DEDICATED E-LEARNING INSTRUMENT TO SUPPORT STEM KNOWLEDGE BY MEANS OF SMART TEXTILES
Authors: Radulescu Ionrazvan , Ghituleasa Carmen , Visileanu Emilia , Almeida Luis , Blaga Mirela , Dufkova Petra , Rudolf Andreja , Malengier Benny 
Published: February 2023

Smart textiles represent a future trend of development of high value-added products. Moreover, they are a result of interdisciplinary research, out of disciplines such as: mathematics, physics, textile material science and electrotechnics. All these disciplines may be on the other hand better understood in connection with palpable smart textile prototypes.
Students of VET (Vocational Education and Training) in technical fields are tackling within their curricula all these basic disciplines. However, the horizon of end-applications and the interconnections between the disciplines remains often unclear. This is why a showcasing by means of smart textile products will explain them in a better way the usefulness of knowledge within STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics).
The Erasmus+ project Skills4Smartex- "Smart textiles for STEM training" is focused on teaching applied basic disciplines for VET students in technical fields. It is a strategic partnership project with a duration of two years (2018-2020) and a consortium of 6 key European partners in textile education and training. INCDTP-Bucharest coordinates a prestigious partnership: TecMinho/ University of Minho, Portugal, UGent, Belgium, University of Maribor, Slovenia, Technical University Iasi and Textile testing Institute, Czech Republic. Project website is www.skills4smartex.eu .
The project is structured on three intellectual outputs: the Guide for smart practices (O1) tackles preferences regarding the needed profiles of workers for smart textiles by means of a survey (http://www.advan2tex.eu/portal/mod/book/view.php?id=815), the Course in smart textiles (O2) conceives 56 modules on each of the basic disciplines (Maths, Physics, Material science and Electrotechnics), while the Dedicated e-learning instrument (O3) is a key educational support element.
E-learning has already been established as a useful educational method, to enable round-the-hour, distance and interactive educational materials. Skills4Smartex creates a dedicated e-learning instrument for the 56 modules on smart textiles, based on a filter. The 56 modules are classified on chapters, disciplines and either on STEM to Smart or on Smart to STEM direction. First direction shows how basic disciplines support smart textiles and second direction shows the elements of a smart textile prototype reflected in basic disciplines. The PHP/MySQL filter rapidly selects the desired module and enables thus a visual and interactive view of interconnections between the disciplines and examples of end-applications by means of smart textiles products (http://skills4smartex.eu/instrument.php). The project envisages blended courses (e-learning and face-to face) in the fourth semester (Apr-Sept. 2020) and you are invited to participate by contacting the national coordinators of Skills4Smartex.
Acknowledgement: This project has been funded with support from the European Commission.
Publishing has been funded by Ministry of Research and Innovation, by Program 1 - Development of the national system for research-development, Subprogram 1.2 - Institutional performance - Projects for funding excellence in RDI, Contract no. 6PFE from 16.10.2018.