The proposed EERA session is a workshop that presents the development of the Learning Toolbox (LTB) as a result of an educational innovation project.  We will show the potential of the Learning Toolbox (LTB) to transform traditional poster sessions into dynamic and interactive enhanced learning settings.

The LTB was developed within the EU-funded Learning Layers project (2012-2016). The LTB was developed in a participative co-design process firstly with the aim to support situated workplace learning and knowledge sharing in the construction sector. To achieve this goal, a first step in the co-design process, in which the training centre Bau-ABC Rostrup was involved, was to find ways to digitise training materials and learning reports. This idea developed into LTB that enables users to access digital learning contents, additional web resources easily ant to communicate with other users about the learning materials. 

A special emphasis was put on the theoretical foundation of the LTB. Relevant ideas were taken from theories on self-organised learning, action-oriented learning and theories on the acquisition of work process knowledge. Finally, the LTB was implemented by the Bau-ABC Rostrup in their apprentice training projects. Nowadays, the use of LTB is being extended from the pilot trades to support other areas of apprentice training and continuing vocational training (CVT). In the final phase the reflective "scenario documents" identified different pedagogic accents to support action-oriented and self-organised learning (in different trades). The process and the results of the Learning Layers project have been presented at several conferences including ECER 2014, 2015 and 2017.

At the end of the Learning Layers project, the LTB-developers launched a start-up company "StackServices" to continue the technical development of the LTB.  Since then, the LTB was used and advanced in R&D projects in the construction sector with the support of research teams from ITB, University of Bremen. In parallel, pilots projects are running in Spain and Estonia, not only in the construction sector but also in the healthcare sector.

Learning Toolbox (LTB) as also a tool to support posters and presentations at conferences: Alongside the follow-up activities mentioned above, the developers of the LTB and the former Learning Layers research partners have developed a concept, on how to use the LTB to enrich conference posters and poster sessions.

1) Reshaping the Poster area: In the conference of the Association for Medical Education in Europe (AMEE) in 2017, a major part of the posters was no longer presented as traditional A0-posters, but as mini-posters on a poster cubicle. Presenters were guided to create stacks - organised sets of content tiles, media contents and web resources - as add-ons to their mini-posters and to enrich the contents of their presentation. To link the mini-posters to the enhanced content, QR-codes were used. This allows participants interested in getting more information on a mini-poster to download the stack to their LTP App easily. This will let them explore all contents of the presentation. It gives them also access to background materials, and additional documentation in the form of texts, pictures or visualisations. At the same time, all mini-posters of interests are still available after the conference, and through the embedded communication channels, authors are rapidly contacted.

2) Developing hybrid posters and presentations: In the European Conference for Technology-Enhanced Learning (ECTEL) 2017 the use of LTB was piloted with individual posters and presentations that were linked with a QR-code to the corresponding LTB-stack that the participants could upload during the session. In these contexts, the LTB-stacks served as the 'electronic hand-outs' of the authors.

The proposed EERA session builds a bridge between the research & development activities - the making and introduction of the LTB - and the new use of LTB as an enrichment of conference culture. The session is structured as a research workshop that has three 'stations': 1. Presenting the research & development agenda related to pilots with LTB (VETNET interest): This station gives an overview of the research & development projects in which the LTB has been shaped and developed further. This station serves also as a demonstration of a hybrid presentation that links the content to an LTB-stack. 2. Developing integrative paper/poster sessions with hybrid posters (Network interest): This station explores the prospect of linking hybrid posters to paper sessions of the same thematic area. In this context, the use of LTB stack helps to bring the research context, background materials, process documentation and visual effects into the discussion. VETNET has the interest to develop such sessions already in ECER 2018 with voluntary presenters. 3. Developing the poster area (EERA Interest): This station presents the process with which a major number of poster authors were enabled to prepare ePosters and develop their LTB-stacks. This station informs also, how the real-time communication and post-conference communication can be managed via LTB.

Altogether, the project history of co-designing and piloting the LTB - including the follow-up activities - gives an insight into changing possibilities to document the transformative practice of trainers and learners when introducing a new, holistic toolset to support self-directed, action-oriented learning. The spin-off activities that introduced LTB as a means to enrich posters and presentations pave the way for a more dynamic and interactive conference culture. These two aspects will be presented in the proposed EERA session. The EERA session aims to demonstrate the interrelations between the research & development activities in which the LTB is being developed further and the service functions that the LTB can provide for research communities. For the EERA networks it gives a picture, how to enrich their presentations and how to integrate posters into their main sessions with the support of LTB. For the EERA and the ECER organisers it gives a picture, how to shape the main poster area - with the help of LTB - in such a way that it enables active interactivity throughout the conference.

Elferink, R., Peffer, G. & Attwell, G. 2017: Learning Toolbox - Build, organise, and share your own apps for communication, collaboration, and learning. In T. Ley (ed.): Learning Layers results. http://results.learning-layers.eu/tools/learning-toolbox/ Fischer, M., Boreham, N. & Nyhan, B. (eds.) 2004: European perspectives on learning at work: the acquisition of work process knowledge, Luxembourg, Office for Official Publications for the European Communities. Kämäräinen, P. 2018: Research as mediator between vocational learning, work process knowledge and conceptual innovation - on the role of research in the modernisation of vocational education and training (VET). ResearchGate. DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.16448.43529. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/322799414_Research_as_mediator_between_vocational_learning_work_process_knowledge_and_conceptual_innovation_-_on_the_role_of_research_in_the_modernisation_of_vocational_education_and_training_VET Kämäräinen, P. et al. 2017a: Accompanying Research and Participative Design in the Pilot Activities with the Learning Toolbox (LTB). In T. Ley (ed.): Learning Layers results. http://results.learning-layers.eu/methods/accompanying-research/ Kämäräinen, P. et al. 2017b: Use of Learning Toolbox by Bau-ABC Trainers and Apprentices. In T. Ley (ed.): Learning Layers results. http://results.learning-layers.eu/impacts/c-11/ Kämäräinen, P. et al. 2017c: Learning Toolbox (LTB) as Support for Action-Oriented Learning in the Apprentice Training of Bau-ABC. In T. Ley (ed.): Learning Layers results. http://results.learning-layers.eu/scenarios/action-oriented-learning/ Kämäräinen, P. et al. 2017d: Working further with the Learning Toolbox (LTB) - Part Two: LTB-based ePosters become success stories in European conferences. Blog article November 2017. http://www.pontydysgu.org/2017/10/working-further-with-the-learning-toolbox-ltb-part-two-ltb-based-eposters-become-success-stories-in-european-conferences/ Rauner F. 2002: Die Bedeutung des Arbeitsprozesswissens für eine gestaltungsorientierte Berufsbildung. In Fischer, M. & Rauner, F. (eds.): Lernfeld Arbeitsprozess. Ein Studienbuch zur Kompetenzentwicklung in gewerblich-technischen Aufgabenbereichen. Nomos, Baden-Baden. Schemme, D. & Novak, H. (Eds.) 2017: Gestaltungsorientierte Forschung - Basis für soziale Innovationen. Berichte zur beruflichen Bildung. Bundesinstitut für Berufsbildung, Bonn. Treasure-Jones, T. 2017: Learning Toolbox as an ePoster Platform. Project update. ResearchGate. https://www.researchgate.net/project/Learning-Layers-project-Healthcare/update/59d36c36b53d2f2327c56606