Riveria – Enhancing teaching with Mixed Reality

Introducing a training simulator with HoloLens and Dynamics 365 Guides

The North Karelia Municipal Education and Training Consortium Riveria is a multidisciplinary education provider owned by the municipalities in the North Karelia region. The Riveria headquarters is located in Joensuu, Finland. The consortium’s other education and training units are located in Kitee, Lieksa, Nurmes, Outokumpu and Valtimo. Annually, around 14,500 students participate in education and training organised by Riveria. Riveria has around 700 employees. The group also includes Riveria koulutuspalvelut Oy.

At Riveria, we were interested in developing our education in land construction by integrating Mixed Reality into it, as we want to continuously develop the training we offer by introducing new technology. Introducing training simulators and HoloLens headsets to our training has brought new market value to Riveria and enhanced our profile as a high-quality education and training provider. Utilizing the latest technology in our education takes learning to a brand-new level. The cooperation with Hurja has been efficient and flexible throughout the project.

Aki Hankilanoja, Education Manager, Riveria

Requirement

Riveria wished to introduce virtual environments and Mixed Reality to its education in land construction. The aim was to develop new, innovative and digital teaching and learning methods to make the training more effective. A further goal was to make the studies safer and to support and enhance individual learning.

The extensibility and user-friendliness of the introduced solutions were also an important part of the development project. The client wished that the training in land construction implemented with an AR headset could also be extended to other education and training contexts.

Solution

The introduction of Creanex training simulators with the HoloLens AR headsets and Dynamics 365 Guides

• The Creanex training simulator is a solution for developing training in using work machinery aimed at education and training providers in the land construction and logistics industries. We implemented a novel solution for the simulators used in the training, which involves displaying training material to users wearing an AR headset, which leaves their hands free for other activities. The Dynamics 365 Guides application was utilised in the implementation.
• Dynamics 365 Guides is a cloud-based mixed-reality training application for the HoloLens AR headset. The operating instructions we designed for the client include instructions, images and videos displayed on the AR headset. Displaying interactive instructions at the exact right time and place makes the learning experience intuitive and effective.

Identifying parts of work machinery using Dynamics 365 Guides

• After introducing the training simulator solution, we began expanding the educational use of the Guides to identify the parts of work machinery. The follow-up project has just been launched, and will initially involve a pre-trip inspection and identifying vehicle parts for front loaders and excavators using the HoloLens headset and the Guides application.

Also read about the digital learning environment utilizing AR we created for the Ylä-Savo Vocational College!

Benefits

The introduction of new technology to training in land construction has created brand new market value for Riveria and also boosted the profile of the training consortium as a provider of high-quality education and training.

The utilization of HoloLens and Guides teaching application as a part of the learning path facilitates the introduction of training solutions, and the interactive learning materials support the development of competence among diverse learners. The virtual learning environment improves the safety of training, allowing students to practice the use of a machine in the training simulator before operating the actual machine. As students have already gotten familiar with machinery in the virtual environment, damage to the actual machine and its surroundings is less likely to occur.

The digitization of education brings undisputed benefits from the perspectives of both teaching and learning. Dynamics 365 Guides can also be used to support teaching in other industries and in a variety of learning situations, such as in performing a pre-trip inspection and identifying vehicle parts for front loaders and excavators. Thanks to the user-friendliness of Guides, Riveria will also be able to use the application independently in the future, as adding materials to the system is easy.