Up next in our user spotlight series we have the Head of Automation Academy: Hubert Brunner (@hubert.brunner)!
What is your role?
I am the team leader of the “Automation Academy” team at the company headquarters in Eggelsberg. Together with my team, we create standardized training content for B&R product training. We are currently pursuing a three-pillar approach. We design training courses for the classroom, which can also be carried out in the virtual classroom on MS Teams. As a useful addition, we design online courses, which could also be referred to as e-learning. The media used are videos, 3D models, simulation models, short tests and demanding exercises. Our B&R branches can then use this standardized training content to train their customers.
What is your area of expertise?
After my technical training with a focus on computer science and environmental measurement and control technology, I supported our customers in Austria as an automation engineer and support engineer. I also always held training sessions. Even after more than 20 years, the topic still sticks with me. Many of my activities and further education go towards training and education. Among other things, I worked intensively on the topic of e-learning and educational standards during my master’s degree. I have also qualified more than 100 B&R trainers in trainer training. One thing was always clear to me. You never stop learning. I’m already excited to see what innovations will come from the use of artificial intelligence in the area of learning design.
What is the most difficult thing when defining learning objectives for a new B&R training content?
Whenever it comes to constructing a new learning unit, the first step is to design the learning objectives. The learning objectives define very abstractly what the learners should know or be able to do at the end of a training or course. The formulation of such learning objectives is complex because there are many context parameters that have to be taken into account. This includes: Target group, prior knowledge, objectives and learning environment. Furthermore, the content of a training course as well as the interactions in the form of exercises must be able to be derived from the learning objective, which makes the whole thing even more difficult. But the headache always pays off. You can compare this to programming software. If there is a proper concept behind it, you can go into implementation with peace of mind instead of having to do everything again later.
What excites/motivates you about the B&R Community?
The B&R Community is a meeting place where different interests, problem solutions and success stories come together. It’s exciting to find out what the individual experiences are and what people are currently dealing with. The B&R Community is therefore an opportunity for me to broaden my horizons and stay involved with what is happening in automation.
What are your personal passions/hobbies?
I am a skilled craftsman and a beekeeper. Working with bees in particular is a varied subject that I really enjoy. It’s not just the honey that I harvest at the end of the summer that motivates me. Rather, it is the behavior and complexity of the interaction of colony-forming insects that fascinates me.
Have a question for Hubert? Feel free to ask it below!