Department Prof. Dr. Howe

Basically, the department's research and development activities are located in three areas: 1. vocational science studies (e.g. work process analyses) to identify the skills, knowledge and competences of skilled workers; 2. planning, implementation and evaluation of work process-oriented, competency-promoting educational processes (learning and work tasks); 3. development and use of digital media and online tools (rapid e-learning).
Head of department
Prof. Dr. Falk Howe
Vice head of department
Michael Sander
Office
Brigitte Schweckendieck

Concept

The areas of application of the research and development work of the department are electrical engineering, information technology and building services engineering. Special emphasis is placed on sustainable energy systems and energy efficiency. The basis for this are research results from occupational science to identify competencies in work processes, didactic approaches to tap the educational and qualification potentials of work and technology as well as findings on the user-oriented development and use of innovative media.

Kompetenzwerkst@tt 

The occupational science-based concept of Kompetenzwerkst@tt is the guiding principle for the department "Work-Oriented Education Processes". It offers teachers and trainers in the industrial-technical field professional-educational founded impulses and instruments for the organization of work process-oriented, software-supported learning and teaching.

Kompetenzwerkst@tt has proven itself in various projects. It can be modified and can be used in industrial-technical vocational training and work-oriented general education. Fields of application are offered in vocational orientation, in vocational preparation, in initial education, in-company and inter-company training as well as in further education and training.

Research

Qualification Research in Vocational Sciences

The results of professional qualification research form the basis for further development of research work in the department. The most important instruments are sector analyses, case studies, expert workshops and work process analyses. With the help of the knowledge gained, training courses can be planned, curricula developed, educational and qualification processes designed and media conceived.

Didactical Research

The department's didactic research deals with questions of the design and effectiveness of educational and qualification processes that promote learning. The aim of vocational education and training is to promote comprehensive vocational competence; learners should be enabled to participate in shaping the world of work and society in a socially and ecologically responsible manner. With this claim, work-oriented education clearly goes beyond qualification in the sense of coping with work processes.

Media Development / (Rapid) E-Learning

The design of learning environments is particularly important for work-oriented learning. Digital media play a key role in the research work of the department. They can be used to visualize work processes, structure complex topics, illustrate inaccessible facts, authentically illustrate tasks, etc. The development focus is oriented towards the idea of rapid e-learning: The learning software designed according to this approach provides that users can easily create new content and adapt existing content even without special media technology know-how and without special technical equipment.

Members of the department

Projects

  • Karrieren@Stahl: Career models and professional development paths for securing and developing skilled labour in the steel industry
    Life span 01. January 2025 to 31. December 2027
    Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Michael Gessler , Frieda Klaus , Dr. Susanne Peters , Michael Sander , Alexander Seedorf
    The research project "Karrieren@Stahl - Career models and professional development paths for securing and developing skilled labour in the steel industry " aims to address the changing qualification and skills requirements in the steel and foundry industry. Funded by the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, with financial support from the states of Bremen and Lower Saxony, it facilitates industry dialogues to exchange information on qualification solutions in the face of structural change and to increase employer attractiveness through clear career paths within the industry.
  • VETAssIst – Artificial Intelligence as VET Teacher Assistant
    Life span 01. November 2024 to 30. April 2027
    Prof. Dr. Falk Howe , Dr. Andreas Saniter
    The project, “Artificial Intelligence as VET Teacher Assistant”, is part of the Erasmus+ KA220-VET initiative. We aim to further develop vocational education and training (VET) by integrating the transformative potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into the daily work of VET educators.
  • ISOV – Innovative Skills for an Old Vocation
    Life span 01. November 2024 to 31. October 2027
    Prof. Dr. Falk Howe , Dr. Andreas Saniter
    As all sectors, the sector of industrial footwear production faces the mega-trends of globalisation, digitalisation and sustainability. To react on the changes within work processes, both Initial Vocational Education and Training (VET) and Continuous VET must be further developed.
  • CESynergy – Circular Economy Pathways for the Energy Transition
    Life span 01. September 2024 to 30. August 2027
    Vivian Harberts , Prof. Dr. Falk Howe , Myrthe Reinsberg , Dr. Andreas Saniter , Julia Tietjen
    Challenges of the Energy Transition - - - The energy sector stands at a critical juncture, with power systems being a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions and global warming. As we navigate the energy transition from fossil fuels to renewable sources, it's crucial to consider not just the technological and environmental aspects, but also the material resources required.
  • FLAME – Modern and efficient fire service career training
    Life span 01. January 2024 to 31. December 2026
    Dr. Claudia Fenzl , Prof. Dr. Falk Howe , Lisa Meyne , Nils Weinowski
    FLAME stands for “Feuerwehr-Laufbahnausbildung modern und effizient“: Fire brigade career training – modern and powerful. In the FLAME project, the ITB is supporting the “Feuerwehrakademie Hamburg” (Hamburg Fire Service Academy) in modernising and expanding its civil service career training.
  • FUESE – Fortalecimiento de la Extensión en el Ecosistema Social de las universidades en Centro América
    Life span 01. January 2024 to 31. December 2026
    Vivian Harberts , Prof. Dr. Falk Howe
    In recent years, universities in Central America have undergone profound changes as a result of globalisation, the development of the knowledge society and advances in information and communication technologies. These changes particularly affect their tasks, their management and their social role. The FUESE project aims to modernise university continuing education by reforming institutional policies and practices in order to strengthen their impact on the socio-economic environment in the region. The project will be implemented in three phases, with all partners involved in the diagnosis, planning, implementation, evaluation and institutionalisation of a new model designed to improve the effectiveness of university continuing education.
  • DEVISE4KE – Empowering Sustainable Development of VET in Kenya by integrating Work Based Learning and upskilling ICT-Competences of Teachers and Students by using Solar Energy and Low Energy Devices
    Life span 01. December 2023 to 30. November 2026
    Vivian Harberts , Prof. Dr. Falk Howe , Peter Kaune
    In DEVISE4KE three secondary schools in Kenya which provide VET-education to students in a rural region will be equipped with photovoltaics as well as low energy devises in order to provide digitally supported work-based learning VET to students.
  • MULE – Multimedia Learning Environment for Work-Based Learning Tasks for VET-Students in the Sector of Applied Informatics
    Life span 01. November 2023 to 31. October 2026
    Vivian Harberts , Prof. Dr. Falk Howe , Peter Kaune , Dr. Christine Siemer
    In the MULE project, current trends in applied informatics are to be efficiently integrated into curricula through cooperation between vocational schools and industry. This will be achieved by defining "spheres of activity" which will serve as the basis for learning and work tasks in a multimedia learning environment. The focus is on the promotion of transversal and vocational competences of students. The planned transnational Sectoral Qualification Framework aims to improve the comparability of the competences of professionals from Germany, Serbia, Italy and Spain in the field of Applied Informatics.
  • AI4Ed – AI strategy in educational processes
    Life span 01. December 2022 to 31. May 2025
    Vivian Harberts , Prof. Dr. Falk Howe , Peter Kaune , Dr. Andreas Saniter
