Technologies 4.0 have had disruptive innovation in various sectors, including the energy one. Smart electricity grids, leveraging smart metering and data analysis systems, can provide a level of monitoring, control and optimization unimaginable until a decade ago. Network management mechanisms based on demand-response models may soon be a reality, thanks to smart contracts, blockchain, artificial intelligence and machine-to-machine technologies. These changes are leading to a radical change in the skills required by the labor market to operate in the energy sector, as well as the birth of new professional figures with both electricity and IT skills. This paper aims to illustrate the new opportunities and challenges that the Internet of Energy will bring. It also wants to present the results of the IoE-EQ project, which designed new professional qualifications, VET courses and open educational resources to support the training of staff involved in the digital transition of the energy sector.

The Industry 4.0 revolution will have a huge impact not only strictly in the manufacturing sector, but also in all sectors connected to it, the stakeholders and more generally the whole society. It has a significant impact not only in terms of new jobs, GDP growth, but also in the emergence of new services, new applications and new professional figures. At the European level in recent years, various initiatives have emerged to support the digital transition, promoted by the various member states. This has led to a differentiated development of methodologies and skills in different countries, in contrast with a global labor market and transnational supply chains. The I4EU project, funded by the European Commission under the Erasmus + program, intends to develop educational content and professional qualifications that should lead to a European Industry 4.0 model. This paper describes the first results of the project.

With the constant growth of devices connected to the internet, many researchers focus their interest on the development of Remote Laboratories, taking advantage of the numerous electronic open-source platforms. The aim of this work is to propose a compact solution (hardware and software) for the implementation of a low-cost open-access remote laboratory. The key concept is using Python, a programming language that is strong, flexible and rich of free external packages. Specifically, Python is used at the same time as: (i) a microframework with server functionalities, (ii) a control unit that drives an Arduino microcontroller and a Raspberry Pi microcomputer. The software to access the laboratory is realized as a web client interface by using HTML5 and JavaScript. This software is light enough to be run on an average personal computer. The concept of Remote Laboratory allows students to be able to carry out didactic experiences without constraints with regard to space and time, being it accessible from everywhere with just a PC or even a smart device (smartphone, tablet, etc.). With this remote laboratory, students can do real measurements of physical quantities and perform real activities while accessing the system from any place, thus allowing students of distance learning universities to do real experiments.

3D printing is an increasingly popular technology, finding practical applications in many sectors. In addition to technical uses, the use of 3D printing as a support tool in education is also spreading. Benefits include greater student involvement, the ability to visualize and better understand theoretical concepts, the integration of practical and theoretical skills. The areas of employment are many, from cultural heritage to medicine, from science to mechanics. However, to use this technology successfully, trainers need to have (or acquire) specific skills and competences. The current document intends to present the results of a study conducted in the framework of the European project “3D Printing in VET” on the current uses of 3D printing in education and on the point of view of the sector's stakeholders on this topic.

Internet of Things (IoT) is widely recognized as one of the pillars of the digital transformation and it is one of the technologies whose market is growing faster. The diffusion of IoT services and technologies is an important opportunity for the growth and development of companies and the labor market. To support the adoption and diffusion of IoT technologies, it is necessary to qualify and/or re-train professionals and technicians in the sector. Among the various initiatives created in this regard, the European project IoT4SMEs in three years has developed interesting studies and produced useful open educational resources. In particular, in this work the authors report the main project outcomes and their impact on the target groups.

Internet of Things-education technologies are bringing disruptive innovation in different sectors, radically changing the ways in which objects interact, are controlled and managed. In order to allow professionals and technicians to be able to operate with these new educational technologies and to benefit from them, various training initiatives have been activated, one of their new methods is usage of Internet of Things-education. This paper deals with a new theory called the 5thwave regarding German Internet of Things-educational policies on national and international level towards best practices in Internet of Things-education at German Sustainable Smart SMEs4.0 and Industry 4.0 Readiness. Internet of Things-education technologies are the pillars for the implementation of the modern smart economy. Preparing the European Universities and VET providers to face this educational challenge and offer courses on Internet of Things, role of Internet of Things for education in preservation and transmission of social values to sustainable development, defining the domains affected by the implementation of intelligent educational management system, presentation of a model for the implementation of Internet of Things-education technologies, considering the users’ information and preserve their privacy in using Internet of Things-educational solutions to implement the cultural synergy for social capital, developing the educational infrastructures by using Internet of Things technologies and understanding the infrastructure of Internet of Things implementation are in authors’ road map.

