the learning content in small units also enables learning on-demand. At the same time, trainers can use the tools to respond to the individual learning needs of trainees and adapt their learning progress. The tools are suitable for freeing up the time of company training staff and thus not only making training easier, but also increasing its quality. The tools are being tested and evaluated as a support tool in NRW, Bavaria, Saxony and Lower Saxony as well as by company partners in Berlin, Brandenburg and Dresden. In addition to the wastewater companies, they are used in particular in the inter-company training centers (Überbetriebliche Ausbildungsstätten).
Transfer
If the test phase is successful, the Training Center for the Supply and Disposal Industry (BEW) plans to integrate the tools into its courses and gradually expand them for other subject areas. The source code will be made freely available as open source for use in other subject areas and for further development by the community. The aim of the transfer is to expand the project results for other environmental engineering professions (waste management, pipe, sewer and industrial services and water supply). The German Association for Water, Wastewater and Waste (DWA) with its network of 14.000 members will ensure that the project results are disseminated to companies throughout Germany.
Partners
- inter 3 GmbH; Institut für Ressourcenmanagement
- Bildungszentrum für die Ver- und Entsorgungswirtschaft gGmbH
- Deutsche Vereinigung für Wasserwirtschaft, Abwasser und Abfall e. V.
