Novia

University of Applied Sciences

How frePPLe became a learning tool for students.

The University

Novia University of Applied Sciences acts along the Swedish- speaking parts of the Finnish coastline. With over 4000 students and a staff of about 360, Novia is the largest Swedish-speaking university of applied sciences in Finland.

Novia aims at long-term cooperation with enterprises, education, and research institutions. They participate in international projects to enhance the quality of education, especially within their focus areas: sustainable energy technology, bioeconomy, health and welfare, maritime simulation, culture and entrepreneurship.

The Courses

Mikael Ehrs, Ph.D., studied at the University of Vaasa, Finland. Today, he teaches Industrial Management at Novia and his courses include production simulation & planning.

During the courses, he introduces students to a number of key concepts in industrial management like what is an ERP and why companies need such tools. He uses Siemens PLM software available for students to help them draw the simulation of a product assembly line.

As he is a firm believer in learning by doing, he also includes the use of practical tools like frePPLe. “To give a more balanced view of production simulation,” he says, “we use frePPLe’s free version because this is what happens on the field. frePPLe does not stop at conceptualisation, it is a tool companies use and need for production planning and demand forecasting every day.”

“I particularly like the path to unlock features in frePPLe,” Mikael Ehrs comments. Indeed, to help users navigate inside the tool, it is designed as a game path where you have to overcome challenges before going to the next step. “It is very useful to make students understand how the data intercorrelate.”