eCraft2Learn

As part of the eCraft2Learn project, the consortium defined a five-stage craft- and project-based pedagogy which builds the framework for the developed Unified User Interface and the organisation of tools to support learners. The five stages of the project cycle defined by eCraft2Learn are Ideate, Plan, Create, Program, and Share.

The system developed by eCraft2Learn aims to offer technological support to pedagogical approaches in real-life scenarios. While the primary target group of the project is 13–17-year-olds, the user groups of the eCraft2Learn solution can be divided into two categories: learners and teachers/coaches.

The main aim of eCraft2Learn is to generate a positive effect on the learning process of learners. For this purpose, eCraft2Learn created a five-stage craft- and project-based pedagogy: Ideate – Plan – Create – Program – Share. These five stages make up the educational model of the project. To positively contribute to students’ learning experience, eCraft2Learn combines new and existing technologies. The five-stage pedagogy thereby acts as a framework to define the appropriate use of these tools.

Stage 1: Ideate

At the beginning stage of each project, learners need to be able to investigate their ideas in a rather free manner – similar to brainstorming. Activities at this stage should include exploratory and open-ended search processes, both inside the classroom and in other locations, and can include physical or virtual exploring of the world. After the exploring process, a specific challenge in relation to the overall educational objective will be defined. The ideation process might be guided by the teacher/coach, based on the specific requirements of the learners.

Stage 2: Plan

In the planning stage, learners start to outline the implementation of their project. After defining their specific challenge, they gather information to create a project plan. This process might also include receiving feedback from their coach and assigning roles for group members based on skills, interests and physical resource-sharing constraints. Furthermore, in this stage students should systematically gather, classify and store project material of interest.

Stage 3: Create / Stage 4: Program

Depending on the specific project, the creation stage and the programming stage either occur linearly or iteratively cycle back and forth until the design is stable and fulfils its desired functionality. This cyclic process can have great benefits and is often used to evolve and improve a design.

In this project stage, the main focus is the co-design and co-creation of the computer-supported artefact solutions through the use of DIY technologies. While important parts of the creation stage include the visualisation and simulation of the developed designs, the programming stage focuses on the development of computer programs to add functionality to the created artefacts. Furthermore, it includes software debugging and integrated SW/HW simulations.

Stage 5: Share

In the final stage of their projects, learners are encouraged to share and showcase their work and implementation ideas with an open online community or through the eCraft2Learn dissemination events. In this stage, they can gather feedback from designers, artists and engineers worldwide.

Links

Project Website:

https://project.ecraft2learn.eu/

Unified User Interface:

https://ecraft2learn.github.io/uui/

Keywords

Pedagogy, Framework, Learning, Project, Stages, Ideate, Create, Plan, Program, Share