The DIGITAM project aims to develop, test and implement an innovative infrastructure (digital-technological) and didactic learning, teaching and examination formats to promote students' future skills as future managers and specialists. These skills are systematically mapped and made visible in course modules.
To this end, numerous innovative concepts are being created by combining the expertise of the application-oriented faculties of economics and engineering at htw saar.
In the "Smart Model Factory" sub-project, the existing WI Model Factory is being transformed into a smart model factory. Today, the WI Model Factory learning location is a physical laboratory environment for learning industrial production and operational processes along a product development process, in which complex real work processes can be simulated and optimized in interdisciplinary business games. The existing gamification approach allows not only methodical solutions to be developed, but also conflicts of interest in teams and between departments to be experienced.
The next step in the development of a smart model factory is to map future skills in the context of digitalization in breadth and depth. To this end, the WI model factory will be technologically expanded to the state of Industry 4.0 and a virtual twin of the model factory will be created to support the integrated teaching of future skills in the dimensions ofpeople - technology - organization. To this end, a digital-real process chain consisting of product development, production, assembly, quality inspection and logistics will be established, which can be set up, experienced and researched by students as part of various courses with the help of simulation games and special software tools. Various measuring sensors, production equipment, materials, machines, analysis and software systems, as well as environmental sensors and innovative technologies (such as motion capturing, virtual reality, etc.) and an innovative Industry 4.0 learning environment are used for this purpose. In this way, the effects of digitalization on processes, machines and people or the interaction of teams in future-oriented, virtual and hybrid work settings can be experienced.
The connection to the data platform of the "Real and real-time data platform" sub-project enables laboratory units to be carried out in a time-independent distance learning format, including barrier-free participation in hybrid laboratory operations. On the other hand, laboratory, measurement and machine data will be made available for university-wide use in the sense of a data room in teaching.
Future skills that go beyond pure technological capabilities are also promoted. These include, for example, collaborative and agile working (digital & real), making complex and ethical decisions, but also personal skills such as problem-solving, creativity, entrepreneurial action, initiative and leadership at a distance, which will become more important in the future.
The current WI model factory will thus become a future skills lab for industrial value creation systems.
Project duration: 08/2021 - 07/2024
Funding information:
The DIGITAM project is funded by the Innovation in Higher Education Foundation.
Wirtschaftsingenieurwesen
Fertigungstechnik
Wissenschaftliche Mitarbeiterin
Wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter