D-NA3.3 Lessons Learned and Recommendations for Laboratory Education and E-learning Tools

The ERIGrid 2.0 training and educational developments and activities aim to inform, provide examples on the latest advancements, methodologies, tools for developing, validating, and deploying smart energy system solutions, and best practices to support the energy transition and the increased digitalisation of smart energy systems. This deliverable starts with an overview of all the educational materials developed within ERIGrid 2.0. It includes summary tables detailing the resources developed during the first reporting period (M9-M36) and the second reporting period (M37-M58). Most of the e-learning tools and material were developed in the first phase to ensure their availability for later use and refinement. In the second reporting period, one tutorial video and two laboratory modules were created, which are thoroughly documented in this report. In total, the project resulted in the development of four (4) educational tools, six (6) webinars, four (4) virtual & remote laboratories, four (4) other e-learning materials and two (2) laboratory modules. A Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) consisting of 6 seminars was developed to provide training on Holistic Smart Energy Systems Validation, incorporating advancements in modern methodologies such as Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL), co-simulation, Geographically Distributed Real-Time Simulation (GDRTS), holistic test case description methods, etc., achieved throughout the project. The report further presents the feedback collection approach followed, analyses the survey results, and highlights key lessons learned and recommendations for future developments. Feedback was gathered from both educators and learners to gain insights into the content, target audience, learning objectives, achievements and statistics related to training activities and e-material. To facilitate this process, two reporting forms were developed and utilised: the Activity Plan Form, that collected information during the planning and preparation phase of the activities, and the Activity Report Form, that provided insights after the completion of each activity. To obtain feedback from the learners, customised surveys were distributed to users and participants. Looking back, it can be stated that higher-quality feedback and greater engagement was obtained from in-person activities compared to online surveys. Finally, the report concludes with lessons learned and recommendations based on the overall training experience and the feedback received. Education and training are essential for equipping professionals with the necessary skills, requiring active, hands-on, and problem-based learning approaches. ERIGrid 2.0 aligned its educational strategy with (IEEE PES Task Force on Innovative Teaching Methods for Modern Power and Energy Systems, 2024) recommendations, identifying target learner groups and categorizing activities based on Bloom’s taxonomy. Key insights from the educational activities highlighted the importance of hands-on training, user-friendly e-tools, structured learning formats, and tailored content for different skill levels. Additionally, the identified gender imbalance in participation underscores the need for targetedoutreach to promote diversity in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education. Overall, the ERIGrid 2.0 training approach proved effective, demonstrating alignment with best practices for modern power and energy system education.