E-training for adult education in mechatronics

This paper describes e-training in mechatronics developed for the education of adults. The training was developed as one of Leonardo da Vinci life long learning programs within the MeRLab project (Innovative Remote Laboratory in the E-training of Mechatronics). The primary target group for the training are employed and unemployed engineers and the technicians who have already completed their formal education in some of the engineering fields, but are not acquainted with mechatronics. For the training special e-learning system was built in the user friendly environment based on eCampus and Moodle platforms. The complete materials with animations, graphical presentations, online tests and the utilities like discussion forums are offered. In addition to e-learning materials with the theory also remote laboratory experiments are available. Those experiments enable the user to acquire some practical knowledge and obtain some skills. The training comprehends four major topics: Introduction to Mechatronics, Servomotor in Mechatronics, Electrical Circuits and Mechatronic Devices. Pilot testing of the training was executed February-March 2009. From 70 registered participants 62 have successfully finished the training.