Digital training reimagined: Fraunhofer FOKUS supports the development of the “Virtual Learning Environment of the German Federal Armed Forces”

The aim of the Virtual Learning Environment of the German Federal Armed Forces (in German: “Virtuelle Lernumgebung der Bundeswehr”, VLBw) is to integrate all training facilities of the German Federal Armed Forces into a common digital ecosystem – secure, interoperable and future-proof. The VLBw strengthens the digital sovereignty of the German Federal Armed Forces and gives teachers the freedom to design content and methods individually – for modern, mission-oriented training.

© Philipp Plum / Fraunhofer FOKUS

The German Federal Armed Forces is one of the largest employers in Germany and has around 130 training centres. It plays an important role in adult education and training. Existing isolated solutions and the pilot system will be transferred as part of the project and all digital training activities will be bundled on a single, central platform. The project is translated and described in brief here. More detailed information can be found here.

Fraunhofer FOKUS' Common Learning Middleware in the VLBw

Within the VLBw, the Fraunhofer Common Learning Middleware (CLM) from our business unit Future Applications and Media (FAME) is used to meet several requirements at once.

With the support of various service types, we can ensure an interoperable learning infrastructure. A service provides functional elements such as digital learning content or AI functions that comply with current specifications and standards. The data flows between these functional elements are also orchestrated via the CLM, and a user interface is provided for simplification. The strict guidelines for cross-network data flows are taken into account.

The ability to register and orchestrate different services enables the implementation of the requirements for various modular digital learning experiences within the VLBw. Role and rights management, i.e. who is allowed to access which services in which roles, can also be controlled via the CLM. Single sign-on (SSO) is guaranteed, of course, which is a particular challenge given the various networks and identity providers used by the VLBw. The CLM also enables the automation of learner enrolments in training courses.

A CLM instance is used for the local training environment for each network within the VLBw, from open offerings to digital enclaves. One of the most exciting challenges of the project is networking these training environments into one technological ecosystem (federated network) for the German Federal Armed Forces.

Fraunhofer FOKUS has been supporting project partners BWI GmbH and TriCat GmbH since 2022 in the implementation and introduction of the VLBw.

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