    AI4Ed aims to challenge current teaching-learning processes and will incorporate and experiment with novel technologies (AI) and pedagogy to develop tools, methods and assessment systems that respond to the new reality.
  • BIBB Learning Paths – Designing in-company training
    Life span 01. June 2022 to 31. May 2025
    Prof. Dr. Falk Howe , Dr. Melanie Schall , Dr. Christian Staden
    The project aims to provide trainers with sustainable support in their vocational action competence as training experts. The result is "learning paths" oriented to the needs of the target group, which enable trainers - also individually tailored - to orient their training planning and processes to the current requirements of their respective sector. The conceptual basis of the CVET offer is the long-established vocational science concept of the Kompetenzwerkstatt (http://www.kompetenzwerkstatt.net/).
  • Orienta4VET – VET: an attractive and viable pathway. Innovating in VET through guidance processes and exploring flexible and diversified opportunities in VET
    Life span 28. February 2022 to 28. February 2025
    Vivian Harberts , Prof. Dr. Falk Howe , Myrthe Reinsberg , Dr. Klaus Ruth , Dr. Andreas Saniter
    The second phase of learning, after completing lower secondary education, is essential both for continuing education and/or vocational education and training (VET) in order to enter the labour market (OECD, 2020). According to OECD, vocational education and training is a successful path for entering the labour market and countries with better developed and consolidated vocational training programs are more effective in containing youth unemployment.
  • tekom_LandBauMT – Technical communication in learning and working processes of agricultural and construction machinery mechatronics technicians in the context of Industry 4.0
    Life span 01. November 2020 to 30. June 2023
    Vivian Harberts , Prof. Dr. Falk Howe , Nils Petermann , Prof. Dr.-Ing. Maren Petersen , Michael Sander
    Progressive digitalisation and networking in industry and craft sector are increasingly changing requirements and activities in the occupation of agricultural and construction machinery mechatronics technician. This includes increased use of diagnostic, analysis and design software in agricultural and construction machinery technology, advancing use of high-voltage technology, increasing system networking as well as augmented/virtual and mixed reality technologies. However, inter-company training programmes for trainees in agricultural and construction machinery mechatronics do not take this digital change into account to a sufficient extent yet. The project "tekom_LandBauMT" addresses these challenges by modernising inter-company training measures for agricultural and construction machinery mechatronics technicians.
  • Designing a digitally supported, work process and competence-oriented training concept in insulation training at KAEFER
    Life span 15. September 2020 to 31. July 2024
    Vivian Harberts , Prof. Dr. Falk Howe , Alexander Seedorf , Dr. Christian Staden
    Together with KAEFER Isoliertechnik GmbH & Co. KG, the ITB is carrying out a project in which a digitally supported, work process-oriented and competence-promoting training concept is being developed and implemented in training practice for the professions of "industrial skilled worker" and "industrial insulator".
  • DIA-CVET – Developing Innovative and Attractive CVET programmes in industrial shoe production
    Life span 01. September 2020 to 31. August 2023
    Prof. Dr. Falk Howe , Iris Klein , Dr. Klaus Ruth , Dr. Andreas Saniter
    In many countries like Romania (RO) and Portugal (PT) Vocational Education and Training (VET) is considered as second choice; as an educational pathway for those who failed in reaching Higher Education (HE). One of the main reasons of this rather poor image of VET is that it often must be considered as a “dead-end” educational pathway; once you started a “blue collar” job; no or only few options of career opportunities in terms of Continuous Vocational Education and Training (CVET) exist. Thus, more challenging occupations like working for the Quality Assurance (QA), Design or Production Planning departments are reserved for colleagues with an educational background from HE. But even in countries with established CVET-programmes like Germany (DE), where the qualifications of an industrial or handicraft foreman or technician are country-wide acknowledged and have a very good image, the academic drift is obvious. For our sector (industrial shoe production) a worrying indicator is: In the last two years, when the only industrial foreman course for this occupation was offered, not enough participants (countrywide only six needed) applied – and the courses had to be withdrawn.
  • IMMO-TEC - Development of action-oriented and competence-based teaching/learning arrangements for the vocational training of real estate agents in the field of climate and energy efficiency
    Life span 01. June 2020 to 31. December 2021
    Prof. Dr. Falk Howe , Michael Sander
    The project "IMMO-TEC: Development of action-oriented and competence-based teaching/learning arrangements for vocational training of real estate agents in the field of climate and energy efficiency" is to be assigned to the strategic future field “space” - project family: "climate-friendly construction". In relation to the region of the Rhenish mining area new requirement profiles for construction industry and thus also for real estate industry will be necessary in everyday professional life and associated action-oriented competencies of employees.
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