=Paper=
{{Paper
|id=Vol-2356/business_short2
|storemode=property
|title=A MOOC platform for training of construction professionals in France
|pdfUrl=https://ceur-ws.org/Vol-2356/business_short2.pdf
|volume=Vol-2356
|authors=Florence Godefroy,Christina Nirup,Séverine Verhaeghe,Rachel Lafaye
|dblpUrl=https://dblp.org/rec/conf/emoocs/GodefroyNVL19
}}
==A MOOC platform for training of construction professionals in France==
https://ceur-ws.org/Vol-2356/business_short2.pdf
Proceedings of EMOOCs 2019:
Work in Progress Papers of the Research, Experience and Business Tracks
A MOOC Platform for Training of Construction
Profesionals in France
C. Nirup, Auteur1, F. Godefroy, Auteur1, S. Verhaeghe, Auteur2, R. Lafaye,
Auteur3
1
French Environment & Energy Management Agency, 49 000 Angers, France
2
French National Council of Architects, 75 000 Paris, France
3
CIMEOS, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté University, 21 000 Dijon, France
Abstract :
The “MOOC Bâtiment Durable” platform is a collective project to mobilize the
construction sector in France, to train professionals on topics with high stakes
such as energy refurbishment. This article explains the genesis of the project,
the operation of the platform, the main results and perspectives.
The project is founded on a relationship of trust between the actors of
vocational training in the construction sector. Since 2007, professional
organizations and public authorities have worked together on training schemes
related to energy efficiency of buildings. In 2015, ADEME and the Plan
Bâtiment Durable launched a feasibility study of a MOOC platform on the
construction theme, involving the sector stakeholders.
For the partners it was important to distinguish this vocational MOOC platform
from academic approaches, while keeping high-level quality and a specific
visibility. So a dedicated platform was created and firsts projects were
supported financially and technically.
Since Jan 2017, 36,600 persons have created an account on the platform,
representing 65,500 learners, 60% of whom are construction professionals. The
average success rate is 23%. According to the feedback from the learnings, the
proposed MOOCs respond to various needs and they can be part of the training
obligation of professionals, such as architects.
The platform continues its development offering SPOC and blended-learning
courses. In addition, a survey of registered individuals has identified areas for
improvement i.e. in the communication or targeting of MOOCs.
Keywords: Vocational training, Construction sector, Partnership, MOOC
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1 Genesis of the project: building trust between partners
1.1 First collaborations of professional organizations and public institutions
to develop sustainable building training
The “MOOC Bâtiment Durable” is a partnership initiative that has its roots in the FEE
Bat1 program launched in 2007. This program aimed to train 120,000 people in the
building sector to improve the energy efficiency of buildings. Co-financed by a public
funding (Energy Saving Certificates), it brought together the professional building
federations, public institutions such as the Ministry of Ecology and ADEME 2.
Together, these actors have designed training courses for companies and craftsmen on
the one hand, engineers, architects and project managers on the other, and set up the
dissemination plan in France. Today, 177,500 persons have been trained through this
system. The implementation of the program has made it possible to build a first base
of trust between these actors; institutions and professional organizations.
In 2011, the European Commission launched the "Build Up Skills" project. Its
main objective was the elaboration of a roadmap, country by country, actions to be
implemented until 2020, to reinforce the skills of construction site professionals in the
field of energy efficiency and renewable energies, but also job-seekers in the building
sector. The project also aimed to strengthen the dialogue between the different
stakeholders of the sector, through a participative and partnership approach. A
consultation was set up at the national level, as at the regional level, which allowed
the participation of all the stakeholders interested in drafting the roadmap, which was
published end of 2013 3. ADEME was one of the initiators of the project in France, in
connection with the structures of employment, vocational training and technical
experts in the field of construction. The work highlighted the importance of digitizing
part of the training offer, but without providing concrete solutions. The professional
federations, and more particularly their training entities, took an active part in the
work. On the organizational level the "Build Up Skills" project added a brick in this
construction of trust between actors of professional training in the building.
1.2 The value of digitizing part of the training offer
In July 2014, the report "Rénovation Energétique et Filière du Bâtiment" 4 is
published. Written by Sabine Basili, vice-president of CAPEB (Confederation of
Building Craftsmen) and Ingrid Nappi-Choulet, professor-researcher at ESSEC
Business School, it presents the result of a working group set up by the Plan Bâtiment
1 Training device for professionals to save energy in the building
2 French Environment & Energy Management Agency
3 Roadmap Build Up Skills France 2013
4 « Rénovation Energétique et Filière du Bâtiment » Basili, Nappi-Choulet, juillet 2014, p 34
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Work in Progress Papers of the Research, Experience and Business Tracks
Durable5. It stressed the importance of developing MOOC-type online training for
building professionals.
