JANUS Project

The Janus project aims to:

• promote new technologies and methods in the educational & academic community.
• provide digital conference rooms and online collaborative
• setting up the foundations related to the application of Virtual Reality (VR), in Blended Learning settings, with particular focus on the field of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) education
• disseminate and promote the results of the project to the country-wide institutional

The project-related activities can be broadly classified into the following categories:

1. e-Pedagogy: develop an educational framework to support the design of the VR learning activities and a user manual to guide the practices that educators will follow when conducting the educational activities.
2. Virtual-Learning Platform: Aligned to the principles of well- established educational theories and instructional design techniques, a prototype VR platform will be developed
3. Learning Analytics: In order to assess the usability of the system as well as the effectiveness of the VR tool against the learning objectives, a thorough evaluation will be made.

Partnership

Online Coordination Meeting

On May 11th 2022, the partners of JANUS project participated in an online coordination meeting. More specifically, the meeting was held in a hybrid form, with both online and physical participation.

Each of the Partners had the chance to discuss the agenda of the project's planned events, and the detailed topics that will be touched during the programmed 1st physical meeting, the upcoming dissemination event and the 12th LLA International Conference.

Project Partner Meetings

Project Partner Meetings were held very often during project implementation and were organized very thoroughly, to keep the pace of the project and to assure its success. Their purpose was to systematically follow the agenda, to verify everyone is completing their tasks on time and within budget, and to keep the team engaged, and informed about the project.

Project Meeting in Poland

The first physical project meeting for the second year of the project implementation took place in Rzeszow, Poland at the 26th and the 27th of May 2022. The meeting also included the preparation and participation of all partners in the 12th LLA international conference, which promoted the project's objectives and presented its results so far to a wider audience.

Project Meeting in Italy

In 8-9 September 2022, a physical meeting for JANUS project  took  place  in the Politecnico di Torino, Italy. Partners discussed on the progress of Intellectual Outputs 2, 3 & 5, as well as administrative and financial issues. Furthermore, the state of the developed tools within the project was presented, including the upcoming activities for finalizing the development of the VR Tool, the VR Pipeline and the Learning Analytics Tool.

Final Meeting in Lithuania

The final meeting of the project took place in Lithuania in the 30th and 31st of January 2023. Partners had the opportunity to present the summary of all project activities and results, which were successfully  completed  ahead  of time, almost a month before project closure. Furthermore, they had the chance to discuss on future steps and capitalization of project results. The team also took a Tour in Vilnius University, learning more about current research work and visiting the premises and the laboratories.

Training for trainers

The “Training for Trainers” events in Poland and Italy were a vital component of the JANUS project as they provided educators with the skills and knowledge required to teach robotics effectively using the Blended Learning model. The program was conducted over three days in each country, incorporating hands-on activities, expert guidance, and practical advice. Participants received training materials and were encouraged to share ideas and best practices, resulting in overwhelmingly positive feedback and increased confidence in implementing innovative teaching methods.

Training for Trainers in Poland

In 23 - 25 may 2022, the first train the trainer event took place in the Rzeszow University of Technology. The main goal of this training was to demonstrate the virtual Reality Tool and Learning Analytics Tool possibilities and explain how they can be applied in teaching and learning process with the use of blended learning.

Training for Trainers in Italy

In 5-7 September 2022, the second train the trainer event took place in the Politecnico di Torino, Italy. The main goal of this training event was to demonstrate the Virtual   Reality scenarios developed during JANUS project and how can they be applied in practice. Based on the result of the training event the participants would be ready to work with the tools developed within the project.

12th Conference LLA

The JANUS project held a multiplier event under the 12th Conference Lean Learning Academy “Industry 4.0 technologies in solving industrial problems and supporting trainings and education process”, in May 27th 2022 in Rzeszow, Poland.

The conference participants had a chance to learn about both projects, and for JANUS, the presentations focused on virtual reality in training and education, modern didactic methods and online platforms, monitoring of learning process to ensure efficiency etc.

The conference closed with a visit and guided tour in the robot laboratory of Rzeszów University of Technology, where all participants had the opportunity to learn more about the work done there and he latest achievements of the scientific personnel of the University.

