Eduwood skillshare platform
The main objective of the "EduWood" project, implemented within the framework of the Interreg V-A Austria-Hungary programme with the support of the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), is to develop practice-oriented, project-based education in the field of wood architecture and furniture industry on both sides of the border, as the free flow of knowledge is one of the prerequisites for competitiveness today. Retaining, motivating and nurturing students is a major challenge for educational institutions.
There are nowadays many online knowledge-sharing platforms, with different target groups and different content.
The EduWood platform was created with the aim to stand out among online knowledge-sharing platforms; to meet modern needs, including the expectations of educational institutions. Thus, it was entirely inspired by the innovation in education and student entrepreneurship.
For the EduWood platform, the focus was on knowledge and learning materials related to the wood industry. The main functions of the online knowledge sharing system include, for example, creating different projects, taking courses, and building communities, learning together and helping each other. Content production, such as sharing documents or video content, and the integration of different online platforms for collaborative work, are an essential part of the collaborative work.
The online platform is used to build a cross-border community of students, teachers and related industry actors who transfer some knowledge to each other, mainly through video sharing, but also to share educational material in other formats for specific categories of wood architecture and furniture industry.
Unlike other online knowledge-sharing platforms, the EduWood platform also allows any registered member - even students - to create and teach lessons, not just teachers. It also includes a number of additional features to support community objectives. External companies and entrepreneurs have been involved in the teaching and projects, so that they can actually participate in the collaborative work, either through consultation or by working together.
Main features of the platform:
- skill sharing
- launching courses
- community building
- organising workshops
- organising competitions
- sharing information on dual education and training
- mediation, finding a placement
- labour mediation
For each project, it can be controlled and set up separately who can be project members and what privileges they have in the given project. For example, not all participants have the right to add new tasks, milestones, or modify the project description or task objectives.
The EduWood platform also allows for the creation of online workshops and tutorials, where experts can be involved to further increase the level of knowledge sharing. The pandemic of 2020 has made online meetings and workshops more and more necessary. The platform is useful in this way as well, as it allows participation in workshops from different countries.
In addition to workshops, the platform also provides an opportunity for trainers, teachers, experts, companies and entrepreneurs to discuss professional topics. It is essentially a forum of experts, allowing knowledge sharing not only for students, but also for trainers and external entrepreneurs.