Following this, ADEME and the Plan Bâtiment Durable launched a study on the
opportunity to move further. They reached out to the structures already involved in
Build Up Skills, and also training organizations, funding bodies for vocational
training, associations, consulting firms and other organizations and trade unions
interested in the subject. The work made it possible to identify common objectives,
the scope of the MOOCs, the technical solutions for a specific platform, and also
possible modes of governance. In early 2015, a one-day MOOCCamp was organized
with about fifty participants. This work led to the conclusion that a MOOC platform,
specifically dedicated to this sector, was an opportunity to boost the skills of
professionals on the topics of sustainable building (efficient refurbishment, energy
efficiency, etc.). The progress of this feasibility study was published progressively on
the Construction 21 6 site so that all those who wished to could contribute.
The creation of the "MOOC Bâtiment Durable" platform is therefore the
concretisation of the shared reflections of the building stakeholders to meet the needs
of professionals to increase their skills on environmental issues.
2 The operation of the platform
The implementation of the platform and the development of the training offer are
based on a dedicated Open edX platform, open governance and financial and
technical support from the public authorities.
2.1 A dedicated Open edX platform
The desire to have a quality offer, visible and distinguished from the academic
approaches, led ADEME to ensure the operational support to the development of an
ad hoc platform. After a comparative study between the MOOC platforms available in
2015, the choice fell on the open EdX platform of France Université Numérique7. One
of the advantages identified was the evolutionary aspect of the open source solution
on which it is based.
As a public institution, ADEME was able to join and become a founding member
of the Fun-MOOC GIP. As a member, ADEME benefited from the development of a
5 Plan Bâtiment Durable (Sustainable Building Plan) is attached to the Ministry of the
Environment and federates the building and real estate stakeholders around ambitious goals
of energy efficiency and environmental building
6 Construction 21 is a social media dedicated to all professionals active in the sustainable
building and city sector
7 France Université Numérique is the main platform of MOOC in France, created at the
initiative of Ministry of higher education and research
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Work in Progress Papers of the Research, Experience and Business Tracks
white label platform dedicated to "sustainable building MOOCs". It was set up in
2016 and opened in November 2016.
2.2 A collective governance
In order to maintain the spirit of dialogue between the partners, an open mode of
governance was organized, under the aegis of ADEME and the Plan Bâtiment
Durable. A governance charter was drafted by the two structures and signed on 30
November 2016 by some 20 structures (professional federations, training
organizations, technical organizations, public bodies). To date, 32 structures have
signed the charter. The signatories play an active role in the selection of the MOOCs
hosted on the platform, by evaluating the proposed projects while making sure to look
for complementarity between the different MOOCs. They also contribute to the
communication around the MOOCs and are proactive regarding the evolutions to
bring to the platform. These different topics are dealt with in 2 to 3 annual meetings
bringing together the representatives of the signatory organizations, with the
animation of the ADEME and Plan Bâtiment Durable.
2.3 Financial and technical support for the development of the first MOOCs
In 2015, the government made available significant funds to develop, among other
things, training activities related to the energy transition and the digital transition in
the construction sector. One of the calls for projects included MOOCs as a training
action eligible for funding. Thus, a dozen MOOCs have obtained at least 55% of
public funding (usually up to 80% when co-financed by other public funds from
ADEME or local authorities such as the Regions).
In addition to these grants, technical support is offered to MOOC project-carrying
organizations. Indeed, the projects are mainly supported by structures associating a
training organization and consultants, energy renovation experts but unexperimented
in MOOC. Thus, in order to guarantee the quality of the online training offered,
ADEME has commissioned a digital learning agency to support the teams. This
support consists of 1 to 2 days of group and individual advice, from the design to the
appraisal of the sessions of each MOOC. It allows addressing pedagogical and
technical aspects, as well as the specificities of the platform open EdX. Finally, the
proposed support allows project leaders to meet each other and facilitates the search
for complementarity between the MOOCs and their association, by target or subject,
during the programming sessions. The opening of the MOOCs is organized by groupe
of 3 to 7 MOOCs with a programming taking into account the progress of the projects
but also the proposed topics.
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3 The main results
3.1 Quantitative results
Between January 2017 and the end of February 2019, 18 MOOCs were created and 30
sessions opened (see attached Table 1), representing 65,500 learners (registered in a
MOOC). To date, 36,600 people have an account on the platform, 60% of whom are
building professionals. Among this category, architects, engineers, construction
economists, are the most represented.
