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An interdisciplinary masters course and
further education in Ambient Assisted Living
MAAL
Master
Ambient
Assisted
Living
Maxine Saborowski, Ingrid Kollak
Alice Salomon Hochschule – University of Applied Sciences, Berlin
EURASHE 22nd Annual Conference 2012 – 11.05.12 – Riga
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Overview
1. Introduction to the project
2. What is Ambient Assisted Living (AAL)?
3. Development of the courses – based on the “Tuning
Educational Structures in Europe” model
4. The courses – structure and contents
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The project MAAL:
� Funded by the German Federal Ministry of
Education and Research
� Project duration: Summer 2011 till Summer 2014
� Start of the courses: Winter term 2013/14
� Two types of courses:
1. Masters course (2 years, for people with a
Bachelors degree)
2. Further education courses (open to all people
who want to learn about AAL)
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Intro
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Intention of the project:
1. Lifelong learning: courses for people with
professional experience
2. Part-time courses for employed people: using a
blended-learning concept
3. Interdisciplinary programme: open to different
disciplines, such as engineering science, social
science, (industrial) design, nursing science,
economics etc.
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Intro
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The partners of the project:
� Alice Salomon Hochschule –
University of Applied Sciences Berlin
� Hochschule fuer Technik und Wirtschaft –
University of Applied Sciences Berlin
� German Institute for Standardization (DIN)
� YOUSE Berlin
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Intro
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2. AAL – How to benefit from
new technologies
Viviane Reding, former EU Commissioner for the Information Society and Media:*
"There is no reason for older people in Europe to miss out on the benefits of
new technologies. The solutions and services resulting from this programme
[AAL Joint Programme of the EU ] will help them to remain active in society
as well as staying socially connected and independent for a longer time."
* EU press release Brussels, 23 June 2008
http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/08/994&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en
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AAL
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Ambient Assisted Living (AAL)networked technologies,
(information and communication) systems, and
design initiatives
which aim to facilitate greater independence and a better quality of life
mainly for people with disabilities and the elderly (people, who have
special needs)
⇒ Facing the demographic change and the wish for healthy ageing
⇒ Building on existing technical knowledge and know-how
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AAL
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AAL – a complex process
We need experts who are able to integrate very different
kinds of knowledge:
AAL product design is not simply a technical process!
� Public health data and knowledge about ageing
�Universal Design Thinking: creative methods for the process of problem solving,
with regard to accessibility and usability
�User integration: participation of users in the process of product design
� Intuitive interfaces, sustainable material, understandable operating manuals,
easy maintenance
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AAL
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A history of technical support:
emergency calls
Lighting reacts to
activity to prevent falls
Project „SensFloor®“
www.sensfloor.de
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AAL
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Driver assistance systems A very prominent example:
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AAL
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Driver assistance systems Not only for the elderly...?!
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AAL
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Assistance systems for the blindExamples of useful apps
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AAL
http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2012/05/how-the-blind-are-reinventing-the-iphone/256589/
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3. “Tuning Educational Structures in
Europe”
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Basic conditions:
EU Joint Programme AAL and German Federal Ministery of Education
and Research stated the need for qualifying people to become
experts in AAL (being an engineer is not enough)
Very few (academic) courses available in this field so far
Project MAAL: ideal resources available through cooperation of two
universities, combining engineering and health care
Degree title (draft): “AAL Product Design and Consulting”
Tuning
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Specific competences on Master level
Areas:
a) User Integration (ability to identify users, knowledge about needs, ...)
b) Technical Development and Design (knowledge about state of the art...)
c) Methods (how to plan, how to test, how to evaluate solutions, ...)
d) Financing and insurance (knowledge about health care system,
standardisation, ...)
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Tuning
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Main objectives:
How to start the process of product development from the perspective
of the users
How to integrate the users in the process, from idea to marketing
Public health helps: data on needs and demands
Learning-by-doing: how to work together in an interdisciplinary team
Accreditation of the masters course planned for 2013
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Tuning
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4. The courses – key concepts
Public healthUniversal Design
Thinking
User Centred
Design &
Participative
methods
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Courses
Courses will start Oct 2013
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Participation – a key term!
Course content:
Focus on participatory methods and user integration
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Courses
Course design:
Participation of students and employers
as integral element (“Tuning” model)
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Structure of the Masters course
� open to people with a Bachelors degree and interest in AAL
� 4 terms (= 2 years), part-time
� 90 CP for the degree
� 14 modules, plus two optional modules
� project-related learning in small interdisciplinary groups
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Courses
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Structure of the further
education courses
� open to people with practical experience and interest in AAL
� also open to non-academics
� one course will be 2 days on a weekend plus e-learning
� certificate (describing contents and CP)
� project-related learning in small interdisciplinary groups
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Courses
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Open questions: How to…
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� make the topic “AAL” attractive for people with an engineering
background?
� integrate students from different disciplines?
� offer two types of courses which do not compete against each other?
Courses
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Résumé
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� A range of very different AAL solutions has been presented.
� The process of AAL product design is very complex and requires
interdisciplinary teamwork as well as user integration concepts.
� The students of the MAAL masters course and the participants of
the the further education courses will be qualified to master this
complex process.
Résumé
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Thank you
for your attention!
Contacts at ASH: [email protected]
[email protected]
Our website: http://www.ash-berlin.eu/en/research/current-research-projects/maal