The COVID-19 pandemic has forced a departure from the current functioning of society in many aspects of the economy, travel, work and education, not excluding higher education. The necessity of remote education is one of the ways to maintain social distancing and protect our health and life. A preliminary assessment of the situation at universities in Poland and other European countries indicates that academic staff is not sufficiently prepared to conduct attractive and effective classes carried out in a remote format. The necessity to conduct classes remotely involves the development of a dedicated didactic and training process project, considering the specific requirements of interdisciplinary engineering knowledge. Transferring this knowledge in remote education, due to its large scope, requires the use of various didactic tools (lectures, fieldwork, design, practicals, laboratories, student's assignments and assessment of the progress and knowledge of students and trainees). As part of the INFRO@D Project, a model product dedicated to distance learning at technical universities in the field of civil engineering and transportation will be developed. This product will include comprehensive and innovative solutions, enabling the implementation of remote education at the highest level. The developed methodology and teaching materials will be based on a course of Road Infrastructure Management (RIM), and in particular on Road Infrastructure Safety Management (RISM). The method of preparation of the methodology and didactic and training materials will allow for their implementation in all subject fields of civil engineering and transportation (CET). RIM, like other areas within CET, requires continuous improvement of the competences of teaching staff and the increase in level of knowledge of students and employees. The Project provides for the development of a digital education methodology for didactic classes at universities and training of engineering personnel. The preparation of the distance learning course of RIM at universities and technical universities will enable the use and verification of the best solutions of the teaching methodology in this mode from Austria, Italy, Slovakia, Hungary and Poland. The INFRO@D Project will contribute to raising the level of teaching and training, using innovative digital teaching materials for distance learning, these can be used by all universities dealing with the subject. The importance of RISM justifies the choice of this issue as a subject area for the development of model solutions for remote education. RISM is one of the most important challenges of the modern world. More than a million road fatalities annually worldwide, constituting the main cause of death of young people, is a sufficient argument to take radical remedial actions. The implementation work has been divided into 7 work packages, which will give 17 results of intellectual outputs (IO). IO.1-3 will include the development of the concept for the didactic and training process in the remote mode. Within IO.4-9 methods of remote teaching will be developed with the use of supporting tools for various forms of class (lectures, fieldwork, practicals, design, laboratories). IO.10-13 will include the development of example teaching and training materials, using developed distance learning techniques, in four areas: road safety audit implementation, infrastructure safety management for vulnerable road users, road safety management and road surface management. IO14-16 is the implementation of the road infrastructure management process, which will allow for verification and modification of the methodologies prepared under the IO.4-9, together with the preparation of the textbook for digital education. Lastly IO.17 is a project to gather an international panel of experts on RIM. The main objective of the INFRO@D Project is to improve the competence and skills in remote education in a model solution in the field of RIM, with a particular focus on RISM. In order to achieve this goal, efforts should be made to promote the best solutions in the field of digital education (remote teaching – implemented ad hoc during the pandemic and e-learning courses, which may become a permanent part of the teaching process in the near future). The project will be supported by a group of associated partners who will cooperate with the Project partners to consult and evaluate the results. They will implement final products and promote the dissemination and accessibility of the Project results. The Project provides for the implementation of innovative remote education in road infrastructure safety management, in line with the guidelines of the WHO pandemic plan for the COVID-19 pandemic, which includes European countries.
The implementation work was divided into 6 work packages, resulting in 11 Results of Intellectual Work (RPI). RPI.5-9 involved the development of remote teaching methodologies with supporting tools for various forms of classes (field classes, exercises, design, laboratories). RPI.10-13 encompassed the development of sample teaching and training materials, utilising the developed remote learning techniques, in four areas: the implementation of road safety audits, infrastructure safety management for vulnerable road users, road environment safety management, and road surface management. RPI.16 constituted the preparation of a manual for digital education. The last RPI.17 involved a project to create an international panel of experts on RIM. The main objective of the INFRO@D project was to increase the competence and skills of remote learning in a model solution for RIM, with a particular consideration of RISM. To achieve this goal, efforts were made to promote the best solutions for digital education (remote - implemented on an ad hoc basis during the times of the pandemic and e-learning courses that could become a permanent part of the teaching process in the future).
The COVID-19 pandemic forced a departure from the way societies used to function in many aspects of the economy, travel, work, and education. This included higher education. The need for distance learning was one way to maintain social distance and protect our lives and health. Academic staff in Poland and other European countries lacked the skills to deliver effective remote classes. A specialized approach was developed to meet the need for remote classes, utilizing multiple teaching tools. The INFRO@D Project developed a product model exclusively for remote learning in civil engineering and transportation. This product offers innovative solutions for remote learning implementation at the highest level. Based on a course in road infrastructure management, it provides teaching materials for any subject area in civil engineering and transportation. RIM and the entire CET area aimed to improve teaching staff competence and increase student and employee knowledge. The project created a digital education methodology for teaching at universities and training engineering staff. INFRO@D project elevated teaching quality by using innovative digital materials for remote education, now available for other universities.