Internet of things technologies and autonomous communicating smart devices, combined with blockchain technologies are the pillars for the implementation of a Machine-to-Machine (M2M) economy. In this paper we describe a M2M learning environment, representing an electric context where different energy providers and electric autonomous vehicles can interact. Economic operations are implemented thought the IOTA cryptocurrency, allowing to learn in deep the implementation of the transactions and the blockchain technology underlying the M2M scenario.

The Industry 4.0 paradigm and all its connected technologies (Big Data, Internet of Thing, Artificial Intelligence, Cloud Computing, Machine Learning, Augmented Reality, etc.) are quickly and deeply impacting on the companies' organization and technical capability. Although it is commonly accepted that the “digital shift” is an essential requirement for the companies' competitiveness, the Industry 4.0 paradigm has also introduced several relevant changes in the competences and skills of employees and managers, that may be a bottleneck in the adoption of the Industry 4.0 model. Some initiatives have been created at European level to support the education in the context of Industry 4.0. In this paper we present a selection of them, focusing in particular on the innovative didactic methodologies adopted in each different initiative.

Internet of Things (IoT) technologies are quickly entering in every aspect of our life, definitely changing the way we interact with smart objects. Such technologies allows to set-up solutions that can be used not just for practical activities, but also for didactic and research. This paper presents the development of an IoT-based environmental monitoring system for indoor workplaces. The remotely accessible monitoring system allows the students to add/remove sensors to the network, configure the nodes and the network, deal with different kind of sensors and controllers, analyze and postprocess the collected data. It also allows to compare the energy consumptions for environmental control with the real environmental wellness. The implemented network and the available didactic scenarios are discussed.

Small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) are a pillar of European economy. Nowadays the acquisition of new e-competences is essential to follow the digital transformation for the society and the market, and to keep an adequate level of competitiveness. Internet of Things (IoT) are producing a relevant impact in several economic sectors (industry, transportations, energy, agriculture, home automation, etc.). This technology has a high potential in terms of new business opportunities and new job positions. Several national and European policies have been set-up to train the EU companies to the adoption and diffusion of the IoT technologies. This is also the main aim of the European project IoT4SMEs. In this paper, we describe the early activity of the project, focused on an assessment of the labour market training needs related to the IoT technologies.

This paper deals with the use of laboratory test benches as a novel platform for educational purposes. In this regard, some laboratory facilities of National Research Council of Italy — Istituto Motori (in Naples) are analyzed as case study of an experimental learning platform for engineers and operators in the field of Internet of Energy (IoE). In particular, these facilities are devoted to study the main components of a smart grid, with particular attention on electric power-trains, energy storage systems, renewable energy sources and fast charging architectures for electric vehicles. The laboratory tools can be locally and remotely controlled by each learner, involved in training courses based on this platform, through acquisition and control devices, which can be managed by means of programmable software interfaces. In this way, the proposed learning platform represents a novel educational instrument to train new professional profiles, with particular skills on ICT technologies, software programming and hardware management for IoE applications.

This article describes the different Open Educational Resources included in several Vocational Education and Training qualifications designed by the authors. The aim of these courses is to foster European SMEs competitiveness through new technologies such as Cloud Computing, Internet of Things and Internet of Energy. The main resources included in the didactic courses designed are video lectures, interviews, showcases, webinars and demonstrators.

The interest around Fractional Calculus has significantly grown in the last thirty years, at first by the mathematical point of view and later with respect to several technical application. In circuit theory, Fractances are components with particular properties: the most important one is a fractional order characteristic relation between voltage and current. In the last years, the studies related to fractances significantly increasing, however these components are rarely taught even in the advanced circuit theory courses. The main reasons are the advanced mathematical knowledge required to deal with them and the difficulty to implement in practice. With these work we would like to face the second problem, implementing a remote laboratory enabling the students to practice with fractances. The laboratory would consist of a signal generator, an oscilloscope and several circuits including fractances, to study the effect of these components in different conditions. Different implementations of the fractances are proposed, to analyze the main differences.

