The Blended Group

Such as Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things, Virtual Reality, Blockchain Technology. Blogs on these topics are available on this site or will become available soon. For example, what is the relevance of Blockchain technology for education? Think of a 100% accurate digital portfolio and / or CV that is valid anywhere, anytime and that can make recommendations via AI techniques for additional education, but also for available work or employers. We are a group of experienced consultants, specialized in creating the right mix of education, knowledge and the most modern ICT technology. Many times we have helped education and training organizations at home and abroad with solutions that have led to innovation and lasting results. Providing a realized vision of the future.

We help you streamline knowledge processes in order to realize innovation in education more quickly. With this, new knowledge products and solutions are more easily realized by the knowledge providers themselves. These can be shared within education, but also in business and government and healthcare institutions. And vice versa too. High-quality knowledge from education to companies and governments, both in the form of well-trained people and in the form of digital resources. And conversely also up-to-date and high-quality knowledge from the business community and governments that can be used in education to train faster and better. A real win-win situation that strengthens itself and creates innovation.

The purpose is to quickly facilitate highly effective, relevant and engaging personalized education. But also to create innovation more quickly in companies and governments, as well as in education and research. All those involved benefit from this immediately and also for the future. And a library of knowledge is created that is well maintained, used and reused. With this new way of knowledge management, education and training can start training in a more market-oriented and personalized way, adapted to the specific demand. There is a great need for this, especially nowadays! With this, education can also support the continuously changing labor market. By working in a more dynamic and demand-driven way with a personalized curriculum and by making use of easily deployable, usable and proven ICT resources and learning content.

Feasible changes

The education of a specific curriculum can be arranged in such a way that it fits well with existing needs.Education that delivers students who are well matched to the demand from the labor market. These are feasible changes. A.o. by:

• Organizing personalized education.
• Redesign administrative processes; supportive to the teacher. More effective management of the educational process that matches market demand.
• From supply-oriented to market-oriented education.
• To optimally organize knowledge creation and knowledge management processes.
• To set up the didactic method dynamically using modern ICT methodologies.
• Making knowledge reusable by means of digital content.
• Making modularization and sharing knowledge a priority.
• Using new (emerging) technologies such as VR / AR and AI to accelerate and improve knowledge processes.

Example: Innovative training in the Textile industry

Problem: The turnover within the textile industry is large. Sales employees have a lot of product knowledge but above all a lot of knowledge about customers, what they want and what they come for. Giving the right advice. This requires a lot of knowledge and experience, and if it disappears it is a pity. At the same time, new more inexperienced employees are entering the store and they should actually be able to be productive in a short time. Insight: By making knowledge and experience shareable, for example by recording it easily and quickly on video, a win-win situation is created. Both for existing employees (developing new skills) and new employees (quickly acquire the necessary knowledge). Alstom a large company in industrial services does this with Immersive learning. Read the interview about this here. The Blended Group works with uptale to create immersive learning. Recently, this was carried out for two chemical companies in the Netherlands as induction training courses for onboarding. An example is available.

Solution: With video training, the knowledge of the employee experience can be stored, used and reused. Video is a cheap and fast way to safeguard and reuse knowledge. This can also be done with 360 video to make it even more realistic and interactivity can be added. For example, questions but also interaction moments to bring the real experience close and ensure that the knowledge transfer is optimal. We work together with H5P to create these interactive video possibilities, including for the Medical Faculty of Radboud University. With H5P, employees easily create presentations, interactive videos and scenarios that are shared within the Brightspace LMS environment.

Example: Professional competence in the catering industry]

Problem: The Hospitality Industry vocational training is often not practical enough. Or, if one goes into the practical internship, the translation from theory to practice is too great. Education is not sufficiently in line with practice and later the job. This concerns both the ‘hard skills’ such as dealing with hygiene and product knowledge as well as the ‘soft skills’ such as dealing with customers. Especially in rapidly changing circumstances as now with the pandemic. In addition, employees in the workplace are increasingly given responsibility. Insight: Making the practice tangible and being able to respond quickly to the demand and needs of the business community is very important. The target group has modern tools such as mobile phones and tablets that they always have with them. Can this be used instead of traditional knowledge transfer? Can students be engaged in capturing this knowledge?

Solution: Creating microlearning modules using video or animaites using existing material that is already on the Internet is a solution that allows you to respond to changing conditions very quickly. Employees can be reached very quickly via mobile devices and kept up-to-date place and time independently, anytime, anywhere (and of course they can also turn it off). This creates a dynamic personalized learning medium that is also very acceptable and self-entertaining for employees. It is their own responsibility to make use of this, but the use can be measured and understood.

Example: Industrial product knowledge

Problem: New industrial products are being marketed or updated and modified at an ever-increasing rate. For customers but also supported staff and selling staff, it is becoming increasingly complicated and time-consuming to keep their knowledge up-to-date. Insight: The working environment of the future has the necessary knowledge and can transfer it or provide training and training.

Solution: Materials used to create new products such as CAD drawings can be reused as training materials. For example, by creating videos or creating Virtual/Reality environments based on this, possibly even with built-in Artificial Intelligence chabots that help in learning how to work this complex equipment. This can be to support, maintain, sell and use these complex equipment that are often robotized themselves already.