JANUS Multiplier Events

During this period, all JANUS partners organized an Information Day-Multiplier Event on the results of the European Project JANUS - e-Pedagogy Based, Robotic Education, which is implemented under the Erasmus+ Program. The events were also broadcasted live, giving the opportunity to those interested to participate without physical presence.

Participants had the opportunity to learn more about JANUS and its results, focusing on the importance of Virtual Reality in online training in robotics and highlighting its key features. The events included presentations on topics such as ICT in Education, Immersive Technologies   (AR/VR)   &   Learning Analytics, E-learning tools, modern developments in the field of VR with emphasis on Robotics etc.

Also, the project partners had the opportunity to present to the audience the Virtual Reality platform created during the project, based on existing principles and learning theories as well as educational techniques. The platform, which can be used in a Mixed Learning Environment, has a secure virtual environment in which students can interact with learning content and engage in a variety of tasks.

In particular, the events organized are:

• A Multiplier event on April 5th 2022 in Torino,
• A Multiplier event in the framework of LLA 12th International Conference in Rzeszow University of Technology, Poland in May 27th 2022
• A Multiplier event on June 17th 2022 at the University Campus in Arta, Greece
• A Multiplier event on November 30th 2022 in Kerttulin Lukio, Finland.
• A Multiplier event on February 14th 2023 in Politecnico di Torino, Italy.

The main goal of this training event was to demonstrate the Virtual   Reality scenarios developed during JANUS project and how can they be applied in practice. Based on the result of the training event the participants would be ready to work with the tools developed within the project.

Intellectual Outputs

JANUS project had three Intellectual Outputs (IOs), that were concluded within the two years of project implementation.

Intellectual Output 2

IO2 is essentially the learning program designed in the framework

of the project. This program focuses on the students of STEM Master courses involving robotics and it is structured as a set of workshops that make use of a robotic laboratory (real and virtual) and includes several different courses, e.g. courses on robot programming, courses on automation or courses about industrial production. Adopting modern didactic approaches, the didactic content was generated by co-creation of learning material through collaborative interaction of teachers and students. The innovative elements of this methodology are the definition of a learning scenario that combines the real robotic laboratory with its Digital Twin in the form of a VR laboratory. The main challenge addressed was to offer comparable user experiences to both the students present in the F2F workshop and the students accessing the workshop through the VR environment.

Intellectual Output 3

IO3 concerned the development of a V-learning tool that will replicate and replace the need for teachers and students to participate in the conventional robotics laboratory. This platform is designed by the team of University of Ioannina, with the support of SynArea. The VR environment enables the involved stakeholders to carry their teaching-and-learning activities including evaluation and assessment procedures.

Intellectual Output 5

The main outcome of IO5 is the creation of a Learning Analytics

Tool. VR technologies have been gaining more and more ground, especially in STEM education and training programs, due to their potential to enhance the learning experience and improve the learning outcomes. In IO5, the Center for Learning Analytics (University of Turku) has provided a clear evaluation strategy related to the educational potential and impact of the VR tool as well as its usability and acceptance from the engaged users’ perspective, and has also conducted the analysis of the primary data that was gathered from multiplier events. Finally, in IO5, among other things, the dissemination activities of the project’s outcomes are included

Participation in events

JANUS project partners paid great attention throughout project implementation to the dissemination of the project's scope and expected outputs. For that reason, the partners participated in several events in their countries, to promote the work implemented within the framework of JANUS.

In particular, JANUS was presented:

• At students at the Polytechnic University of Marche, Italy See more
• At teachers, researchers and PHD students of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Ljubljana See more
• At the 8th National Exhibition of Arta, Greece See more
• At the A&T 2022 Fair in Turin, Italy

• At the MECSPE 2022 Fair in Bologna, Italy
• At the A&T 2023 Fair in Turin, Italy

Participation in conferences

The partnership has been actively engaged in disseminating the results of the project through participation in international scientific conferences. These events provided a platform to showcase the innovative ideas developed during the project’s lifetime, they key-findings from the pilot case studies, and the lessons learnt.

In particular, JANUS was presented:

• MIM 2022 June 24th 2022 Nantes France with title:

"Transformation of Robotics Education in the Era of Covid-19: Challenges and Opportunities"

• Sixth International Conference on Lean Six Sigma in

Higher Education 15th November 2022 Abu Dhabi with title: "Blended Education Learning Process Ensuring Continuous Knowledge Acquisition"