Cloud Computing is a breakthrough paradigm and even more a key aspect for the digital transformation of companies, the Public Administration and Society. The IN-CLOUD project, funded by the European Union, aims to train and qualify professionals able to introduce and manage cloud-based services and technologies in Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and Public Administrations. Among all the outcomes of the project, a smart open online tool has been designed for adaptive education. The tool is able to assess the needs of each different user and to propose a customized learning path, optimally fitting his/her didactic needs and expectations.

A dedicated methodology for the production of MOOC videos has been implemented within the IN-CLOUD project, to guide all the partners, participants, and stakeholders, who will have to record them. In this case, the expertise needs have been achieved by the design and implementation of online courses for both open education (OCW and MOOC) and formal life-long learning technical courses. This paper suggests best practices for MOOC video production, including the basic principles of image language, the most common mistakes made when producing a first video, and the narrative structure.

In this paper we present the Edutronics project, a new game-based equipment to introduce kids to Electronics by means of a fun learning environment based on learning by doing. The equipment has been developed as a graduation project by a group of Egyptian students, enrolled in a double degree program in ICT Engineering, organized by Uninettuno University (Italy) and Helwan University (Egypt). The equipment is composed by a hardware platform and a controlling software. The hardware platform consists of a didactic kit designed to allow to build electric circuits in a amusing and safe way. The controlling software has been developed as a mobile application and provides the students with exercises to be solved. Today's ubiquity of social networks is enabled through a Facebook profile in order to publish one's results. An Arduino board with Bluetooth shield connects the hardware to the software and is able to check the correctness of each exercise solutions. Such an equipment is targeted to young students of primary to high schools in order to introduce them to Electronics in a safe way and with an affordable cost for schools.

The paper describes a portable didactic experiment, realizing a complex network of Chua's circuits, along with its use for introducing collective dynamics in networks of nonlinear oscillators to students. The equipment enables the full configurability of the node's parameters and the network structure (topology and link impedances). An 8 nodes portable version is realized as a demonstrator, however the corresponding laboratory experiment is designed to be easily scalable to a high number of nodes. The network's control and the data acquisition are automated thanks to a USB interface board and a LabVIEW control interface. The experiment allows the student to perform some direct real time analysis of a set of networked (coupled) Chua's circuits, with the goal to give immediate impact to the discovery of collective behaviors. In particular, the proposed experiences range from the characterization of the complex dynamics of the isolated nodes to the complete synchronization, as well as the emergence of clustering and waves. It is adopted within some course on Advanced Circuit Theory at the Master Degree level.

Engineering students have a natural strong desire to see how their laboriously acquired knowledge has effective application in real life. A small group of students were involved to apply their knowledge of computer science, electronics, and electrical engineering to something unusual and with a social impact: driving a wheelchair by using brain-computer interfaces. Today's development of these interfaces are not yet so advanced to be effectively used in health devices and must be considered very carefully. This led to a pilot experiment that kept all the charm of the original goal, but would have no drawbacks if something should go wrong: moving a small cart, based on Arduino boards, interfaced with a normal laptop to a commercial and affordable brainwave sensing headset. Being the driver not onboard, a Bluetooth connection has been used to send commands to the cart. Results are twofold. The cart actually moved where requested, and this is even more noticeable after considering that the people involved had limited time training and had no reduced mobility, which means less psychological involvement, otherwise recognized as an important factor of success. The group manifested a strong interest in every part of the project, giving them awareness of their actual skills and their actual ability to autonomously acquire new skills as needed. This study is the outcome of the International Telematic University Uninettuno and Helwan University (Cairo, Egypt) in a four year long cooperation for a double degree (one recognized in Italy and all Europe and the other in Egypt). The students involved had completed all the exams and were going to graduate. This project was devised for one of their MS thesis.

With the involvement of graduating engineering students, a remotely accessible solar energy laboratory has been developed, in order to simulate a small photovoltaic system. The laboratory includes two photovoltaic cells, a charge controller, batteries and a dummy load. A Raspberry PI microcontroller enables to control the different inputs, measures the voltages and the currents in the circuit and provides a remote access through the web. The lab intends to be a prototype of remote lab for the University, in terms of realization costs, communication protocols and software interface. It will be used by graduate students in the Electrical Engineering courses, enabling them to perform some experiments at distance.