Figure 1. Graphical representation of the professionals registered
In terms of enrollment, there are three categories of MOOC:
- MOOC "generalist": more than 3,000 participants, on topics of general interest
for building professionals, for example the MOOC “Efficient refurbishment”
- MOOC on a specific subject: 1,500 to 2,500 participants, such as the MOOC on
passive building
- MOOC on a specific subject addressed to a particular group: between 500 and 1
400 participants, such as MOOCs on energy refurbishment of social housing for asset
managers or operations managers
Certificates of successful completion of MOOCs are delivered on the platform,
with success thresholds generally between 50 and 70%. The success rates of the
different MOOCs are between 15 and 30%, with an average and median rate of 23%.
To date, 15,400 trainees have obtained a certificate on MOOC Bâtiment Durable.
3.2 Quality assessment
At the end of each MOOC the learners answer a questionnaire which show overall
satisfaction with the operation of the platform, the MOOC modality, and the
pedagogical contents proposed. Nevertheless, these results are to be moderated since
most respondents are those who completed the MOOC as a whole, and therefore
found an interest.
In addition, a survey of individuals registered in the platform was conducted in
November 2018. Given the low number of respondents (464 to 531 people or 1.6%
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and 1.8% of registered individuals), it is considered exploratory. Through the
numerous comments, elements of appreciation of the platform and the MOOCs
nevertheless emerged from it, as well as suggestions of improvement. In particular,
learners appreciated MOOCs being designed with professionals for professionals. The
content of the MOOCs, made of concrete, practical elements, supplemented by
practical cases or case studies, are also important elements. The quality of the
speakers, especially recognized experts is also an important factor.
The MOOCs on the platform meet a variety of needs. For example, teachers agree
to the reuse of the content offered as part of their training. In addition, one profession
– architects - has been particularly committed to the platform. The MOOCs are a
mandatory part of their training, in a category called "complementary", decided by the
CNOA8. Finally, completing a MOOC may be a differentiating factor for job seekers
in the building sector, as some of the respondents to the survey testified.
4 The perspectives
The platform continues its development, including new MOOCs and also changes in
its way of operating and the proposed offer.
First of all, the question of the recognition and financing of this pedagogical
modality is part of a context of reform of vocational training in France. The "Law for
the freedom to choose one's professional future" was promulgated on September 5,
2018. It profoundly transforms learning, unemployment insurance and vocational
training. A new definition of the training action appears: "The training action [...] is
defined as a pedagogical pathway to achieve a professional goal. It can be performed
in whole or in part at a distance. It can also be done in a work situation.” This law and
the decrees that stem from it should make it possible to better integrate distance
learning methods, including MOOCs and SPOCs.
In addition, experiments in SPOC and blended-learning courses have been
implemented on the platform since 2017. The aim here is to best meet the needs of
professional, with more customization and practice in training.
Another issue is at the level of governance. Working collectively between the
stakeholders has largely contributed to the success of the platform. The various
members, whose professional organizations have a good knowledge of the training
needs, favor a relevant selection of training to be offered on the platform.
Nevertheless, not all signatories are active in governance. In addition, the arrival of
SPOC or blended and the new set of actors in the context of the reform, could lead to
changes in the organization in place, and stakeholders to mobilize.
8 French National Council of Architects
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Work in Progress Papers of the Research, Experience and Business Tracks
Finally, the last issue is communication. With more than a million professionals
working in the building sector, the margin of progression of the number of registered
learners on the platform is gigantic! Some categories are also poorly represented, such
as real estate professionals or teachers and trainers, who remain to be conquered. With
this latter category, the reuse of content produced in MOOCs could be widely
promoted and developed. In addition, a majority of users of the platform have only
registered for one MOOC, which should lead us to think of ways to attract these
registered learners to new topics on MOOC Bâtiment Durable.
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Annex
Table 1. List of MOOCs created and disseminated
Successful renovation - the keys to energy rehabilitation (3 sessions)
A method for successful operations and renovation projects (1 session)
Prescribe and estimate at BIM time (2 sessions)
Passive building and low carbon: the global approach by BIM (3 sessions)
Proximity and Rental Management in social housing: accompany and raise
awareness about energy management (2 sessions)
Project Management and Maintenance in social housing: Improving Energy
Performance, Retrofitted and New Buildings (2 sessions)
Inhabitants in social housing: Optimize comfort and consume better! (2 sessions)
Hemp construction (1 session)
MOOC BIM: Become a player in the transition (2 sessions)
Sustainable construction in humid tropical Zone (2 sessions)
All about E + C experimentation (2 sessions)
Boiler optimization: design - regulation - management (2 sessions)
BIOMOOC: Discover the bio-based construction (1 session)
Renovate with the BIM the detached house (1 session)
Build: technical, legal and commercial challenges (1 session)
CAPECOBAT: energy renovation in social housing (1 session)
Energy poverty - Understanding and acting (1 session)
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