An International Electronic and Interactive Teaching and Life-Long Learning Platform for Gas Turbine Technology in the 21st Century

An interactive learning platform which sets a new standard for electronic learning of gas turbine technology in a global life-long learning perspective is presented (Fig. 1). The platform contains a theoretical section in the form of several pages for each chapter available, with a significant number of related interactive simulations, movies, animations, virtual laboratory exercises, virtual study visits and realistic case studies. A significant background information related to historical development in the field, a display of existing components, nomenclature, multi-lingual dictionary and keywords, as well as questions for self-assessment and exams, an electronic communication group and a database of the user’s “successes and failures,” enhance the learning process in a significant way. The program is intended as a platform for an international collaboration on learning heat and power technology. It can be used both in the classroom as well as for self-studies and is as such well adapted for both university and post-university learning, both on and off campus. Tools to facilitate the introduction of new material exist. It is thus hoped that teachers at different universities can join forces and in a noncompetitive way introduce material which can be shared, instead of developing similar simulations with somewhat different interfaces. The long-term goal of the learning platform is of course that users worldwide will have the possibility to access the best teaching material available from any specialist, and that this material will contain supplementary pedagogical information which will enhance the learning both at a university and a post-university level.