In 2020, the transport sector was responsible for around 23 % of the greenhouse gas emissions (European Commission 2022, p. 127). The EU Commission’s Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy (European Commission 2020) and the European Green Deal envision a shift from trucks to the green modes of transport rail and inland waterways. Inland Waterway Transport (IWT) represents an eco-friendly, CO2-saving mode of transport (Schroten et al. 2019) (European Commission 2019). To succeed a modal shift to IWT, a shift in the mindsets of logistics staff is needed, leading to the requirement of knowledge about IWT (Beil and Putz-Egger 2022) (Putz and Schauer 2014).

The goal of this paper is to present intermediate findings from the ongoing research project Quinwalo+ (Qualification Inland Waterway Logistics), funded by the German Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport and initiated by the German Boatmen’s Exchange in Duisburg (Schifferbörse e.V 2023). Quinwalo+ aims at analyzing and developing teaching materials for IWT in Germany in order to foster a shift to the green transport mode IWT (European Commission 2011, p. 7).

In the field of logistics education, insights not only from the Quinwalo+ findings but from ongoing expert exchange show that IWT is underrepresented in German speaking countries. This is also reflected by Breinbauer et al. (2012) where recommendations for sustainable education in intermodal transport in Austria are given to policy makers, public institutions and other relevant actors. Ricoy and Sánchez-M (2022) underline the importance of gaining ecological awareness and knowledge at an early age (p. 15). It can be hypothesized, however, that educators in German speaking countries often lack the requisite knowledge and awareness of the IWT-impact themselves, which, unfortunately, leads to the topic’s underrepresentation in both, school curricula and teacher education (cf. Putz and Schauer 2013). In that context, Santos et. al. (2010) underline the impact of information and education policies for behavioural change, and point out that the advertising and marketing effect for triggering behavioural change should not be underestimated either (p. 47). The UNESCO (2020) launched a policy paper with recommendations for education for sustainable development (EDS), which recalls the responsibility of policy makers to review education systems and to “integrate ESD into education policies, […] learning environments, curricula, teacher education […].” (p. 32), and recommends capacity building of educators to empower them to transfer and develop their abilities to teach for sustainable development (priority action area 3, p. 36).

The Austrian research project REWWay (Research and Education in IWT) can be identified as a pioneer in this context. Since 2015, teaching and learning materials on the topic of IWT with a focus on the Danube have been made available online (Logistikum 2023). Research conducted, revealed, that there is no comparable online educational material on IWT in Germany or with focus on the Rhine River. This is where the Quinwalo+-project, realized by researchers of the Department for Sustainable Transport at the Logistikum, University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria, comes in. Quinwalo+ aims at

a) analysing and evaluating curricula and existing online and offline teaching materials about IWT in Germany

b) creating a set of inspiring teaching materials on IWT with focus on Germany/the Rhine River

c) raising awareness of IWT as a sustainable alternative to freight transport by truck.

The created IWT-teaching materials, which will be completed by the end of 2023, focus at both, vocational schools with a logistics focus, and vocational and general schools without a logistics orientation in German-speaking countries. It is planned by the initiators to offer them open source on an online-IWT-platform to encourage educators to update their teaching content regularly (cf.van Hoek 2001).

In the first phase of the Quinwalo+-project, between February and October 2022, a two-step approach was conducted to analyse the status of available learning materials, the teachers’ respective requirements for teaching and learning formats and the identification of possible linking topics in curricula. The first step (I) was to conduct desk research to identify (I.1) existing online and offline teaching materials in Germany, with a focus on the largest schoolbook publishers (Klett, Cornelsen, Westermann, Springer). The materials where then evaluated (I.2) according to their content with IWT-relevance and possible linking points for IWT in the future. As a main part of desk research, selected curricula of vocational and general schools were analysed to identify keywords for potential linking topics (I.3). As a second step (II), 9 expert interviews were conducted to analyse which requirements the teachers place on the content and quantity of (future) IWT-teaching materials. 7 out of 9 are currently teaching IWT-content in their classes and the importance they attach to IWT ranked between 4 and 7 (1-10, where 10 = “very important”). In addition, they were asked for desired topics for such materials (II.1). Furthermore, the experts were asked to describe desired teaching and learning formats, which appear attractive for including the topic of IWT in their teaching (II.2). As a result of the described methodological steps of the first phase of Quinwalo+, 8 topical areas for the development of new teaching and training materials were composed, which are highly likely to be used by educators in the future, and which offer the possibility to incorporate the IWT-topic smoothly: 1.) German inland ports and container terminals as an interface between different modes of transport 2.) Different procurement channels: Advantages/disadvantages of inland waterway transport in combined transport 3.) Europe's waterway network and its role in freight transport using the example of the Rhine 4.) Freight documents, freight law, damages, and liability: The legal framework for IWT in Germany 5.) Rhine navigation: Transport examples and practical reports 6.) Changing transport: Transport policy, environment, and development trends 7.) Climate change, global challenges, and sustainable development: Environmental aspects of freight transport 8.) Location factors and their impact on the mobility of people and goods These 8 topical areas will be scrutinised and further elaborated in a focus group workshop consisting of experts from the educational and IWT-field (step III).

Findings from the research phase of the project, which serve as a solid basis for later creating target-group-oriented teaching materials, are: - I.1. There is a lack of, online and offline, up-to-date, high-quality, interactive and curricula-relevant IWT-teaching material for German schools. - I2. & I.3. The analysis of existing materials and curricula delivered a list of potential linking topics, facilitating the usability of IWT-materials. Examples are: procurement processes, sustainability aspects, foreign trade, combined transport, location factors, economics & ecology. - II.1. The expert interviews showed a rather average importance which is attached to teaching IWT, mainly caused by time and curricula issues. Desirable topics for IWT-materials are: advantages/disadvantages of inland waterway transport, Europe's waterway network, IWT as part of the transport chain, freight law and liability, transport policy, comparison of modes of transport, ports and container terminals, transport and environment, development trends. - II.2. As attractive formats for teaching and learning materials, the experts named blocked courses, educational games, video-clips, ready-made ppt-sets, input from practice (cf. Gravier and Farris 2008) and materials for modular use. Thus, the contribution of Quinwalo+ to raising awareness of IWT as sustainable transport alternative is to help anchor IWT in German classrooms and curricula more firmly. The conducted secondary analysis of online teaching materials, school books and curricula, as well as the primary expert interviews, are a first step in developing attractive, curricula-fitting, ready-to-use IWT-materials, which will be provided for educators on an open-source platform at a later point. The intention is that teachers will increasingly include IWT-topics in their lessons. In conclusion, the hope remains that not only more innovative educational research projects will be funded, but that education policy will also reflect the high relevance of the modal shift to IWT and adapt curricula to the declared political goals of climate change.

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